Basic Information
As a UK resident I’m only able to buy Maimeri Extra Fine Gouache affordably through Artmiranda, a Spanish art store. Otherwise I’d have to pay high shipping and import fees. Most of the tubes are priced £5.74 for 20ml (larger than the market average of 15ml). I noticed on the Blick Arts (American) website that the tubes are priced around $11.75 making them more expensive there.
They use an interesting cap design, something I have not seen on a paint tube before. It feels a little like cheap soft plastic but seemed to tighten just fine. Hopefully it will hold up over time. The tubes themselves are made with aluminum which is a nice touch compared to the usual plastic gouache comes in.
Maimeri’s website states that they use a pure gum arabic binder. I am not convinced they don’t add a filler…which I’ll explain below.
I sent a message to them asking if their paints are vegan-friendly, and they confirmed they are, unless it contains PBk9 pigment (Bone Black).
Swatches
My colors:
- White (PW6)
- Lemon Yellow (PY3)
- Primary Red – Magenta (PR122)
- Burnt Umber (PR101, Pbk11, Pbk7)
- Primary Blue – Cyan (PB15:3)
- Ultramarine (PB29)
After my swatches dried, I immediately noticed the colors looked a little bit “pastel” compared to usual. I dug out my swatches from Holbein and Winsor Newton and could immediately see that the Maimeri gouache is kind of cloudy looking in comparison. It definitely has a lighter and more dull look to it.
These are the side-by-side comparisons:
In person the difference is very obvious – it’s a little hard to show on camera. But the ‘richness’ of the color is lacking in the Maimeri gouache. This is why I think there must be at least some filler in the binder.
To be clear, I don’t think adding a filler is a bad thing unless it makes the final color dull like this.
Performance
Unfortunately I did not have a good experience painting with the Maimeri Extra Fine Gouache. It felt sticky and hard to spread over larger distances. In small areas iI could use it just fine, but for landscapes I need the paint to glide effortlessly without constantly adding more water.
In order to keep the paint opaque, I try not to add too much water. Which meant the paint was thick and sticky. If I added water to get the paint to spread easier over longer distances, it became too transparent.
The performance reminded me of the Royal Talens, which uses dextrin as a binder. Dextrin is known for its opacity and strength but can also feel sticky while painting due to its inherent thixotropy. This means that when left alone the paint stays still. It requires friction (movement of the brush) to become thin and movable.
Therefore I find it difficult to believe Maimeri does not contain at least a little dextrin. There was no response from the company when I asked.
I did my best to complete the painting, but I wasn’t enjoying the process.
Conclusion
It’s not the worst gouache I’ve tried, but I don’t like it when the paint fights me. I prefer gouache that glides smoothly over larger distances without adding a ton of water. The Maimeri Extra Fine Gouache was too sticky for my taste while painting a landscape. It might be OK for smaller detained paintings that don’t require big brush strokes or spreading the paint far.
Where to buy
I can only find these at Artemiranda.
Watch the Video
