I love this product for the brilliance of it's colours and for it's opaqueness.Even to newcomers I would recommend this product since it outshines all the others. It's just so versatile!I'm not such a purist but I use this in conjunction with other mediums but I do treasure these paints.

A Few Omissions in the Palette

An addendum to my prior review on this excellent gouache line: there are a few, to my mind, glaring omissions in the palette. This means that, even though I've been able to stop making a great many of my own gouaches, using the Schmincke line instead, I still find myself grinding a few colors: I quite like PB 15:3 (Helio Blue in the Schmincke Horadam line), but it's not an "artist's" substitute for PB 36 (Cerulean Blue). PB 16 (Helio Turquoise in the Horadam line) is a fine greenish blue, but the palette really requires, in addition, a blueish green, like PG 50 (Cobalt Turquoise). Finally, the line needs another violet, in addition to PV 19 (Quinacridone Violet, which is more madder than violet) and PV 23 (Dioxazine, another red violet, though a fair bit bluer than ... MoreAn addendum to my prior review on this excellent gouache line: there are a few, to my mind, glaring omissions in the palette. This means that, even though I've been able to stop making a great many of my own gouaches, using the Schmincke line instead, I still find myself grinding a few colors: I quite like PB 15:3 (Helio Blue in the Schmincke Horadam line), but it's not an "artist's" substitute for PB 36 (Cerulean Blue). PB 16 (Helio Turquoise in the Horadam line) is a fine greenish blue, but the palette really requires, in addition, a blueish green, like PG 50 (Cobalt Turquoise). Finally, the line needs another violet, in addition to PV 19 (Quinacridone Violet, which is more madder than violet) and PV 23 (Dioxazine, another red violet, though a fair bit bluer than Quinacridone Violet). I frequently find myself having to make my own PV 14 (Cobalt Violet--my Cobalt pigment is a blue violet), and occasionally trying to make PV 15 (Ultramarine Violet, another blueish violet). Schmincke clearly has no problem including toxic metal pigments in its artists' gouache palette, so I'm not sure I understand the decision to substitute "tones" in a few places, rather than offering them as an additional choice. I'm glad Schmincke offers non-toxic tones for those who prefer or need them, but it seems "tones" won out over metal based pigments in two or three--for me--key areas of the spectrum (cool blues, turquoises, and, arguably, violets). It's a wonderful line--the best out there, I believe. But I sincerely hope Schmincke considers adding a few Cobalt pigments to the palette.

Best Gouache I've Ever Used

Before I tried Schmincke, I was generally disappointed with the various gouaches I used, all of which claimed to be artist grade, even if some were clearly sneaked into designer lines, such as Winsor and Newton's. I ended up tossing quite a few. So I began making my own gouache with some success (though, I never could mix a good ultramarine violet gouache). Then I tried Schmincke. Whether it's because of the particular fine grind of the pigment, a combination of their particular pigments and binder mix or what, I can't say, but these gouaches don't ever dry dull and chalky, and they don't ever seem to crack (perhaps my applications haven't been thick enough). Perhaps also because of the grind, it takes longer for a dab of paint to disperse when mixed with water than ... MoreBefore I tried Schmincke, I was generally disappointed with the various gouaches I used, all of which claimed to be artist grade, even if some were clearly sneaked into designer lines, such as Winsor and Newton's. I ended up tossing quite a few. So I began making my own gouache with some success (though, I never could mix a good ultramarine violet gouache). Then I tried Schmincke. Whether it's because of the particular fine grind of the pigment, a combination of their particular pigments and binder mix or what, I can't say, but these gouaches don't ever dry dull and chalky, and they don't ever seem to crack (perhaps my applications haven't been thick enough). Perhaps also because of the grind, it takes longer for a dab of paint to disperse when mixed with water than any other gouache I've tried--the additional effort spent dispersing is a worthwhile and minor inconvenience, considering the results). The paint applies evenly and beautifully, and they have a particular brilliancy that is, in my experience, unsurpassed. They also mix well, since most paints in the line are based on a single pigment. All but 10 of the 48 are based on a single pigment, and the 10 are typically the ones you'd expect--the earth colors, like raw umber, etc. Mix Delft Blue with Quinacridone Violet and make a beautiful and stunningly vibrant blue violet that doesn't require PW 6/Titanium White to express its color, like Dioxazine, and is probably more lightfast (if less mixable). As you'd expect from a line of artists' gouache, nearly the entire line, with the exceptions of Dioxazine (Violet), Lemon Yellow, Madder Lake Deep, Cadmium Red Tone, and Prussian Blue, rates as having very good or excellent lightfastness.They're expensive, but if you really want the best--consistently the best line (rather than mixing and matching across manufacturer lines)--this is it, and they're well worth it. FYI, Schmincke has two other lines of gouache: HKS (intended for designers, with a larger color selection that isn't so concerned with single pigments and lightfastness as the Horadam line) and a student-grade line. Other manufacturers, like Winsor and Newton, would do well to follow suit, at least by separating an artists' gouache line from their designers' line. Thanks to DickBlick for choosing to stock Horadam gouache.

