I bought a set of Arteza gouache on a whim a few months ago - I'm mainly a watercolour painter, but wanted to try gouache as well. And I absolutely love them, and its rapidly becoming my favourite medium. I'm glad I got the Arteza and not the Himi.
I love Arteza for art journaling. Cheap, cheerful & actually quite decent for this price range. The large number of ready-mixed colours (including pearlescent!) are super fun and no time wasted when jumping into an art journal. Thank you for your amazing comparison videos! 🌸
I am so impressed with how you were still able to get such beautiful results in spite of some of the drawbacks. I think that says a lot about you, and not the paints. I really appreciate these comparisons.
Every “practice” painting here was stunning. I’ve been a fan of Sarah Burns for years and I couldn’t tell the difference between these student grade paintings and her other paintings made with professional grade paints.
17:15 "Yes, I can create a painting with anything you put in front of me--it won't be without struggle but it's doable. But, I prefer to enjoy the process." What an absolute BURN! I love it. Thank you for your honesty! The Himi cups were really trendy a year ago, and they piqued my interest about getting into gouache. But I'm glad I came across your channel and researched my options before buying my supplies. Thanks for your reviews!
I have both and agree with the review, the ateza is a pleasure to work with but the himi is definitely as Sarah described and harder to work with. I bought the himi even though I knew it's problems because the arteza only comes in 12ml tubes and although I only do sketchbook work, it was so nice I didn't want to waste it on experimentation. So I use arteza for more finished pieces and himi for exploring and messing around. The ateza is by far the best though and if you had no concerns spending money I wouldn't use anything else, yet I still like the fact I can go wild with the himi without feeling like I'm wasting money.
I'm actually shocked at how beautiful the Miya Himi painting turned out! I probably would have given up halfway through. I actually got this set a few years ago. I wanted a gouache set where the paints stay wet. Should just have gotten a decent stay wet palette instead, but I didn't know much about these kind of palettes back then. In the end I only use the Miya Himis for practice pieces (when I don't want to sacrifice my more expensive Holbeins).
I agree with your assessment of the "jelly" gouache. It was disappointing. I let mine dry in full pans and it works better as a matte watercolor and doesn't crack. It still doesn't mix cleanly, but is less frustrating to work with from dry pans. I also loved the Caran D'Ache gouache studio dry pans over their tube gouache which feels like toothpaste to me in consistency.
I always found it so strange how the Caran D'Ache dry pans are better than the tubes, usually wet tube gouache is better to handle? lol idk how C D'A messed that up 😅 also found someone on gouache reddit who said they actually prefer their Himi gouache dry cuz it yields better opacity than when wet for them...🤔 I should try that
I always thought there was something wrong with me because I couldn't get good results painting with the himi gouache, but after being subscribed to your gouache box, I realized the night and day from student grade to professional grade. If someone is reading this please do not use himi. Yes, you can paint with it but it is not enjoyable at all!! Since then, I do not support content creators that push himi gouache for their petty amazon affiliate money.
I had the same problem. One thing that really helped me was to use large quantities of paint and least possible water. 4 of my colors from himi caught mold so badly I had to completely discard them
Thanks, Sarah, this was super helpful! I used the HIMI Gouache as my first set, which was drying out after 5 months. I used one of the airtight containers to store half of it, and it's still wet and creamy. Also, it's eye-opening why I always struggled when I tried to cover a big area...and my skies always ended up watered down. But at least I could achieve something I liked and started to play with a new medium because it was so cheap. So afterwards, I both myself a more professional set and was super hyped about it.
Thanks for helping me choose a gouache set to get started. As a beginner it’s important to me that I don’t have to fight the supplies while I’m learning. Arteza looks like a good choice to start with
Thanks for this review! Having watched both the student and professional gouache comparisons now, I’ll say that you validated my decision to slowly buy a few professional tubes (when I saw sales) to get my gouache collection started. I hate being frustrated by supplies and that will likely turn me off completely. I learned that years ago with another hobby. I went to a chain art supply store, bought a big entry-level set of supplies for something and it’s a small miracle that I continued with the hobby after the frustration I felt using the cheap supplies. For myself (and my patience level) it is far better for me to spend a little extra on quality supplies that will make me enjoy the process, rather than having to try to figure out how to make things work. I’ve often experienced that “professional” supplies end up costing less in the long run because you waste less, they last longer, you can get by with fewer, etc. Having said that, I know that some people prefer the big entry-level sets with all the colours and they get tons of enjoyment from them… that’s fantastic… I just realize they’re not for me 😊.
@@learnartwithme3766 You are so lucky! Jackson’s can’t ship W&N or Holbein to Canada, so I can’t take advantage of their gouache prices 🥲. Those brands are so expensive here!
I watched a person who used the Himi gouache who recommended it. being new to painting in general, both watercolor and wash. It seemed fun used it minimally. It did dry up even inside the sealed container so I had to add some water to get it going again, but the set that I got even when it came. I’ve never had like a separation thing where I had to start it but I figure just to play and learn on small projects. It could be OK and then if I decide, I really like gouache go onto, one of the other more professional ones you recommended. This is a great video packed with information! Thank you
the carandace in the pans was actually the first type of gouache I every used and I loved the opacity and vibrancy compared to my then student quality watercolors. I think the trick for the pans was to let them sit for quite some time in water to activate. After those I used the himi and wasn't a fan lol. After those, I jumped into the professional brands and haven't looked back since then. Thanks for sharing your experience and knowledge, Sarah! :D
This was a very interesting video. I own the Himi set and I thought that I wasn’t able to understand gouache. Now I’m glad to know that it is not the case. I’m pretty impressed with Arteza and I love that earth tones set. Thank you for sharing this video and going through some difficult painting times 😅 💕
i've been wanting to get into painting with gouache for a while now, and this video was super helpful in deciding which paints i should start with. thank you for the informative video! :)
I really love your paintings - as usual. I don't really care much about the paints. I can't say anything about the Arteza, but I have the Caran d'Ache tablets and Himi Miya. The Caran d'Ache were my first gouache set ever. And they got me to buy a Schmincke Horadam set. After trying the Horadam, I never looked back at the Caran d'Ache. Why did I try the Himi Miya if I had already found gouache that made me happy? I was curious, because so many used them on TH-cam and I thought that I might paint more often with gouache if I had a gouache palette of many colours ready to use. Well, no. The colours looks great in the palette, but they don't really fit to what I like to paint, so I would have to mix anyway, and just like you point out: mixing is really not the strong suit of the Himi Miya. So back to the Horadam. Like my father used to say: Don't waste money, buy good quality!
Thanks for the reviews. I recently decided to try out the Himi 18-color set as I got it for a really great price. My experience was similar to your but I didn’t notice any particular odor or binder separation with my set. I also bought the Caran D’Ache set a year or so ago and wish I hadn’t. 🤣😂🤣 it’s difficult for me to use. I didn’t pay full price for it and I’m glad I didn’t.
I MUST comment that I ALSO had to use a needle-nose pliers to get the seals off of the Himi jelly cups. There WAS some separation and the "aroma" was far from pleasing but NOT overwhelming, at least to me. I'm glad the seal was so great but, wow, what an ordeal opening them. I'm a beginner and I LOVE these. (I paint ONLY florals and enjoy using many different-shaped brushes; especially the angled) I DO have a full set of Holbein tubes waiting in the wings when my gouache self grows up.
Yea, I just got mine, a 52 set. I started opening them and after the first 2 rows, I stopped because I have arthritis and my hands were hurting. Had I not had my little jewelry pliers I’d have never got them opened.
I've been investigating how to purchase replacement jelly cups for Himi. Are there none? I'd hate to have to purchase a whole new set every time. I've seen some "bags" on line but not sure where they're shipped from and I didn't see ALL the colors. Do you have any knowledge on replacements? Thx.@@SarahBurnsStudio
I bit the bullet and got a Holbein gouache set of 12 colors 15ml for $45 and an assortment of WN gouache tubes and m. Graham. So happy so far! I also ended up getting the caran d’Ache gouache palette and honestly not horrible!! Both reviews videos helped me ty Sarah!
Sarah, This was so helpful. I thought it was me with the HIMI gouache. Ordered Arteza sea set and landscape set. I'm also using professional gouache. Thank you so much.
