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The Himi Miya Watercolor Set
I have bought this one a while back when the Miya gouache hype started. I am till today obsessed with their jelly gouache :D They are very easy to work with and quite cheap.
But how about their watecolor set? Well, let's see..
1. The packaging (2/10)
I absolutely despise this packaging :( Here is why:- there is no mixing surface :( The cover can be used but it is very suboptimal.
- the colors are all over the place, there is not much rhyme or reason in the layout
- could be nice to have place for one-two brushes
on the positive note:
it is sleek and can be carried around easily. Though it could be 2 cm shorter, the whole logo placement is basically empty material at the end.
2. The colors (6/10)
If you look at the actual colors, they are very nice and vibrant. You get 36 (!) colors which is more than enough to do any painting.
There are no names or pigment information which is quite normal in cheap palettes. There are 6 variations of each main color and beside two similar yellows, they are quite different from one another.
I used Arches cold pressed paper for my swatches and they did not look blotchy. On a cheaper paper they unfortunately do look a bit chalky :(
swatches on cheap paper
Here some cons:
- there is a white which is mostly useless (especially that there is no mixing space!)
- colors might get chalky on a cheaper paper
- they STAIN! like a lot.. which is a bad news if you want to do any fading, even washes or lifting. that will not work with this palette.
- no names or pigment information
The pros:
- 36 colors
- vivid, varying color palette
3. The painting test (7/10)
I have done a full scale painting of a Studio Ghibli scene from Laputa: Castle in the Sky with the MIYA watercolor set. The original was made with poster colors / gouache, so the white in the palette came in handy :)
Here is my verdict:
- the paints stain, which make things a bit finiky (-)
- the colors are very pigmented, so you need to be careful when layering (+)
- you can forget nice gradients because of the staining (-)
- paints are not running, so controlilng them when your water control is not that good yet is easier (+)
- beautiful and vivid end results! (+)
4. Price & availability (9/10)
The watercolor set has first appeared in 2020 (that's when I purchased it) and is still available on the Himi website: https://www.miyaarts.com/himi-rhombus-solid-watercolor-kits-36colors-yellowwhitegreen-product/.
On Amazon.com you can find it under 30 USD usually which is a steal for a 36 color set of this quality! You can also find Himi Miya products on Aliexpress for a bit cheaper.
TL;DR
- solid watercolor set for beginners and hobbyist
- great price, vibrant colors
- staining --> great for layers, not for lifting
- not really for travel (no mixing surface)
- cheap & available on Amazon/Aliexpress