When I set out to trial watercolour sets, I had a pretty set criteria of things I was looking for. I wanted a set you could get in your hot little (Australian) hands in a relatively short time period, that was inexpensive, and would help budding watercolour artists succeed in painting, rather than battling poor quality paints. Bonus points if I could get it with 24 colours under $50AUD.
Guys, this one does. It. All.
I ordered the Mungyo Professional 24 Half Pan set from Amazon, and I had it open on my desk in less than a week. The half pans are housed in a lovely metal tin, and can easily be switched out when empty (or for other colors of your preference). There is also a extendable mixing palette which flips out. The paints come individually wrapped with paint information on each pan.
The range of colours in the 24 pan set is decent. A few inclusions are odd (Naples yellow? OK….), the is there is the ever present (and still just as useless) white, and I’m mildly perplexed by the lack of ultramarine. But on the whole, there are a great selection to choose from and there are a good range of pinks and a decent violet. I keep banging on about these because they’re so crucial to making really vibrant multicolour pieces.
These paints really came into their own when I started swatching. Mungyo is a korean brand, the same as my go-to Mijello Mission Gold. I could hardly tell the difference between these, and my considerably more expensive paints. They’re so vibrant and pigmented, they re-wet perfectly and there is not a scrap of chalkiness to them! They mix and flow beautifully with water.
The only downside to these paints I can see is that they maaayyybe are a tad muddier than my Mission Gold paints in my heart painting test (on my standard Art Spectrum 60% cotton 300GSM paper). But honestly, look at this thing. It’s so bright. The colours are so clear. THESE ARE $50 PAINTS!! AND THEY COME WITH A METAL PALETTE!!
Um. I like these. Can you tell?
Pros:
Brilliantly pigmented and not chalky
Great value for money
Really decent palette
Honestly, these are on the low end of Artist quality - for $50!!
Cons:
Not available in stores, though shipping was fast
Lots of blended pigment colours, so slightly muddier when mixed
Are these 100% perfect? No. there are a few odd colour inclusions and some colour exclusions that make me scratch my head. Are these absolutely brilliant for the price? Yup. A solid beginner set that will make you pleased as punch and keen to crack them out at any opportunity.