The Iridori gouache sets from Holbein are a good deal, they have different themes and different colors. I like this spring-themed one because it has brighter colors than most!
Something I’ve never liked about certain paint sets is how primary the colors can be. There’s nothing wrong with primary colors, they’re our fundamentals, yet every artist deserves a couple wildcard colors. The greens and blues in this set impressed me in that regard - they’re just a bit more sophisticated than typical thalo-type greens that show up in sets. Plus, getting a peach/pink color is a nice bonus, and the metallic gray is just fun! Metallics are especially fun to play with if you’ve never tried one before.
There are other Holbein Iridori gouache sets you can get, all corresponding with seasons - Winter, Fall, and Summer. Spring is my personal favorite and it matches the season so well. I’d say Winter is my least favorite group of colors, but there’s nothing wrong with darker colors in gouache. The Summer Iridori set is likely the closest to most traditional primary-color sets. The yellows and reds are all pretty standard, but there are a couple blues and greens to choose from, which give the Summer set some diversity.
Overall I recommend this brand of gouache and this set - it’s a nice amount of colors and a nice range of colors too.
What’s great about gouache overall is that you can rewet it and rework it once it is dry, making it a good medium for plein air or painting outdoors and on the fly.
^ here I am painting with the Iridori Spring edition near Wonderland Lake in Boulder. I ran out of space in my easel so I used the lid of the box as a bit of a palette! Worked well!
Most of all I love the bright green color in this set, which is called Byakuroku or Pale Patina. I may have seen this color before at Guiry’s but I haven’t thought to pick it up. This color is the color of the deer on the left in the painting above.
All in all this is a fun set! If you’re looking for gouache colors that have a theme and a fun variation, the Iridori sets are a good mix and a good amount of paints.