Top Gouache Paint Brands for Vibrant Creations

Gouache paint has been a favorite medium among artists for its vibrant colors and versatility. When searching for the best brands, it's essential to consider factors such as pigment quality, consistency, and ease of use. Leading names in the industry include Winsor & Newton, renowned for their professional-grade pigments, and Holbein, known for their smooth application and richness of color. For those looking to explore more options, the following article details an extensive list of top-tier gouache paint brands to elevate your artistic pursuits.

Illustration of gouache paint

Best brands of gouache paint in 2025

Winsor & Newton

Winsor & Newton, established in 1832, is a renowned brand that has been producing high-quality art materials, including their Designers' Gouache since 1935, which is known for its exceptional opacity and smooth, matte finish, and is available in 89 colors, making it a favorite among designers, illustrators and fine artists; their gouache is made with high-quality pigments bound with gum arabic and without chalk, resulting in great coverage, and many artists consider it a top competitor for opacity, which makes it a reliable and versatile choice for various artistic techniques.

Holbein

Holbein, established as a top-tier gouache paint producer, offers highly pigmented paints with a creamy consistency, featuring a range of 89 colors, each in 15ml tubes and known for their exceptional opacity and vibrant, matte finish, making them suitable for both beginners and professionals who seek quality.

M. Graham & Co.

M. Graham & Co. is highly regarded for producing exceptional gouache paints, celebrated for their rich, vibrant colors achieved with high concentrations of lightfast pigments and without any chalk or opacifiers, ensuring a pure and intense matte finish. Their unique formula, using Northwest blackberry honey as a humectant, provides a creamy consistency and smooth application, preventing cracking and aiding in rewetting dried paint, though some users note it dries similarly to other gouache brands. The brand focuses on single-pigment paints, giving artists control over opacity and color mixing, though they have a smaller selection of colors compared to other brands. Many artists appreciate the quality and pigment load, often finding it more affordable than some competitors.

Schmincke

With a legacy spanning over 140 years, Schmincke has established itself as a premier producer of artist-grade gouache, offering a range with over 70 highly pigmented colors, some containing up to 80% lightfast pigments, ensuring exceptional brilliance and opacity; their Horadam gouache, known for its exceptional quality, is crafted with the finest traditional and modern pigments; the paints have an exceptionally smooth consistency, prized by artists for detailed work and broad washes, and are a favorite among professional illustrators and designers globally; Schmincke is committed to producing paints of the highest quality and continues to innovate in the field of color. You can explore their full line of gouache paints.

Caran d'Ache

Caran d'Ache, a Swiss company established in 1915, is renowned for producing some of the highest quality gouache paints available, using finely ground pigments for exceptional coverage and luminosity; with a reported customer satisfaction rate of over 90%, their gouache sets, often containing 14 or more vibrant colors, are a preferred choice for both professional artists and students; the brand's dedication to traditional manufacturing techniques combined with modern standards ensures consistent performance, making their gouache highly sought after; Caran d'Ache gouache paints are celebrated for their smooth application, quick drying time, and remarkable color intensity, resulting in a matte finish, suitable for both detailed work and large washes; the brand has maintained its reputation by ensuring that, even in student-grade products, the pigment concentration is still above the industry average, ensuring vibrant results.

Royal Talens

Royal Talens, established in 1899, is a Dutch company renowned for producing high-quality art materials, including their popular Art Creation gouache, known for its opaque finish and intense, mixable colors, making it a reliable choice for both beginners and experienced artists, with a wide range of over 60 colors and the majority offering excellent coverage; they also offer the Extra Fine Gouache line, which boasts a high pigment load and lightfastness, making it a great option for professionals looking for vibrant, long-lasting results.

Turner Acryl Gouache

Turner Acryl Gouache, a brand from Japan, is known for its highly pigmented, lightfast, and heavy metal-free paints that dry to a velvety matte finish with minimal color shift, offering excellent opacity and smooth application. While they are water-resistant when dry, they may still allow for some color lifting. The brand offers a diverse range of 150 colors, including unique Japanese hues, and are available in 20, 40, and 100ml tubes. For more information about Turner Acryl Gouache, visit their official website.

Arteza

Arteza, established in 2016, has quickly become a favorite among artists for their high-quality gouache paints, known for their rich pigmentation and smooth application, with user satisfaction rates reaching over 90% in recent surveys; their gouache sets often feature up to 60 unique colors, providing exceptional value and versatile options for both professional and hobbyist painters. Consistently praised for their vibrant colors and excellent opacity, Arteza gouache is a top choice for artists looking to achieve stunning results and is available in tubes as well as pots.

Himi

Himi (Miya), established in 2016, has quickly become recognized for producing high-quality gouache paints, with some lines offering a reported 56 vibrant colors that are highly pigmented, favored by both hobbyists and professional artists alike, and achieving a customer satisfaction rate of over 90%; their innovative jelly cup design has been praised for keeping paints fresh and accessible.

Daler-Rowney

Daler-Rowney, a brand established in 1783, is a top producer of gouache paints, offering both student-grade and professional lines such as Aquafine and Designers' Gouache, with the latter known for its high-quality pigments, fine flowing texture, and excellent covering power, ensuring vibrant, opaque results that are ideal for both graphic illustrations and fine art; their paints, made in England, are praised for their tinting strength and resistance to smudging, and the Designers' Gouache line boasts over 90 matte colors, with some colors offering a lightfastness rating of 4 stars.