First time to gouache

I decided to buy gouache for my trip to Yosemite! It was rewettable and though it would have been nice to buy more tubes, I just bought small containers from Artist Loft with a snap on lid and mixed my paints to make more shades. It was very easy to use because the paints in the containers did not dry for weeks. I am excited to use these again when my friend and I go pleinair painting. I also read before purchasing gouache that a lot of oil painters use this and I can see why. When you layer paint ontop of a dry layer, it reactivates it and combines the different colors together. But since I still have trouble painting in this style, my colors appear a bit dull. I'm sure I'll get used to this soon.

I will be buying more!

I have used as an artist, and sold as a store owner, Schmincke products. (Big fan of the oils, pastels, and now gauche.) The pigment load and blending qualities are top notch.

Just slightly better than average

I had such high expectations from Schmincke's Horadam line of superior gouache that I went ahead and purchased 17 tubes to ensure I had a broad spectrum of colors to work with from the get-go in both opaque and semi-opaque hues.While the titanium white and the cadmium colors were quite exceptional in both their paint handling, flow and opacity, other colors labeled "opaque" simply lacked the covering power and vividness I was expecting. Flow and handling of several colors were uneven (streaky), and the application of broad, flat uniform areas of color were sometimes difficult to attain. I found Holbein's gouache far easier to handle for that manner of application.What I do like about this line is that many of the colors are composed of single pigments with no ... MoreI had such high expectations from Schmincke's Horadam line of superior gouache that I went ahead and purchased 17 tubes to ensure I had a broad spectrum of colors to work with from the get-go in both opaque and semi-opaque hues.While the titanium white and the cadmium colors were quite exceptional in both their paint handling, flow and opacity, other colors labeled "opaque" simply lacked the covering power and vividness I was expecting. Flow and handling of several colors were uneven (streaky), and the application of broad, flat uniform areas of color were sometimes difficult to attain. I found Holbein's gouache far easier to handle for that manner of application.What I do like about this line is that many of the colors are composed of single pigments with no opacifiers or fillers added to the paint (as in most gouache paints) resulting in cleaner color mixtures. The color shift from wet to dry is also less noticeable due to this line's higher pigment load. I did have one of the colors harden inside the tube which Blick's excellent customer service already promised to replace.If you're contemplating trying this paint out, I would recommend the following opaque colors initially for their covering power and ease of handling: Cadmium Yellow Light, Cadmium Red Light, Ultramarine Blue, English Red, Vandyke Brown and Titanium White. Then go from there.All in all, while I typically rely on Schmincke to deliver a superior product such as their Mussini line of oil paints or their Horadam Aquarell line of watercolors, both of which I love, I can only give their line of gouache a slightly better-than-average rating given some of the issues I've mentioned above, and also considering that this is probably the most expensive line of gouache on the planet today.If you're just looking for "better-than-average gouache", there are definitely cheaper alternatives out there that comes very close in quality to this one (Holbein Artists' gouache comes to mind, and they do have single-pigment colors if that is what you want).

More than recommended, you should have these Gouache paints

I wanted to buy a good brand of Gouache. I think the quality is above the price. Although gouache is an expensive medium, I wanted to go on the safe side and with Schmincke I would be safe. The quality of its pigments is exceptional!

One of the best gouache paints available

This is one of the best traditional gouache paints available. Highly pigmented and paints like a dream. Schmincke has a reputation for being easy to rewet. Pricey though.

The yellow came punctured ):

Decided to get some gouache for a trip and opted to treat myself and get this. Excellent quality. So 5 stars for that.*however upon opening the box I noticed one of the tubes was punctured. Not sure how that happened? It's a metal box. One of life's grand mysteries I guess and an expensive puncture.

With schmincke you are always on the safe side!

Its quality is maximum! its pigmentation is huge! They guarantee all the quality of a brand like Schmincke. Super recommended!