I had so much trouble swatching my HIMI set. I spent half an hour mixing them because of the binder separation but it didn’t seem to matter-they glide about as well as tacky acrylic. Somehow it stuck to the brush like glue but as you said, it dries the second it hits the paper and even trying to work it around with water. I was getting streaks underneath from the dried paint that just would not budge. And yes, they stain EVERYTHING! The palette, the brushes, the box case, my nails…. I even had a hard time cleaning it out of my brush soap/preserver. I found that they become a _bit_ more worth the price if you let them dry and use them as bad watercolors…but it’s becoming such a chore to figure out uses for them at this point. I feel like I’m forcing myself to use them JUST to be done with them already. I started with Arteza, I like Arteza…I regret thinking I needed to explore anything else because the HIMI set really feels like a huge waste. I’m glad other people are saying the same 😅
Gotta love timing...waiting on gouache stix and a gelly set significantly cheaper than himi/make. Beginner mistakes aside, learning from tools strengths and limits, is the journey... using glycerin and distilled water has restored other mediums, so perhaps these will assist future needs. Ty for so many tips. Saw another poster use a silicone mat under the kid to prevent dry out even some prefer that. ii had an idea to use a piece of wax paper under her lids (modeling pastes for example) and it worked. ii even started using g that on moisture cream jars after the seal wore off and it really helps.
I've never tried gouache, but I bought Himi, I saw mixed reviews online and decided to try it as a beginner. Thank you for all the details about each brand, it is very helpful.
3:14 you shouldn't need to use spray bottles with a stay-wet palette. I used to make homemade ones and all you need is a flat (ideally square) container, greaseproof baking paper and wet kitchen roll (soaking wet). After a while I gave up on palettes of any kind and mixed my paints in little glass bottles which is way more practical, for me at least 🤪🖼️👍✍️🖌️
This was a very helpful video as i am brand new to gouache. The timing was impeccable because i was already struggling with consistency and it seems to dry too fast making it less blendable, and therefore less functional. My first attempt is with arteza also because they have awesome products, but mine is in the jelly cup format
I really like my Arteza gouache. I am not much of a painter, I am more of a colored pencil artist but I really like them. If they do happen to dry out they will rewet pretty easily. I have a little spray bottle that I mist the dried paint with, let it set for a little bit, and mix them up and it works pretty good. Still opaque. I was given the 60 set and most of the colors are pretty nice. There are a few neon and metallic colors that are fun, but not really gouache like.. they are fun though. I've never used any expensive gouache, but as a beginner, they do what I want especially since I just use it for fun when I feel like trying something different than pencils.
Thank you for your reviews! So helpful. I have only played with gouache a few times but enjoyed it. I have a himi set and I definitely had to stir them initially but only had to stire agian if I had to add some water. Also, when I got mine, they didn't have any smell at all. I bought mine probably 2 or 3 years ago, so maybe they changed it? They are my only gouache set ( I wanted super cheap stuff and a lot of it, hence why I got the himi set). I have found some ways to work around it's problems But I definitely agree with you on the frustrating things with the set. Thanks again! Have a great day
I was hoping that you would include Schminke Akademie in this comparison, but I understand fully that a line had to be drawn somewhere with this series. It truly hurt my eyeballs to watch you struggle with the Caran D'ache. I'd heard that it was unspeakably awful, but this was truly horrifying. It surprises me that the same maker that produces the neocolor crayons makes such a rubbish product. What a herculean task it was to produce this video and the professional gouache comparison video. Incredible! These will be a great resource for artists for years and years to come. Thank you.
I have a number of artist quality gouache but , trying to find a good price break bought the Caran D"ache tube set as their pencils and other art supplies are well known and good quality. I have been terribly disappointed in them and was wondering if I had gotten it wrong, but was glad to see confirmation of my opinion in your reviews. Like so many, I thank you for taking the time, effort and expense of doing these reviews.
I found my Himi gouache had mold on it because it didn't take care of it but looking at this video teaches me i need to do more research before buying something Thank You so much :)
Thank you so much for this useful review! I would love to see you try the student grade schmincke gouache (the akademie line), although it can be expensive outside Germany/Europe. (this is not a complaint! You did plenty!)
I have reviewed Arteza years ago when they sent me the entire set and I was surprised but had the same thing to say. Creamy and dry! Now my jelly gouache was not Miya Himi, it has no binder separation, even after one year and no bad smell. I did have the same brush drag feeling and the yellow and light green were more transparent. I much prefer my professional brands. My Caran d’ache is in pans. I was curious and had to try it. I was surprised how well it worked but it can’t be worked thick and it feels sandy. It is difficult to get it opaque. Another one I tried that I thought was better than Arteza and that is Jeece Finest.
Oh wow that’s great because Arteza is more readily available for me than the other 2 if I am going to go with student grade or mostly to buy for the grandkids. Thanks for sharing this wonderful informational video with us! I appreciate your going to this trouble with all of these gouache tests.
I think you might have gotten an old stock of the Himi gouache. I have the 56 color set and I didn't notice any odour. They did dry hard as rock after a year but I can rewet them with water by adding water to cover the rocky paints, letting the water soak in for a few hours and stirring the whole cup of gouache. They work as good as new after I revived them with water.
The Arteza yellows and reds are much less opaque than the earth tones. I have the full set. I do enjoy using it, and I have squeezed out some paint onto a travel pallette and let it dry out. It is crumbly but they are big crumbs so I just pick them up and put them back in place. I chose 12 of the most opaque colors and it works for me 😊
thank you for the comparisons!! I got the himi gouache and was trying to follow a tutorial with lots of layering of light on dark colors, but I just couldn't get the lighter colors to cover the darkers well. I struggled so much and after watching your layering swatches everything makes so much sense so I went and got the winsor newton 6 piece set lol I think i will just use the himi for coloring books so i dont have to layer/mix as much
I highly appreciate that you always give the pigment number of the product you review. Not a lot of people do that. I havent found pigment numbers for arteza gouache even on arteza page and watched many videos on YT of people swatching them but nobody mentions pigment numbers even though they are written on the tubes. I want to try gouache but I wanted to start with cheaper option like arteza but since I cant get to their pigment numbers now I dont know. I cant use heavy metals in my paints, I saw your video even have your chart with pigments toxicity and lightfastness from patreon. It was the most helpfull thing for me, your research ❤️ love you for that. Thank you for that❤️ now I am thinking Schmimcke akademie gouache 60 ml tubes or just yolo it and buy good Winsor and newton gouache. I have 2 tubes at home its so creamy and smooth. ❤️ but I am afraid those little tiny W&N tubes will be empty fast, I cant tell. So thank you for putting pigment numbers in videos, its highly appreciated ❤️❤️
Being primarily a drawer I've always really liked Caran d'ache colored pencils, even the student grade ones feel decent for me. But I've never liked their paints. I always thought that was just a me problem, but it's nice to hear it wasn't just in my head and that there really is something off. I'm currently playing around with a set of arteza and after seeing this video, doubly happy I caved during one of their campaigns. Now I just need figure out how to give up the need for absolute control coming from that drawing background 😅
Until you mentioned that professional gouache existed, I thought this was all just kid's stuff to play around with. Thank you for doing this video. I don't do gouache, but it's interesting to learn there are professional brands too. Next vid, the professional brands!
Thanks. Well, I am kind of happy that my experience with Arrtx-Gouache is quite the same as you had with the Himi - as I now know that it's not me, but most likely the paint. Well, I kind of knew because I don't have the same issues with my Schminke Akademie... Now I am looking forward watching your professional brands comparison - video. Let's see if I want to try some other brand (if I can buy it it Germany for a reasonable prize).
Thank you for testing the caran d’ache . I bought it because Irena Spector used it in a tutorial. Bit of a disappointment 😢😊 I was told by my local artshop owner that the designer school in The Hague are recommending this! 😮
I bought the Himi qouache set when I first had a go about a year ago. I found it quite frustrating and figured it was me. Eventually i stopped. But this video has been super enlightening. I see a local art store has a sale on - I might get some nice Windsor & Newton or Shmincke paints and try again.
I started with Schmincke Akademie Gouache, its their student line. €5 for 60ml. Unbeatable. I got a handful of colours and they mix really well. I have a HIMI set and you can feel the difference -they are gooey and somewhat transparent. Your advice stands: fewer colours and better quality is the way to go.
You make the best gouache videos!! I love these gouache comparison videos. I'm interested in hearing your thoughts on a few more gouache brands like: Utrecht, Da Vinci, and Maimeri. Anyway, great video, and thanks for sharing, much love ❤
I have the Himi jelly gouache and the 24 set Arteza. I’ve tried to like the Himi but it’s too thick, sticky and I couldn’t figure out why I didn’t like painting with it. Watching this video now I know it’s the consistency and because of the mixing. I have managed to keep my set wet for 2 years now by spray with water and mixing a palette knife when I open the lid. Then respraying water and mixing before closing the lid. I started reusing my Artzea gouache after using the Himi and I just enjoyed the process of paint with them a lot more. It would be nice to buy colour separately when you run out. Maybe they will introduce that as I know you can repurchase single or same colour markers sets.
