Quick comment on the pic I uploaded: notice the top paint swatches are for HOLBEIN, ARTEZA is below the black line. Paper used: arches cold press ; brushes used: synthetic watercolor flats like princeton select (honestly the cheaper ones worked better for swatching).TLDR; I like both arteza & Holbein gouache, but for different reasons, and I’m keeping both sets.Now, on to the lengthy review!I’d used watercolors for years before I even saw the word GOUACHE. Besides not knowing how to pronounce it, I had no clue what it was. But I began to see it used more frequently, usually in a watercolor or BUJO tutoring lesson. Seemed kinda like the same thing we used in kindergarten…tempura or whatever. But the more I saw what could be done with it, the more fascinated I grew. Is it watercolor? Why is it “opaque” and how to you get various tones without buying a million colors? Why not just use acrylic paint?I don’t need another art supply addiction, I’ve already been through colored pencils & watercolors). I have a 5 pack of Windsor & Newton gouache I picked up at Michaels years ago, time has caused some separation & consistency alteration but I tried using them one night. I couldn’t use them without adding water. So is gouache watercolor or not?!?I had to know the answer to this strange paint I’d seen many of my favorite BUJO channels use to paint amazing scenes on their 160 gsm paper. From my watercolor & colored pencil addictions I already kinda knew what to expect from certain brands & knew which I wanted to try: Arteza & Holbein.As soon as arteza had a sale on gouache I grabbed the big box of 60. I was concerned about was mixing, to me it’s NOTHING like mixing watercolor. Achieving colors thru mixing gouache depends on the quality, consistency, and pigment load (if that’s even a term) of the brand. That’s why I chose the 60 color range, I figured I wouldn’t need to mix very often. I wanted plenty of convenience colors to start.I’m pleased with Arteza’s range, I like that they included some iridescent colors…I wouldn’t have intentionally asked for them, but they’re fun. Although I didn’t draw a black line to show opacity, but I assure you these paints are opaque. A little over half the tones - excluding iridescents - include PW6, just FYI. Again, I don’t mind this because I’m not trying to mix every color from the primaries. But I have done a little mixing with these & the results are hit or miss…not sure if it’s my lack of experience or the product.So far I’m enjoying arteza’s gouache paints. I enjoy the convenience & quality I’ve come to expect from this brand. I’m not concerned about lightfastness, I just like pretty colors, ease of use, and value. The one downside to arteza is & always has been that they do not sell individual tubes of paint to replace those you use. However, I have a list of the colors included in their smaller sets & I’m trying to use those tubes first so that if/when I run out, I can just get a set of 24. I’m not a prolific gouache artist so I doubt it’ll be a problem any time soon.HOLBEIN COMPARISON:I around the same time I grabbed a set of 12 Holbein paints (5 ml). These are tiny tubes that pack a punch. For example, if you were to take red & blue straight from the tube & mix them, you’d get a purple alright. A purple so deep it’s nearly black without the addition of white. Of course, this gives you a huge range of violet tones you can create with just two colors, which is great! But what if you need to mix more & can’t quite get that ratio back, or what or you mix too much & need that space on your mixing palette…so it ends up going down the drain? The set of holbeins cost around $30, and considering how VERY little product is needed to achieve vibrant & opaque results even with water added, think they’re worth the price. THESE will be the paints I use to really understand this medium & explore the true potential of gouache.All in all, I like both sets for different reasons. Thats why I write an in depth review. When it comes to art supplies, unless you’re a professional artist, it can be hard to justify spending money on good products, especially if you’re learning how to use it. I hope this helps someone trying to decide whether to explore this medium & if so, how to do it without wasting time & money.