New 18″ X 24″ artwork
Paper Cuts
….particularly if you are a finger dragon, that’s it’s kryptonite!
Mijello Mission Titanium Class Gouache
Mijello Mission Titanium Class
My review of gouache paint from Korean company Mijello Mission
I have Mijello’s watercolors and like them pretty well and saw they had a gouache line now so I decided to give it a try and purchased this set.
Their lightfastness ratings seem higher than normal for some of the colors, which is great… but leaves me a bit skeptical. I decided to make my own lightfastness test to put my mind at ease (no results yet, I just started the test a week ago, I’ll give it a check in a few months and report on my findings). In my tests making swatches, I really enjoyed the flow of these paints. They spread very easily and evenly. They are very vibrant when dry, even in a wash. I tested them out a bit when it came to cracking when dry and re-wettability and they preformed excellently. So far out of all the gouaches I’ve tried (Holbein, M. Graham, Winsor & Newton, Lefranc & Bourgeois) this one seems the best when it comes to (not) cracking and easily re-wetting.
Overall I’m really liking this gouache, but there are a couple of downsides. The binder seems to separate a bit when it comes to some of the colors (not hugely unusual, but this brand seems to do that more than the other professional brands. Once the tubes are slightly less full, one can massage the tube to help recombine it before squeezing some out), also it seems to be a bit thinner constancy as well as shiner than other brands especially with thick application. This could certainly be a big downside for some people since gouache is usually very matte. I mainly purchased this gouache to add to casein since the casein paint that I use (Jack Richeson Shiva) doesn’t have a very big variety of colors but mixes well with gouache. With casein added, that helped reduce the shine of this gouache greatly, so for me it still works. Another downside is that you can only buy these paints in a set (at the moment) and not individually.
Binder/paint separation example.
Shininess in thick application example (top and bottom are thick applications, middle lines are more of a wash)
I think this brand would be particularly good if you want to make a gouache travel palette due to it’s super easy re-wettability and non-crumbling nature. It’s very vibrant, opaque and as far as I can tell it’s packed with pigment. M. Graham is probably still my favorite brand, but Mijello Mission Gouache seems like a really good value for the amount of paint you get assuming the price does not significantly increase (comes out to about $4 for a 15ml tube at the time I purchased the set was $145).
If you’re wondering anything else about it, please feel free to comment on this post and I will do my best to answer.
LIGHTFASTNESS UPDATE!
I’ve put the samples in a full sun area for one month. So far, these pigments did really well, I’m very pleased! The only one where I could definitely see some fading issues was the one with only a 2 star lightfastness rating (out of 5) G210 Bright Rose which was to be expected as it’s that classic bright “Opera Pink” color that is always vulnerable to fading, the pigments used in this Bright Rose/Opera Pink color are BV7, BV10 and PR122. I put the samples back in the sun and I’ll check back a few months.
Moonlit Oasis
This new artwork features a full moon wandering the desert
The Flower Factory
Been working on this painting off and on for quite a while (at least a year, maybe more who knows!) and I’ve decided to call it finished. Seems like a particularly appropriate painting for the times, since many are isolating at home because of the virus, and this piece really has a ‘people hiding away in their homes’ feel. Much more figure-less than most of my paintings. Thank goodness deliveries are still happening, thank you truckers and delivery persons!
This one is rather large and detailed so I’ve included a bunch of close ups. 18″ x 24″ gouache painting on paper.
Fancy Frames
Workin’ on making special frames for my art so that the frame is also part of the art itself. Made one for a small jellyfish piece I did back in March, and also made one for a drawing of a costumed chameleon I did. Really liking how these things are working out, which is good because I find traditional framing a bit boring.
Cloud Collectin’
Recently did this 12″ square gouache/watercolor painting on various papers collaged together. I will probably put this and a few other small works up for sale soon, so stay tuned here or on my Instagram (which is the online place I’m most active these days) if you’re interested in purchasing a PoxArt piece.
Spring Flowers
Yay! The weather is nice and it finally feels like spring. Winter seemed to last soooo long but working on this and daydreaming of warm, flower worthy weather helped get through winter without going toooooo insane. ;p
Also, working on a piece similar to this one, in order to create a nice little pair. Still in the middle of painting it though.
Bird Paintings In Progress
Working on some larger artworks and so far it’s bird themed (no surprise there, I’ve been doing a lot of birds in general lately). Thought I’d share a pic or two. I don’t usually do open canvas style artworks, but I wanted to experiment with it and see how it goes. I’m liking it a lot so far. Here’s one example of what I’ve been working on, a portrait of our backyard robin.