Do you use ordinary tap water? How often do you spray it ? I also have the Himi set but let it dry out for fear of mold from tap water. Its kind of a hassle to rewet.
@@tthomas184 No, I have a spray bottle and I used clean water from a filler jug or boiled water from a kettle that cool down. I spray it and mix when I open the paint set and spray again when I’m finished and putting the paint away. So far I haven’t had any mould and I make sure the lid is on and secure tightly.
I bought the Caran D’Ache pan set to take on a trip out west but only got to use it once because every day was so windy. I do recall thinking the colors were nice and saturated. However, the sheer size and weight of that pan set discourages me from ever taking it along again in the future. Also, if only the Arteza folks would sell individual colors at $1 a tube!!!! There’s always some tubes that we use up faster than others and it seems ridiculous the have to buy a whole set to replace those few.
Thank you Sarah for creating all these videos and trying for us even those 3 brands. I can add to them that I really don’t recommend the Schmincke Akademie set. I got it together with the Arteza set when I started painting, because I thought that it will be nice and I liked it even less than the Arteza one. I wasted so much money on them that I wasn’t even willing to buy any other and just stick to watercolours. Isn’t bad, because I completely fall in love with watercolour, but I won’t recommend them either. Now I am straight going to the comparisons of the professional brands. 🎉🎉 Thank you gorgeous Sarah and congratulations for 50k. Wishing you to 10x it at least. 💞 Thank you!!! ❤
Sarah this was such a great comparison. I bought himi when it first came out and there wasn’t a smell 👃 but I’m going to dig them out not for a good sniff 😂
Thank you - I’ve been wanting to try qouache - this was helpful - I ordered a set of 12 earth colors from Amazon. Excited to try it! Watercolor has been my fav.
About five years ago my boyfriend bought me the Artiza gouache for my 17th birthday I 22 and proud to say I still use that same 60 set.I put most of the colors in it in a stay wet palette box that I bought from Amazon and somehow they have not molded in over five years it has dried a few times but every time I was able to get them liquid again by spraying the heak out of them with water letting them sit more water and sitting then stirred it the constancy is a tiny bit different after you do that but but not much it is still opaque and perfectly useable 😅
I spent my weekend painting with Arteza gouache and I could not agree with you more. Superb quality. As for the spreadability - it may be the paper. Mine did not dry on the palette and had zero issues rewetting it. I don't even need to spray it with water to reactivate it. I have no issues with it and I absolutely love it.
Thanks for reviewing these. I’ve noticed Arteza gets pretty consistent positive reviews as a student grade gouache. I recently saw someone compare Hobby Lobby’s (“Master’s Touch”) gouache to Arteza with the conclusion the two brands were pretty similar, so I ended up trying that one myself since Hobby Lobby is an easily accessible option where I live. I use M Graham and Winsor Newton for my own work, but I was looking for something friendly to a high school classroom budget for my students. All in all, I think it’s going to be a doable option for our classes.
Thank you for this vid! I recenty bought Arteza. Was hesitant about it being cheap. Haven't played with it yet. But after your review, I’m confident in my choice of beginner gouache and inspired to go play!
You'll love it to me it feels like a professional paint even if it's not classified as one, and even has pigment numbers so you can research yourself if you want. Definitely much easier to use than the himi, which I have also for just messing around with. You really can't go wrong with the arteza it's an absolute pleasure to work with.
Excellent job on this, Sarah! I'll be referring many people with questions to your two new videos. I have several of the top brands of gouache so I can't wait to watch that video next, I'm impressed with the Daniel Smith gouache so I'm interested to see what you have to say about them. As for the cheaper brands, I don't think I would buy any of them. I even believe that children 6yrs and up should use artist-grade materials, at that age you can teach them about toxicity and safe practices. I'm extremely sensitive to smells, I can even smell the paint/binders of the artist-grade brands as well, Nicker Poster Color is the only one that I don't typically smell anything. We do have good ventilation in our home, in Texas our air-con or heated air runs constantly so even though I smell the paint upon opening the tubes, it dissipates quickly, and the smells are not strong or off-putting. If someone really wants to save money and enjoy painting, they should get Winsor and Newton designer's gouache, a little goes a long way and it is (at least in the US) very affordable and you need just a few colors to mix anything you want.
Quick tip if you cover you,re himi miya gouache pallet whit a sillicon baking mat you can keep the paints fresh for longer whitout re wetting them. I learned it from another youtuber called Studio Of M.M😊
Hi! I have the Himi gouche, I love the vibrancy of the colours, but I hate the design of it. But I bought it because I’d seen other people talking about it. I much prefer tubes. :)
Your analysis is perfect timing. I have unopened boxes of Arteza earth and sea. I didn’t know why they split them into two categories and now I do, thank you (the blues). You really need both sets to put together one useful palette. Yesterday I watched a video about mixing watercolor blending medium into gouache. Do you think for the Arteza brand, it’s ok?
I was tempted to add the Sea set too! But since I have a TON of gouache already I didn’t. I think those two sets would be good together. Yes you could add the blending medium (less is best)
@@SarahBurnsStudio I’ll admit it was an impulse purchase and I should have known that’s how affordable becomes unaffordable because you end up buying both and many colors in each are nearly the same. I’m learning with the WN starter set of 10 colors. Your guidance has been essential. I can’t thank you enough!
Thank you for this well done and thorough comparison. The only one I was somewhat familiar with was the the dry version of Caran D’Ache. The reason for this is that all school children I knew when my children were in elementary school in Switzerland got this set in third grade - it is, after all, a Swiss product. It was eye opening for me that the quality was so bad, because the Swiss are usually very fussy about good quality. Anyway - this wads a great video to watch - and I now know that I will not be giving Caran D’Ache as a present to any of the little ones I know.
Arrtx makes a version of the gelly gouache, and I've had very few issues with reactivation or colour mixing, except the white, which I exchanged for my Winsor and Newton permanent white gouache. I actually have them in a smaller palette like watercolours, my only issue is mild crumbling after a while.
Hey Sarah, You mentioned, that the Arteza set was much more opaque, than the more expensive Caran d'ache Gouache. But I think, that you should also keep in mind, that you tried out some primaries in comparison to a set in which every colour had titanium white in it. So of course the Arteza gouache is a lot more opaque. I also experienced myself (even for the professional Schmincke Gouache), that you need nevertheless a tiny bit of water to make the paints flow nicely. It was just a thing, i noticed. Overall a nice comparison, thank you for sharing your knowledge and experience with us. It is nice, that you did a separate comparison for the student grade and the professional artist's gouache.
I did add a tiny bit of water to most of them, as is required for gouache. Some required much more than others to flow. That's why I said I am using as little as possible to feel the consistency, fairly compare them. I did white to the Caran D'ache because they were so transparent but the gumminess never went away. Whereas the Arteza was nicer to paint with. I did mention I've seen other reviews of Arteza where some brighter colors look more transparent, but even those reviews show the flow of the paint, far superior to the Caran D'Ache
@@SarahBurnsStudiocouldn't agree more my arteza 60 set doesn't look anywhere near as streaky and gluey as the caren d'ashe even with the primary colours which as listed on the tube are single pigment colours. They have a much better coverage than the caren d'ashe colours and are a pleasure to work with. I thought your analysis was spot on personally.
Thank you so much for this, have been thinking of getting the Caran d'ache pans for a while but definitely trust your opinion and will stick to my W&N professional and Arteza which I find are great for experimenting as I'm not too precious about them
I wanted to buy the himi gouache because of the variety of colors, but I have some beautiful watercolors, so maybe I'll hold out on buying gouaches for a while
Omg heck yeah! This video is amazing and soo informative, this is my second time watching it, doesn't kill to rewatch it lol. Also I own all three of the brands in this here video and I have to say, Arteza is probably the best one I've tried. It's not just "tolerable" but i guess it's good for inexpensive student grade gouache. Himi is cheap and all, but I find it hard to get a good consistency without sacrificing the opacity it barely has lol 😅 As for Caran D'Ache, it's in the middle, but the price is ridiculous for what it offers smh
I’ve been using Himi for a year, maybe it is because I don’t know any better (just more student grade brands) but I haven’t noticed any issue 😅 Btw, they should not smell that bad, mine are old but I can fairly smell anything 😮 I’m watching the other video because I want to make the jump soon. Maybe I’ll be trying Arteza too, just to compare
I have both himi 70 set and arteza 60 set. I haven't noticed any smell either and I'm normally pretty sensitive, but I can say the arteza is an absolute pleasure to use in comparison with the himi. I think if you try the arteza set you won't want to go back to the himi. I use my himi for experiments and as a paint I'm not scared to use a lot of.i actually got it knowing the problems after I already owned the arteza as the arteza just felt too good to use on anything that wasn't more of a finished piece. It's definitely much easier to work with but only comes in a 12ml tube so I was scared to use it all up which is where I use the himi instead. The arteza is a great product if you want the feel of a professional paint without the cost and they even list every pigment in it I actually really love it.
