The Miya Himi Gouache Jelly Paint set is an adorable gouache set for anyone wanting to try their hands at gouache.
Gouache is an opaque watercolor paint. When diluted with water, it acts more like watercolor paint. With less water, it is more like acrylic paint.
You get the best of both worlds when using gouache, which makes it a fun and versatile medium to work with for artists.

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Also this is not a sponsored post. I bought this set myself and this is my own personal opinion about the product.
The Himi Gouache Paint Set takes a twist from other conventional gouache sets in the market with their paints packaged in separate “jelly cups”, all in one case.
They are a great affordable gouache set, with their sets ranging in price from $20-$30 on Amazon.
I got my 18-color set on Amazon here for about $24 (Prices vary according to what size you get and if there is a discount available)
The palettes are available in several colors: Green, Pink, Blue, and Yellow.

I got a yellow palette and absolutely love the color!

The set I bought contains 18 colors, each cup packaged with a cover and they were all quite easy to peel off.
It can be a messy process because the paint is filled to the top of the cup, but nothing squeezed or splurted out. Just messy finger tips, which just comes as an occupational hazard for painters ^__^

These paints are known as “jelly paints” because the gouache paint is packaged in cups that look like jelly cups. Hence the name.
Each jelly cup contains 30 ml of paint.
Most gouache color tubes range in size from 12-15 ml, so 30 ml is quite a generous size for gouache.
Because the cups are so deep, paints are also not as prone to drying out. If the top layer dries out over time, you can spray with water and it reactivates it.
With gouache, you don’t have to worry about your paints drying out like other paints because it can still be used by applying water to it when dry.

The lid is removed by unsnapping both sides.
The palette is fitted nicely into the lid for easy storage. This makes it great for carrying around, but usually I just leave the palette out in my painting area for easy access.


Here are all 18 colors revealed!
This palette contains two white cups and 1 black cup.
I organized mine by color mostly, with reds in one corner and blues in another corner. The whites and blacks are in the corner as well.


Here are the swatches of each of the colors.
I drew a heart using a black pen (Sakura Pigma Micron 1mm) and painted over the heart using each color.
As you can see, most of the colors are very opaque.
The two lighter yellows, jade green, pale green, and rose are less opaque, but the colors are still very vibrant.
There are two different whites (Titanium White vs White) though they are quite similar. Both are very opaque, which is much appreciated in a white.
As for mixing colors, I have found that they mix great! The colors do not turn muddy and remain very vibrant.
One thing to be aware of when using gouache is that colors below can mix slightly with new colors you apply above it, especially if your brush is more saturated with water.
If you do not want to mix your colors, use a less wet brush. You can also add more layers on top as well.
Here is a painting I created with my Himi Gouache Set based off a scene in Howl’s Moving Castle. Yes, the colors are this vibrant!
If you want to learn more about how I created this painting, you can check out my step by step painting process here.

After using this set, painting is just overall more fun and freeing.
I am able to mix colors freely without the worry of wasting paint.
If I make a mistake, I can easily go over it with more layers and fix it.
The bold, vibrant colors make me feel happy and I just love the painting process.
Before, I had actually taken a break from painting because painting can get expensive, messy, and I unfortunately didn’t have space to keep my canvases out.
However, this set just makes creating art so easy. I don’t need extra space or supplies, and it has really brought back my love for painting again.
Pros and Cons of the Himi Jelly Paints
Pros:
- Pigments are vibrant and opaque
- So many colors available (18 colors)
- A great color range for mixing
- Colors do not get muddy when mixing
- Jelly cups are large and hold a generous amount of paint
- Great price
- Cup form makes paint easily accessible (You don’t have to squeeze a tube of paint and worry about wasting unused paint)
- Offers several palette color options to choose from (Green, Pink, Blue, Yellow)
- Paint is nontoxic
Cons:
Refills not currently available on Amazon(If you’re looking for refills, read further down the blog post for where to get them) – Update: Since I initially wrote this blog post, they have added the refill pouches on Amazon in some colors ^^- Best if kept upright. If you turn it upside-down, the paint will definitely get on the lid.
- There is no specific, manufacturer information on quality of paints – Best for student use rather than artist or professional use (If I sell an original painting, I want to use professional paints that are long-lasting and fade-resistant)
Overall, I don’t have that many cons for this palette.
It’s a great palette for beginner artists who are looking for a high-quality gouache paints to try. The colors are beyond vibrant in my opinion and very opaque.
Tips for Keeping Your Himi Gouache Set From Drying Out
- Remember to close the lid
- Spray water every once in a while to keep the paint from drying out
- If the top layer dries out, just spray water and it will reactivate the paint
- If you like, you don’t have to peel off the entire cover at once. Peel off a little bit so that most of the cup stays covered. As you need more paint over time, you can peel off the cover more and more.
With gouache, you don’t need to worry about the paint drying up because it can be re-wetted easily and used again.
There are also some artists who actually like their gouache dried out, so who knows – maybe you’ll like using gouache this way as well.
Where to Find Refills for Himi Gouache Set
Refills for the Himi Gouache 18 color set can be found here for about $5 (USD) per cup on Aliexpress.
Keep in mind that shipping from Aliexpress is generally international, so shipping time is oftentimes longer (It usually takes my packages several weeks to even 1-2 months to arrive)
Getting refills is a great option for those who need to restock on 1-4 colors, but if you are running low on most of the colors, it may be more economical to purchase a new set.
Update: Refills are now available in larger pouches on Aliexpress as well. Thank you to Mina in the comment section for letting me know <3
Overall, I love my Himi Gouache Set and am so glad I jumped on the Himi Jelly Paint bandwagon.
There is a reason why they are so popular: The colors are superbly vibrant and opaque, they are beyond easy to use, the case colors are adorable, and they make beautiful art.
I hope this review inspires you to give this gouache set a try. You can purchase it on Amazon here.
Thank you for stopping by this blog post and I hope you have a wonderful day! Keep creating art <3
I am considering bringing more colors of refills to the USA. Clearly amazon doesnβt carry more than 2, unless you buy a kit.
i know you brought up the part abt refills being costly, but the same brand also sells large pouch refills that are more economical. im not sure if this wasnt available during the time of this review though.
Thank you so much for sharing about this! I didn’t realize they had the bigger refills but this definitely helps! π
I loved reading your review of the Miya Himi Gouache Set! The explanation of jelly paint was really interesting, and I appreciate the tips on how to use it effectively. I can’t wait to try it out for my next art project!