Top 5 compared
The best gouache paint sets
Bright, opaque color that dries flat and matte, with light shades that cover the dark ones underneath.
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The top 5 at a glance
Gouache is watercolor’s bolder cousin, a water-based paint that covers what’s underneath instead of letting it show through. Light colors can go over dark ones and mistakes can simply be painted out, which makes it forgiving for beginners and a favorite for illustration, lettering and posters. It comes in tubes, squeezed out onto a palette, or in jelly-cup pots that a brush dips straight into.
Most sets are just the paint, so a first set may need brushes and a palette as well. Gouache that has dried on the palette softens again with a little water, so leftover paint isn’t wasted.
What matters
- Opacity and lightfastness listed for each color.
- The pigment named on each tube or pot.
- Screw caps or sealing lids that keep the paint moist.
- Open-stock colors, so a favorite can be bought on its own.
#1HIMI Jelly Cup Gouache Set (24 colors, with brushes and palette)
$20–$30
Everything comes in one carry case: 24 colors in 1 oz jelly-cup pots, three brushes and a palette, so it’s ready to paint straight out of the box. The chunky pots are quick to dip into for sketchbooks, cards and bright, poster-style pictures.
What owners say: The jelly pots win people over: the paint is creamy and strongly pigmented, mixes to almost any shade and suits beginners on watercolor paper. Several owners found the lids hard to close.
Heads up: Give each pot a quick stir before painting and press the lids firmly shut afterwards, so the paint stays creamy.
A closer look: The sealing lids keep the paint soft between sessions, and a pot that does dry out comes back with a few drops of water. It’s a great first set for teenagers and sketchbook painters; anyone who wants very opaque mixes for layering light over dark may prefer artist-grade tubes.
- Sealing lids keep paint soft
- Dried paint rewets with water
- Chunky pots, quick to dip
- Non-toxic
Best for: A complete first kit
- Colors
- 24
- Paint per color
- 1 oz jelly cup
- In the box
- 3 brushes, palette, carry case
#2Winsor & Newton Designers Gouache Introductory Set (10 × 0.47 fl oz)
$50–$75
Artist-quality gouache in ten well-chosen colors: two yellows, two reds, two blues, a green, yellow ochre, black and white, enough to mix almost anything. Winsor & Newton has made Designers Gouache since 1935, and it’s still popular with illustrators and designers.
What owners say: Vibrant color and a smooth texture that behaves on hot- and cold-pressed paper are the highlights, and the name carries weight with owners. Consistency varies, though: a few found the white drying out or some tubes thicker than others.
A closer look: A little goes a long way: squeeze out a pea-sized blob and mix from there. Paint left to dry on the palette softens again with water next time, and every color is sold singly, so favorites can be topped up one tube at a time.
- Two yellows, reds and blues
- Each color sold singly
- Dries flat and matte
- Dried paint softens with water
- Pairs with watercolors
Best for: Illustration and design work
- Colors
- 10
- Paint per color
- 0.47 fl oz tube
- In the box
- Tubes only
#3ARTEZA Gouache Paint Set (24 × 0.4 fl oz)
$20–$30
Twenty-four colors in tubes that stack in plastic trays inside the box, so each one is easy to find and put back. The box lists every color with its opacity and lightfastness, and there are two whites, handy since white goes into so many mixes.
What owners say: Newcomers to gouache find it easy going: the color is vibrant and creamy, almost like acrylic, it mixes cleanly, and most shades cover fully. The two whites are a welcome extra.
A closer look: Gouache stays workable after it dries, so a hard edge can be softened later with a damp brush, and paint left on the palette rewets for the next session. Some of the yellows and blues are only semi-opaque, so allow two thin coats when covering a darker color.
- Two tubes of white
- Opacity and lightfastness listed
- Rewets on the palette
- Screw-cap tubes
- Certified non-toxic
Best for: Trying gouache in tubes
- Colors
- 24
- Paint per color
- 0.4 fl oz tube
- In the box
- Storage trays
#4MyArtscape Gouache Paint Set (12 × 0.4 fl oz)
$10–$20
Twelve well-chosen colors, from titanium white and lemon yellow to Prussian blue and burnt umber, which mix into a full range between them. Each tube is labeled with its pigment, opacity and lightfastness, which helps when learning how colors behave.
What owners say: Beginners enjoy how strongly pigmented it is and how easily the twelve colors mix into any shade, and it sits well beside pan watercolors on cotton cold-pressed paper.
A closer look: With only twelve tubes, most shades are mixed rather than squeezed straight out, which is the quickest way to learn how colors behave together. Keep two jars of water, one for rinsing and one clean, since a dirty brush dulls bright mixes quickly.
- Pigment and opacity on tubes
- Rewets with water once dry
- Lightfast, fade-resistant colors
- Non-toxic
Best for: Learning to mix colors
- Colors
- 12
- Paint per color
- 0.4 fl oz tube
- In the box
- Tubes only
#5MEEDEN Gouache Paint Set (48 × 0.4 fl oz)
$20–$30
The biggest choice here, with 48 tubes, so there’s a ready-made shade for most things and far less mixing. That suits flat, graphic illustration, where the same color needs to match from one painting to the next.
What owners say: Colors stay vivid after drying, and the paint blends, covers and dries quickly by most accounts. Even the tube designs get compliments.
A closer look: Paint a chart of all 48 colors on one sheet and keep it with the set; with this many tubes it saves a lot of hunting. Use it straight from the tube for flat blocks of color, or thinned with a little water for layers and fine details.
- Opaque, matte finish
- Thins with water for layering
- For paper, canvas and wood
- Non-toxic
Best for: Matching shades across a series
- Colors
- 48
- Paint per color
- 0.4 fl oz tube
- In the box
- Tubes only
How they compare
Swipe sideways or rotate device to see all 5.
| Feature | #1HIMI 24 | #2Winsor & Newton Designers | #3ARTEZA 24 | #4MyArtscape 12 | #5MEEDEN 48 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Best overall | Best premium | Best budget | Most colors | ||
| Picked Rating | 9.4 | 9.3 | 9.2 | 9.2 | 9.1 |
| Price | $20–$30 | $50–$75 | $20–$30 | $10–$20 | $20–$30 |
| Colors | 24 | 10 | 24 | 12 | 48 |
| Paint per color | 1 oz jelly cup | 0.47 fl oz tube | 0.4 fl oz tube | 0.4 fl oz tube | 0.4 fl oz tube |
| In the box | 3 brushes, palette, carry case | Tubes only | Storage trays | Tubes only | Tubes only |
| Best for | A complete first kit | Illustration and design work | Trying gouache in tubes | Learning to mix colors | Matching shades across a series |
| Buy now | Amazon | Amazon | Amazon | Amazon | Amazon |
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