@@tabbi888 the only thing is that I can't find small sets from arteza in my country, just the 60 tubes box, and that's just to much 😅 I like to make my own mixtures, so..
@@lianhua09 that's unfortunate as the himi is such bad quality in comparison as I said I only got it for basically wasting and playing with the kids. The problem is with himi's glue like texture and it's very streaky meaning you have to repeatedly go over areas to even get somewhat flat,which to be honest is never truly flat. Also I've had some colours when applied heavily can actually be shiny like acrylic, to be honest it's very frustrating to work with. I have the 60 arteza and I find that I will probably still use all of it as you just use the convenience mixes to mix also, because the pigment numbers are listed you can predict quite well how the will react together even with the multiple mixed colours.
@@lianhua09 I've seen smaller basic sets of professional shinhan guache that might be worth looking into. It's a lot cheaper than other professional designers guache and I've heard it's excellent quality although I haven't tried it myself. Might be worth checking out, being an Asian brand maybe it's more available and I'm sure it's far better than himi, which I will only give to my kids in the future it's so bad.
I got two 12pks of the miya himi for $13 so I have a lot now. Also enjoying it but also a beginner. It definitely doesn't smell at all. After watching this I'm scared if I buy the arteza I will not use the 4lbs of miya himi I have now. 😂
Thank you so much for this video Sarah. I was particularly interested in seeing the comparison between the Arteza and Himi - two very popular lines of student gouache. I really enjoyed the Arteza the time I used it and I really want to explore it more, until I decide if I use the gouache enough and can afford to upgrade to artists gouache.
Winsor and Newton also have a decent student grade gouache set (10 12 ml tubes for around 20$ in a red box). I found it to be good to start learning, and then you can buy profesional grade tubes one at a time when you run out of one colour or wish to try one that is not included in the set.
SUCH a great video. Really appreciate your ways of comparing and your anecdotes. Your paintings look stunning regardless of the paint you used, but it’s super interesting to see the challenges you had in real time as you were using each different brand. Im disappointed in the Holbein. They’re my fav gouache and wc (however after watching your other video, there are now so many others to try!) and who knew that the Arteza was decent?? 🤷♀️ What a fun surprise! The jelly paints have always looked horrifying to me!) GREAT VIDEO!!!🎉
Hullo Sarah, I had this pop up in my feed and I was going to let it just roll past, but I thought what does she think of these paints? I was surprised that Arteza fared so well! I have avoided going back to the brand I used for so many years working in a design studio. I just don't want those associations plaguing me anymore! (It was Turners Design Gouache) So, Going forward I will be going to your site and reading as well as looking for videos on gouache I am leaning towards getting to get back to working with gouache. I hope this comment finds you well and happy.
I'm surprised with the arteza. I too have the earth arteza set. And I found it streaky. With that said I have a jelly set, artx, and I have a few tubes of m.grahm. also I have the paul rubens opaque watercolor...and of all of them it's the paul rubens opaque that I love, love, love. It does have terrible binder separation. It's said that it's not lightfast. But I took all the lightfast pigment tubes out and I've had a lightfast test going for 3 months and no change. Also it has binder seperation...but it is so pigmented, so smooth opaque and no streaking. But I'm ready for a real set so thanks for the recent reviews.
Thank you for such a detailed review of cheaper gouache! Have you ever tried the Rosa Studio gouache? It's a student-grade gouache that comes in tubs of 40 or 100 ml. I've been playing around with them a bit, and so far I find them to be more enjoyable to paint with than the Windsor & Newton gouache.
Matilda, I am curious to try the rosa studio, they are very affordable... are they opaque? Do you prefer them over the winsor newton designers gouache?
Hah! I beat you, @awatercolourist! 😘 And Sarah, thank you for this review and comparison! And special thanks for mentioning smell, as a fellow sensitive nose-haver I appreciate it! ☺️🙏
Thank you :) Yea the smell can completely ruin the experience for me and effects my quality of life so I am always compelled to mention it with the materials I use
Thanks guys for sharing your experiences with the smell. I can sometimes perceive a smell from paints and/or paper but I do not get migraines or any such adverse effects. But it is at times very unpleasant.
I'm really surprised at how poorly the Miya-Himi did! I had a set, and it seemed to work out slightly better, at least in my memory? But your points are fair. I no longer have that set, so I can't go back and see what it's like...the Arteza set isn't in Canada though, which kinda makes me sad. I would love to try it.
thank you for taking one for the team and reviewing. Arteza is not cheap for Canadians so I feel at that point you might as well start getting the professional grade ones
@@SarahBurnsStudio I was shocked at how much Dan Smith costs in the UK!!! I think its because shipping costs so much that arteza comes from the USA to Canada so its really pricy compared to other suppliers
It's actually really quite dear here in Australia too but one tube of any professional brand like Windsor newton is like $30 so it's still far cheaper in the long run. I actually purchased the himi after I got the arteza because it was so nice I didn't want to use it for experimentation or just playing. Actually even the himi is like$ 120 for 52 the arteza is $180 for 60 ,so I use the himi for playing where I don't feel like I'm wasting something that is dearer and just feels much better quality. Also when my daughter wants to have a go I don't feel like she's wasting the himi.
Oh wow, that's interesting! I got the same set of Himi gouache (yellow box tho), and mine didn't have any binder separation issues or a super strong smell (and I'm sensitive to chemical smells too). To be fair the smell is a little strong when you open the box because you're hit in the face with 24 open cups of paint, but it passes and doesn't linger during painting. Even visually yours looks so much more... juicy than mine; like there's just a lot more chemical/binder in yours. Is it possible they've changed the formula? I got my set in 2020. But definitely agree on the brush drag, it's very hard to get a smooth gradient because of how quickly it dries on the paper. Great reviews all around!! Going to hop over to the professional comparison now.💕
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I don't paint, but suddenly find myself more than halfway through this video because it's wicked interesting.
Good to know it’s interesting to someone who doesn’t paint!
Try painting. You might enjoy it😊
I bought a set of Arteza gouache on a whim a few months ago - I'm mainly a watercolour painter, but wanted to try gouache as well. And I absolutely love them, and its rapidly becoming my favourite medium. I'm glad I got the Arteza and not the Himi.
I love Arteza for art journaling. Cheap, cheerful & actually quite decent for this price range. The large number of ready-mixed colours (including pearlescent!) are super fun and no time wasted when jumping into an art journal.
Thank you for your amazing comparison videos! 🌸
I am so impressed with how you were still able to get such beautiful results in spite of some of the drawbacks. I think that says a lot about you, and not the paints. I really appreciate these comparisons.
Every “practice” painting here was stunning. I’ve been a fan of Sarah Burns for years and I couldn’t tell the difference between these student grade paintings and her other paintings made with professional grade paints.
@@ArtelisStudio she is amazing!
17:15 "Yes, I can create a painting with anything you put in front of me--it won't be without struggle but it's doable. But, I prefer to enjoy the process." What an absolute BURN! I love it. Thank you for your honesty!
The Himi cups were really trendy a year ago, and they piqued my interest about getting into gouache. But I'm glad I came across your channel and researched my options before buying my supplies. Thanks for your reviews!
I have both and agree with the review, the ateza is a pleasure to work with but the himi is definitely as Sarah described and harder to work with. I bought the himi even though I knew it's problems because the arteza only comes in 12ml tubes and although I only do sketchbook work, it was so nice I didn't want to waste it on experimentation. So I use arteza for more finished pieces and himi for exploring and messing around. The ateza is by far the best though and if you had no concerns spending money I wouldn't use anything else, yet I still like the fact I can go wild with the himi without feeling like I'm wasting money.
that moment when you realized that ITS TIME to buy a higher grade set. I have had my himi set for 3 years now! time to level up
I hope you have fun leveling up!!
I'm actually shocked at how beautiful the Miya Himi painting turned out! I probably would have given up halfway through. I actually got this set a few years ago. I wanted a gouache set where the paints stay wet. Should just have gotten a decent stay wet palette instead, but I didn't know much about these kind of palettes back then. In the end I only use the Miya Himis for practice pieces (when I don't want to sacrifice my more expensive Holbeins).
I agree with your assessment of the "jelly" gouache. It was disappointing. I let mine dry in full pans and it works better as a matte watercolor and doesn't crack. It still doesn't mix cleanly, but is less frustrating to work with from dry pans. I also loved the Caran D'Ache gouache studio dry pans over their tube gouache which feels like toothpaste to me in consistency.
I always found it so strange how the Caran D'Ache dry pans are better than the tubes, usually wet tube gouache is better to handle? lol idk how C D'A messed that up 😅 also found someone on gouache reddit who said they actually prefer their Himi gouache dry cuz it yields better opacity than when wet for them...🤔 I should try that
I find the himi was fun until it dried up- now it seems like it needs lots of maintenance
I always thought there was something wrong with me because I couldn't get good results painting with the himi gouache, but after being subscribed to your gouache box, I realized the night and day from student grade to professional grade. If someone is reading this please do not use himi. Yes, you can paint with it but it is not enjoyable at all!! Since then, I do not support content creators that push himi gouache for their petty amazon affiliate money.
I had the same problem. One thing that really helped me was to use large quantities of paint and least possible water. 4 of my colors from himi caught mold so badly I had to completely discard them
Thanks, Sarah, this was super helpful! I used the HIMI Gouache as my first set, which was drying out after 5 months. I used one of the airtight containers to store half of it, and it's still wet and creamy. Also, it's eye-opening why I always struggled when I tried to cover a big area...and my skies always ended up watered down. But at least I could achieve something I liked and started to play with a new medium because it was so cheap.
So afterwards, I both myself a more professional set and was super hyped about it.
Thanks for helping me choose a gouache set to get started. As a beginner it’s important to me that I don’t have to fight the supplies while I’m learning. Arteza looks like a good choice to start with
Thanks for this review! Having watched both the student and professional gouache comparisons now, I’ll say that you validated my decision to slowly buy a few professional tubes (when I saw sales) to get my gouache collection started. I hate being frustrated by supplies and that will likely turn me off completely. I learned that years ago with another hobby. I went to a chain art supply store, bought a big entry-level set of supplies for something and it’s a small miracle that I continued with the hobby after the frustration I felt using the cheap supplies. For myself (and my patience level) it is far better for me to spend a little extra on quality supplies that will make me enjoy the process, rather than having to try to figure out how to make things work. I’ve often experienced that “professional” supplies end up costing less in the long run because you waste less, they last longer, you can get by with fewer, etc.
Having said that, I know that some people prefer the big entry-level sets with all the colours and they get tons of enjoyment from them… that’s fantastic… I just realize they’re not for me 😊.
Totally agree!
I picked up Holbein primary set from Jackson’s for just under £20
@@learnartwithme3766 You are so lucky! Jackson’s can’t ship W&N or Holbein to Canada, so I can’t take advantage of their gouache prices 🥲. Those brands are so expensive here!
@@FaithAnnNB what about Amazon?
I watched a person who used the Himi gouache who recommended it. being new to painting in general, both watercolor and wash. It seemed fun used it minimally. It did dry up even inside the sealed container so I had to add some water to get it going again, but the set that I got even when it came. I’ve never had like a separation thing where I had to start it but I figure just to play and learn on small projects. It could be OK and then if I decide, I really like gouache go onto, one of the other more professional ones you recommended. This is a great video packed with information! Thank you
the carandace in the pans was actually the first type of gouache I every used and I loved the opacity and vibrancy compared to my then student quality watercolors. I think the trick for the pans was to let them sit for quite some time in water to activate.
After those I used the himi and wasn't a fan lol. After those, I jumped into the professional brands and haven't looked back since then. Thanks for sharing your experience and knowledge, Sarah! :D
Thank you Sarah for doing these videos! They are very well done. And your art… just lovely! You’re a gem and beautiful artist. Cheers!
Thank you so much!
This was a very interesting video. I own the Himi set and I thought that I wasn’t able to understand gouache. Now I’m glad to know that it is not the case. I’m pretty impressed with Arteza and I love that earth tones set.
Thank you for sharing this video and going through some difficult painting times 😅 💕
i've been wanting to get into painting with gouache for a while now, and this video was super helpful in deciding which paints i should start with. thank you for the informative video! :)
I really love your paintings - as usual. I don't really care much about the paints. I can't say anything about the Arteza, but I have the Caran d'Ache tablets and Himi Miya. The Caran d'Ache were my first gouache set ever. And they got me to buy a Schmincke Horadam set. After trying the Horadam, I never looked back at the Caran d'Ache. Why did I try the Himi Miya if I had already found gouache that made me happy? I was curious, because so many used them on TH-cam and I thought that I might paint more often with gouache if I had a gouache palette of many colours ready to use. Well, no. The colours looks great in the palette, but they don't really fit to what I like to paint, so I would have to mix anyway, and just like you point out: mixing is really not the strong suit of the Himi Miya. So back to the Horadam. Like my father used to say: Don't waste money, buy good quality!
I didn’t know caran d’ache sold gouache in tubes? 😮 there seems to be a lot more on the market now even just in the last few years 😊
Thanks for the reviews. I recently decided to try out the Himi 18-color set as I got it for a really great price. My experience was similar to your but I didn’t notice any particular odor or binder separation with my set.
I also bought the Caran D’Ache set a year or so ago and wish I hadn’t. 🤣😂🤣 it’s difficult for me to use. I didn’t pay full price for it and I’m glad I didn’t.
I MUST comment that I ALSO had to use a needle-nose pliers to get the seals off of the Himi jelly cups. There WAS some separation and the "aroma" was far from pleasing but NOT overwhelming, at least to me. I'm glad the seal was so great but, wow, what an ordeal opening them. I'm a beginner and I LOVE these. (I paint ONLY florals and enjoy using many different-shaped brushes; especially the angled) I DO have a full set of Holbein tubes waiting in the wings when my gouache self grows up.
Yea, I just got mine, a 52 set. I started opening them and after the first 2 rows, I stopped because I have arthritis and my hands were hurting. Had I not had my little jewelry pliers I’d have never got them opened.
I got the 42 double-cups...great price on Amazon. I also have the metallic which are a lot of fun. Enjoy your haul. @@gailreineke7186
Yea, the pliers the only way I can imagine opening them!
I've been investigating how to purchase replacement jelly cups for Himi. Are there none? I'd hate to have to purchase a whole new set every time. I've seen some "bags" on line but not sure where they're shipped from and I didn't see ALL the colors. Do you have any knowledge on replacements? Thx.@@SarahBurnsStudio
I bit the bullet and got a Holbein gouache set of 12 colors 15ml for $45 and an assortment of WN gouache tubes and m. Graham. So happy so far! I also ended up getting the caran d’Ache gouache palette and honestly not horrible!! Both reviews videos helped me ty Sarah!
Sarah, This was so helpful. I thought it was me with the HIMI gouache. Ordered Arteza sea set and landscape set. I'm also using professional gouache. Thank you so much.
Yes I agree with all that you said about the Miyi Himi set.
I had so much trouble swatching my HIMI set. I spent half an hour mixing them because of the binder separation but it didn’t seem to matter-they glide about as well as tacky acrylic. Somehow it stuck to the brush like glue but as you said, it dries the second it hits the paper and even trying to work it around with water. I was getting streaks underneath from the dried paint that just would not budge.
And yes, they stain EVERYTHING! The palette, the brushes, the box case, my nails…. I even had a hard time cleaning it out of my brush soap/preserver.
I found that they become a _bit_ more worth the price if you let them dry and use them as bad watercolors…but it’s becoming such a chore to figure out uses for them at this point. I feel like I’m forcing myself to use them JUST to be done with them already.
I started with Arteza, I like Arteza…I regret thinking I needed to explore anything else because the HIMI set really feels like a huge waste. I’m glad other people are saying the same 😅
Great video!!! A lot of information. Thank you! The Himi gouache is sooo hard to use, its streaky and you have to keep layering or add white....
Gotta love timing...waiting on gouache stix and a gelly set significantly cheaper than himi/make. Beginner mistakes aside, learning from tools strengths and limits, is the journey... using glycerin and distilled water has restored other mediums, so perhaps these will assist future needs. Ty for so many tips. Saw another poster use a silicone mat under the kid to prevent dry out even some prefer that. ii had an idea to use a piece of wax paper under her lids (modeling pastes for example) and it worked. ii even started using g that on moisture cream jars after the seal wore off and it really helps.
I've never tried gouache, but I bought Himi, I saw mixed reviews online and decided to try it as a beginner. Thank you for all the details about each brand, it is very helpful.
3:14 you shouldn't need to use spray bottles with a stay-wet palette. I used to make homemade ones and all you need is a flat (ideally square) container, greaseproof baking paper and wet kitchen roll (soaking wet). After a while I gave up on palettes of any kind and mixed my paints in little glass bottles which is way more practical, for me at least 🤪🖼️👍✍️🖌️
This was a very helpful video as i am brand new to gouache. The timing was impeccable because i was already struggling with consistency and it seems to dry too fast making it less blendable, and therefore less functional. My first attempt is with arteza also because they have awesome products, but mine is in the jelly cup format
I really like my Arteza gouache. I am not much of a painter, I am more of a colored pencil artist but I really like them. If they do happen to dry out they will rewet pretty easily. I have a little spray bottle that I mist the dried paint with, let it set for a little bit, and mix them up and it works pretty good. Still opaque. I was given the 60 set and most of the colors are pretty nice. There are a few neon and metallic colors that are fun, but not really gouache like.. they are fun though.
I've never used any expensive gouache, but as a beginner, they do what I want especially since I just use it for fun when I feel like trying something different than pencils.
Thank you for your reviews! So helpful. I have only played with gouache a few times but enjoyed it. I have a himi set and I definitely had to stir them initially but only had to stire agian if I had to add some water. Also, when I got mine, they didn't have any smell at all. I bought mine probably 2 or 3 years ago, so maybe they changed it? They are my only gouache set ( I wanted super cheap stuff and a lot of it, hence why I got the himi set). I have found some ways to work around it's problems But I definitely agree with you on the frustrating things with the set. Thanks again! Have a great day
the video I’ve waited for so long 😍 finally out
I was hoping that you would include Schminke Akademie in this comparison, but I understand fully that a line had to be drawn somewhere with this series. It truly hurt my eyeballs to watch you struggle with the Caran D'ache. I'd heard that it was unspeakably awful, but this was truly horrifying. It surprises me that the same maker that produces the neocolor crayons makes such a rubbish product. What a herculean task it was to produce this video and the professional gouache comparison video. Incredible! These will be a great resource for artists for years and years to come. Thank you.
I love their neocolors!
I have a number of artist quality gouache but , trying to find a good price break bought the Caran D"ache tube set as their pencils and other art supplies are well known and good quality. I have been terribly disappointed in them and was wondering if I had gotten it wrong, but was glad to see confirmation of my opinion in your reviews. Like so many, I thank you for taking the time, effort and expense of doing these reviews.
Caran d'ache's student grade stuff is always terrible. It's cause they call their kid's stuff student grade. Avoid the red color packaging.
I found my Himi gouache had mold on it because it didn't take care of it but looking at this video teaches me i need to do more research before buying something Thank You so much :)
Thank you so much for this useful review! I would love to see you try the student grade schmincke gouache (the akademie line), although it can be expensive outside Germany/Europe. (this is not a complaint! You did plenty!)
I have reviewed Arteza years ago when they sent me the entire set and I was surprised but had the same thing to say. Creamy and dry! Now my jelly gouache was not Miya Himi, it has no binder separation, even after one year and no bad smell. I did have the same brush drag feeling and the yellow and light green were more transparent. I much prefer my professional brands. My Caran d’ache is in pans. I was curious and had to try it. I was surprised how well it worked but it can’t be worked thick and it feels sandy. It is difficult to get it opaque. Another one I tried that I thought was better than Arteza and that is Jeece Finest.
Oh wow that’s great because Arteza is more readily available for me than the other 2 if I am going to go with student grade or mostly to buy for the grandkids. Thanks for sharing this wonderful informational video with us! I appreciate your going to this trouble with all of these gouache tests.
Lucky kids!
I think you might have gotten an old stock of the Himi gouache. I have the 56 color set and I didn't notice any odour. They did dry hard as rock after a year but I can rewet them with water by adding water to cover the rocky paints, letting the water soak in for a few hours and stirring the whole cup of gouache. They work as good as new after I revived them with water.
The Arteza yellows and reds are much less opaque than the earth tones. I have the full set. I do enjoy using it, and I have squeezed out some paint onto a travel pallette and let it dry out. It is crumbly but they are big crumbs so I just pick them up and put them back in place. I chose 12 of the most opaque colors and it works for me 😊
thank you for the comparisons!! I got the himi gouache and was trying to follow a tutorial with lots of layering of light on dark colors, but I just couldn't get the lighter colors to cover the darkers well. I struggled so much and after watching your layering swatches everything makes so much sense so I went and got the winsor newton 6 piece set lol I think i will just use the himi for coloring books so i dont have to layer/mix as much
Thanks for all your efforts and hard work!
I love watching you mix the Arteza blue with green creating beautiful new colors!
I highly appreciate that you always give the pigment number of the product you review. Not a lot of people do that. I havent found pigment numbers for arteza gouache even on arteza page and watched many videos on YT of people swatching them but nobody mentions pigment numbers even though they are written on the tubes. I want to try gouache but I wanted to start with cheaper option like arteza but since I cant get to their pigment numbers now I dont know. I cant use heavy metals in my paints, I saw your video even have your chart with pigments toxicity and lightfastness from patreon. It was the most helpfull thing for me, your research ❤️ love you for that. Thank you for that❤️ now I am thinking Schmimcke akademie gouache 60 ml tubes or just yolo it and buy good Winsor and newton gouache. I have 2 tubes at home its so creamy and smooth. ❤️ but I am afraid those little tiny W&N tubes will be empty fast, I cant tell. So thank you for putting pigment numbers in videos, its highly appreciated ❤️❤️
I’m glad you found that helpful! I’m surprised other people who swatch/review them don’t include the pigment numbers.
Being primarily a drawer I've always really liked Caran d'ache colored pencils, even the student grade ones feel decent for me. But I've never liked their paints. I always thought that was just a me problem, but it's nice to hear it wasn't just in my head and that there really is something off.
I'm currently playing around with a set of arteza and after seeing this video, doubly happy I caved during one of their campaigns. Now I just need figure out how to give up the need for absolute control coming from that drawing background 😅
Wish I would’ve found this helpful video before purchasing the Himi set! Thank you for your helpful reviews!
I have the gouache pan set- my first gouache. I still use it for some journal stuff and like it for that use. (Otherwise I like the W&N)
Until you mentioned that professional gouache existed, I thought this was all just kid's stuff to play around with. Thank you for doing this video. I don't do gouache, but it's interesting to learn there are professional brands too. Next vid, the professional brands!
Thanks. Well, I am kind of happy that my experience with Arrtx-Gouache is quite the same as you had with the Himi - as I now know that it's not me, but most likely the paint. Well, I kind of knew because I don't have the same issues with my Schminke Akademie... Now I am looking forward watching your professional brands comparison - video. Let's see if I want to try some other brand (if I can buy it it Germany for a reasonable prize).
thanks for the Arteza props! just starting some classes so I'll start with these, and graduate to one of your better recommends!
Thank you for testing the caran d’ache . I bought it because Irena Spector used it in a tutorial. Bit of a disappointment 😢😊 I was told by my local artshop owner that the designer school in The Hague are recommending this! 😮
I bought the Himi qouache set when I first had a go about a year ago. I found it quite frustrating and figured it was me. Eventually i stopped.
But this video has been super enlightening. I see a local art store has a sale on - I might get some nice Windsor & Newton or Shmincke paints and try again.
I started with Schmincke Akademie Gouache, its their student line. €5 for 60ml. Unbeatable. I got a handful of colours and they mix really well. I have a HIMI set and you can feel the difference -they are gooey and somewhat transparent. Your advice stands: fewer colours and better quality is the way to go.
You make the best gouache videos!! I love these gouache comparison videos. I'm interested in hearing your thoughts on a few more gouache brands like: Utrecht, Da Vinci, and Maimeri. Anyway, great video, and thanks for sharing, much love ❤
Yes I hope to get my hands on those eventually. I wish more companies shipped to Scotland
I have the Himi jelly gouache and the 24 set Arteza.
I’ve tried to like the Himi but it’s too thick, sticky and I couldn’t figure out why I didn’t like painting with it.
Watching this video now I know it’s the consistency and because of the mixing. I have managed to keep my set wet for 2 years now by spray with water and mixing a palette knife when I open the lid.
Then respraying water and mixing before closing the lid.
I started reusing my Artzea gouache after using the Himi and I just enjoyed the process of paint with them a lot more.
It would be nice to buy colour separately when you run out. Maybe they will introduce that as I know you can repurchase single or same colour markers sets.
Do you use ordinary tap water? How often do you spray it ? I also have the Himi set but let it dry out for fear of mold from tap water. Its kind of a hassle to rewet.
@@tthomas184 No, I have a spray bottle and I used clean water from a filler jug or boiled water from a kettle that cool down.
I spray it and mix when I open the paint set and spray again when I’m finished and putting the paint away.
So far I haven’t had any mould and I make sure the lid is on and secure tightly.
@@2damecuteUK Thanks, that's great advice.
You cab purchase their spray from himi. It will solve those issues
I bought the Caran D’Ache pan set to take on a trip out west but only got to use it once because every day was so windy. I do recall thinking the colors were nice and saturated. However, the sheer size and weight of that pan set discourages me from ever taking it along again in the future. Also, if only the Arteza folks would sell individual colors at $1 a tube!!!! There’s always some tubes that we use up faster than others and it seems ridiculous the have to buy a whole set to replace those few.
Yea I’m surprised they dont sell individual colors, at least white!
@@SarahBurnsStudio yes! They also lose business when I am forced to buy replacements from a different vendor. Arteza! Think about it!!
Thank you Sarah for creating all these videos and trying for us even those 3 brands. I can add to them that I really don’t recommend the Schmincke Akademie set. I got it together with the Arteza set when I started painting, because I thought that it will be nice and I liked it even less than the Arteza one. I wasted so much money on them that I wasn’t even willing to buy any other and just stick to watercolours. Isn’t bad, because I completely fall in love with watercolour, but I won’t recommend them either. Now I am straight going to the comparisons of the professional brands. 🎉🎉 Thank you gorgeous Sarah and congratulations for 50k. Wishing you to 10x it at least. 💞 Thank you!!! ❤
Thank you so much!!
Sarah this was such a great comparison. I bought himi when it first came out and there wasn’t a smell 👃 but I’m going to dig them out not for a good sniff 😂
Thank you - I’ve been wanting to try qouache - this was helpful - I ordered a set of 12 earth colors from Amazon. Excited to try it! Watercolor has been my fav.
Yay, the long-awaited reviews! Thanks for a very helpful, informative video!
About five years ago my boyfriend bought me the Artiza gouache for my 17th birthday I 22 and proud to say I still use that same 60 set.I put most of the colors in it in a stay wet palette box that I bought from Amazon and somehow they have not molded in over five years it has dried a few times but every time I was able to get them liquid again by spraying the heak out of them with water letting them sit more water and sitting then stirred it the constancy is a tiny bit different after you do that but but not much it is still opaque and perfectly useable 😅
Interesting..
I spent my weekend painting with Arteza gouache and I could not agree with you more. Superb quality. As for the spreadability - it may be the paper. Mine did not dry on the palette and had zero issues rewetting it. I don't even need to spray it with water to reactivate it. I have no issues with it and I absolutely love it.
Thanks for reviewing these. I’ve noticed Arteza gets pretty consistent positive reviews as a student grade gouache. I recently saw someone compare Hobby Lobby’s (“Master’s Touch”) gouache to Arteza with the conclusion the two brands were pretty similar, so I ended up trying that one myself since Hobby Lobby is an easily accessible option where I live. I use M Graham and Winsor Newton for my own work, but I was looking for something friendly to a high school classroom budget for my students. All in all, I think it’s going to be a doable option for our classes.
Thank you for this vid! I recenty bought Arteza. Was hesitant about it being cheap. Haven't played with it yet. But after your review, I’m confident in my choice of beginner gouache and inspired to go play!
You'll love it to me it feels like a professional paint even if it's not classified as one, and even has pigment numbers so you can research yourself if you want. Definitely much easier to use than the himi, which I have also for just messing around with. You really can't go wrong with the arteza it's an absolute pleasure to work with.
Excellent job on this, Sarah! I'll be referring many people with questions to your two new videos. I have several of the top brands of gouache so I can't wait to watch that video next, I'm impressed with the Daniel Smith gouache so I'm interested to see what you have to say about them. As for the cheaper brands, I don't think I would buy any of them. I even believe that children 6yrs and up should use artist-grade materials, at that age you can teach them about toxicity and safe practices. I'm extremely sensitive to smells, I can even smell the paint/binders of the artist-grade brands as well, Nicker Poster Color is the only one that I don't typically smell anything. We do have good ventilation in our home, in Texas our air-con or heated air runs constantly so even though I smell the paint upon opening the tubes, it dissipates quickly, and the smells are not strong or off-putting. If someone really wants to save money and enjoy painting, they should get Winsor and Newton designer's gouache, a little goes a long way and it is (at least in the US) very affordable and you need just a few colors to mix anything you want.
Quick tip if you cover you,re himi miya gouache pallet whit a sillicon baking mat you can keep the paints fresh for longer whitout re wetting them. I learned it from another youtuber called Studio Of M.M😊
Thank you, Sarah all your hard work making this video. It is very informative and explains the struggles I am having with gouache.
i almost gave in to the hype and bought himi gouache but good thing i watched this first lol. helps to make a better decision.
You’re amazing at painting with difficult paints.🥺 Wow!
Hi! I have the Himi gouche, I love the vibrancy of the colours, but I hate the design of it. But I bought it because I’d seen other people talking about it. I much prefer tubes. :)
Your analysis is perfect timing. I have unopened boxes of Arteza earth and sea. I didn’t know why they split them into two categories and now I do, thank you (the blues). You really need both sets to put together one useful palette. Yesterday I watched a video about mixing watercolor blending medium into gouache. Do you think for the Arteza brand, it’s ok?
I was tempted to add the Sea set too! But since I have a TON of gouache already I didn’t. I think those two sets would be good together.
Yes you could add the blending medium (less is best)
@@SarahBurnsStudio I’ll admit it was an impulse purchase and I should have known that’s how affordable becomes unaffordable because you end up buying both and many colors in each are nearly the same. I’m learning with the WN starter set of 10 colors. Your guidance has been essential. I can’t thank you enough!
Thank you for this well done and thorough comparison. The only one I was somewhat familiar with was the the dry version of Caran D’Ache. The reason for this is that all school children I knew when my children were in elementary school in Switzerland got this set in third grade - it is, after all, a Swiss product. It was eye opening for me that the quality was so bad, because the Swiss are usually very fussy about good quality. Anyway - this wads a great video to watch - and I now know that I will not be giving Caran D’Ache as a present to any of the little ones I know.
I love their other products…just not their gouache!
Arrtx makes a version of the gelly gouache, and I've had very few issues with reactivation or colour mixing, except the white, which I exchanged for my Winsor and Newton permanent white gouache. I actually have them in a smaller palette like watercolours, my only issue is mild crumbling after a while.
Hey Sarah,
You mentioned, that the Arteza set was much more opaque, than the more expensive Caran d'ache Gouache. But I think, that you should also keep in mind, that you tried out some primaries in comparison to a set in which every colour had titanium white in it. So of course the Arteza gouache is a lot more opaque. I also experienced myself (even for the professional Schmincke Gouache), that you need nevertheless a tiny bit of water to make the paints flow nicely. It was just a thing, i noticed. Overall a nice comparison, thank you for sharing your knowledge and experience with us. It is nice, that you did a separate comparison for the student grade and the professional artist's gouache.
I did add a tiny bit of water to most of them, as is required for gouache. Some required much more than others to flow. That's why I said I am using as little as possible to feel the consistency, fairly compare them.
I did white to the Caran D'ache because they were so transparent but the gumminess never went away. Whereas the Arteza was nicer to paint with. I did mention I've seen other reviews of Arteza where some brighter colors look more transparent, but even those reviews show the flow of the paint, far superior to the Caran D'Ache
@@SarahBurnsStudiocouldn't agree more my arteza 60 set doesn't look anywhere near as streaky and gluey as the caren d'ashe even with the primary colours which as listed on the tube are single pigment colours. They have a much better coverage than the caren d'ashe colours and are a pleasure to work with. I thought your analysis was spot on personally.
OK. Thank you for your response.
Such patience 😮
I would have lost my temper well done Sarah ❤
I'm not using gouache (yet), but this comparison was very eye-opening.
So much time and insight for these 2 videos. It really helps as am getting into gouache more and more. Thank you, Sarah 😊
Thank you so much for this, have been thinking of getting the Caran d'ache pans for a while but definitely trust your opinion and will stick to my W&N professional and Arteza which I find are great for experimenting as I'm not too precious about them
Thank you for this review!
Super glad i watched this before getting one of those pretty himi sets
so glad I watched this! so helpful:)
I wanted to buy the himi gouache because of the variety of colors, but I have some beautiful watercolors, so maybe I'll hold out on buying gouaches for a while
Omg heck yeah! This video is amazing and soo informative, this is my second time watching it, doesn't kill to rewatch it lol. Also I own all three of the brands in this here video and I have to say, Arteza is probably the best one I've tried. It's not just "tolerable" but i guess it's good for inexpensive student grade gouache. Himi is cheap and all, but I find it hard to get a good consistency without sacrificing the opacity it barely has lol 😅 As for Caran D'Ache, it's in the middle, but the price is ridiculous for what it offers smh
I’ve been using Himi for a year, maybe it is because I don’t know any better (just more student grade brands) but I haven’t noticed any issue 😅
Btw, they should not smell that bad, mine are old but I can fairly smell anything 😮
I’m watching the other video because I want to make the jump soon. Maybe I’ll be trying Arteza too, just to compare
I have both himi 70 set and arteza 60 set. I haven't noticed any smell either and I'm normally pretty sensitive, but I can say the arteza is an absolute pleasure to use in comparison with the himi. I think if you try the arteza set you won't want to go back to the himi. I use my himi for experiments and as a paint I'm not scared to use a lot of.i actually got it knowing the problems after I already owned the arteza as the arteza just felt too good to use on anything that wasn't more of a finished piece. It's definitely much easier to work with but only comes in a 12ml tube so I was scared to use it all up which is where I use the himi instead. The arteza is a great product if you want the feel of a professional paint without the cost and they even list every pigment in it I actually really love it.
@@tabbi888 the only thing is that I can't find small sets from arteza in my country, just the 60 tubes box, and that's just to much 😅
I like to make my own mixtures, so..
@@lianhua09 that's unfortunate as the himi is such bad quality in comparison as I said I only got it for basically wasting and playing with the kids. The problem is with himi's glue like texture and it's very streaky meaning you have to repeatedly go over areas to even get somewhat flat,which to be honest is never truly flat. Also I've had some colours when applied heavily can actually be shiny like acrylic, to be honest it's very frustrating to work with. I have the 60 arteza and I find that I will probably still use all of it as you just use the convenience mixes to mix also, because the pigment numbers are listed you can predict quite well how the will react together even with the multiple mixed colours.
@@lianhua09 I've seen smaller basic sets of professional shinhan guache that might be worth looking into. It's a lot cheaper than other professional designers guache and I've heard it's excellent quality although I haven't tried it myself. Might be worth checking out, being an Asian brand maybe it's more available and I'm sure it's far better than himi, which I will only give to my kids in the future it's so bad.
I got two 12pks of the miya himi for $13 so I have a lot now. Also enjoying it but also a beginner. It definitely doesn't smell at all. After watching this I'm scared if I buy the arteza I will not use the 4lbs of miya himi I have now. 😂
Thank you so much for this video Sarah. I was particularly interested in seeing the comparison between the Arteza and Himi - two very popular lines of student gouache. I really enjoyed the Arteza the time I used it and I really want to explore it more, until I decide if I use the gouache enough and can afford to upgrade to artists gouache.
So nice and interesting video. So beautiful tutorial😍😍
Winsor and Newton also have a decent student grade gouache set (10 12 ml tubes for around 20$ in a red box). I found it to be good to start learning, and then you can buy profesional grade tubes one at a time when you run out of one colour or wish to try one that is not included in the set.
SUCH a great video. Really appreciate your ways of comparing and your anecdotes. Your paintings look stunning regardless of the paint you used, but it’s super interesting to see the challenges you had in real time as you were using each different brand. Im disappointed in the Holbein. They’re my fav gouache and wc (however after watching your other video, there are now so many others to try!) and who knew that the Arteza was decent?? 🤷♀️ What a fun surprise! The jelly paints have always looked horrifying to me!) GREAT VIDEO!!!🎉
Hullo Sarah, I had this pop up in my feed and I was going to let it just roll past, but I thought what does she think of these paints? I was surprised that Arteza fared so well! I have avoided going back to the brand I used for so many years working in a design studio. I just don't want those associations plaguing me anymore! (It was Turners Design Gouache) So, Going forward I will be going to your site and reading as well as looking for videos on gouache I am leaning towards getting to get back to working with gouache. I hope this comment finds you well and happy.
Thanks so much for the review it was so helpful
I'm surprised with the arteza. I too have the earth arteza set. And I found it streaky. With that said I have a jelly set, artx, and I have a few tubes of m.grahm. also I have the paul rubens opaque watercolor...and of all of them it's the paul rubens opaque that I love, love, love. It does have terrible binder separation. It's said that it's not lightfast. But I took all the lightfast pigment tubes out and I've had a lightfast test going for 3 months and no change. Also it has binder seperation...but it is so pigmented, so smooth opaque and no streaking. But I'm ready for a real set so thanks for the recent reviews.
You paint beautifully. And thanks for the video too
Thank you for such a detailed review of cheaper gouache! Have you ever tried the Rosa Studio gouache? It's a student-grade gouache that comes in tubs of 40 or 100 ml. I've been playing around with them a bit, and so far I find them to be more enjoyable to paint with than the Windsor & Newton gouache.
No I hadn't heard of that
Matilda, I am curious to try the rosa studio, they are very affordable... are they opaque? Do you prefer them over the winsor newton designers gouache?
Hah! I beat you, @awatercolourist! 😘
And Sarah, thank you for this review and comparison! And special thanks for mentioning smell, as a fellow sensitive nose-haver I appreciate it! ☺️🙏
Thank you :) Yea the smell can completely ruin the experience for me and effects my quality of life so I am always compelled to mention it with the materials I use
@@SarahBurnsStudio It's the same for me, so thank you again! ☺️
That’s a big deal for me as well. I get migraines and any strong smell triggers them. Thank you so much for bringing this up.
Beaten by Hannah 😄😄. Yay! 😄. I’m glad that you’re back here on TH-cam 😃.
Thanks guys for sharing your experiences with the smell. I can sometimes perceive a smell from paints and/or paper but I do not get migraines or any such adverse effects. But it is at times very unpleasant.
I'm really surprised at how poorly the Miya-Himi did! I had a set, and it seemed to work out slightly better, at least in my memory? But your points are fair. I no longer have that set, so I can't go back and see what it's like...the Arteza set isn't in Canada though, which kinda makes me sad. I would love to try it.
Really helps me to choose...thank you!
thank you for taking one for the team and reviewing. Arteza is not cheap for Canadians so I feel at that point you might as well start getting the professional grade ones
Interesting! I’m always amazed to hear the prices in other countries
@@SarahBurnsStudio I was shocked at how much Dan Smith costs in the UK!!! I think its because shipping costs so much that arteza comes from the USA to Canada so its really pricy compared to other suppliers
It's actually really quite dear here in Australia too but one tube of any professional brand like Windsor newton is like $30 so it's still far cheaper in the long run. I actually purchased the himi after I got the arteza because it was so nice I didn't want to use it for experimentation or just playing. Actually even the himi is like$ 120 for 52 the arteza is $180 for 60 ,so I use the himi for playing where I don't feel like I'm wasting something that is dearer and just feels much better quality. Also when my daughter wants to have a go I don't feel like she's wasting the himi.
My arteza set came with much smaller tubes. I guess they've done some redesign since I bought them.
My 60 set of arteza is 12ml tubes which I bought 2yrs ago.
Oh wow, that's interesting! I got the same set of Himi gouache (yellow box tho), and mine didn't have any binder separation issues or a super strong smell (and I'm sensitive to chemical smells too). To be fair the smell is a little strong when you open the box because you're hit in the face with 24 open cups of paint, but it passes and doesn't linger during painting. Even visually yours looks so much more... juicy than mine; like there's just a lot more chemical/binder in yours. Is it possible they've changed the formula? I got my set in 2020. But definitely agree on the brush drag, it's very hard to get a smooth gradient because of how quickly it dries on the paper.
Great reviews all around!! Going to hop over to the professional comparison now.💕
Hmmm not sure? They might have changed the recipe? Or maybe different factory for different countries?