Hi friends! I have a FUUMUUI Opaque Watercolour review for you today. I have been testing and playing with this 24 colour set in Warm Terracotta for two weeks. Moreover, I tested a 610gsm cotton paper and a set of natural hair brushes from FUUMUUI in this review. Without further ado, let’s dive right in!
What are FUUMUUI Cremora Semi-Solid Opaque Watercolours?
These are semi opaque watercolours that are very similar to Kuretake Gamsai Tambi. They are not the typical watercolours in a pan, but rather, more opaque and thicker paints than traditional watercolours. They have stronger coverage, though they aren’t as opaque as gouache. You can still thin them out to use like regular watercolour, though.
FUUMUUI Creamora Opaque Semi Solid Watercolour Paint Set comes in 6 curated 24-colour palettes, and the one FUUMUUI sent me is Warm Terracotta. They are so nice that they actually took a look at my blog and selected the Warm Terracotta palette for me to try.
This paint set retails for CAD$62 directly on FUUMUUI’s website, and CAD$58 (regular price, sale price around $52) at Amazon.
Packaging & Contents
FUUMUUI Creamora Opaque 24-Watercolour set is housed in a tin palette with removable full-sized pans. Each pan contains 3ml of paint. The palette measures 7″x12″, and should be stored horizontally with the paint side facing up, as instructed in the swatch card that it comes with. I love that on the swatch card you can see the opacity and lightfastness ratings, as well as pigment information. Of the 24 colours in this set, only one, Rose Pink-3, has a limited lightfastness rating, due to the fugitive pigment typically used in fluorescent colours.
I drew a line in each box with a black waterproof marker before swatching each shade, so you can see the opacity in one layer. These are not fully opaque like gouache, but rather, semi-opaque. And unlike gouache, these have a somewhat glossy finish, definitely not matte.
FUUMUUI 610gsm Cotton Paper Review
At 610gsm, this 100% cotton paper is the thickest paper I have ever painted on. Since it is meant to be used as a fan, the paper needs to be thick. The box got a bit crushed during shipping, but the box itself is sturdy enough to protect the contents inside.
I was a little intimidated to test the watercolour on the thickest paper I have ever tried! This was the very first painting I did with the Creamora Watercolours. I did not use any other paints other than the Warm Terracotta set. Since the paper is so thick, I had to use a lot more water and paint. If I use a very light wash, the paint does not go on evenly and gets absorbed straight to the paper. It is not easy to blend out so you need to use more paint and work quickly.
I also painted on the other side of the same fan paper. The paper is thick enough that it did not buckle or warp, and had no bleedthrough. Due to the thickness of the paper, I think gouache or using the watercolour in a thicker consistency will work much better than lighter washes.
FUUMUUI Palm Leaf Shape Watercolour Paper retails for CAD$37.00 on FUUMUUI’s website.
FUUMUUI Creamora Opaque Watercolour Review
Next, I did two portraits on Meeden Cold Pressed paper block which is 100% cotton and 300gsm. The first one I had also used the darker paints from FUUMUUI’s watercolour travel set, since the darkest paints in the Warm Terracotta set are not dark enough for the hair. The regular watercolours mixed well with the Creamora set, by the way, and I also used a bit of bleedproof white.
Since this curation, Warm Terracotta, claims to evoke a vintage feel, I think the above painting shows just that. Working on the 100% cotton 300gsm cold pressed paper was definitely much easier for me. The paints rewet easily, but they dry in the pan a little quicker than regular watercolour. I had to rewet the pans a few times during each painting. In addition, I did not notice any binder separation or smell.
Shade Selection Suggestion
Last, but certainly not least, I painted a portrait using only FUUMUUI Creamora Opaque Watercolour in Warm Terracotta. I already hit pan on the pink purple-4 shade at this point. 😛 I enjoyed using these paints, although I do have one suggestion. Instead of many very similar shades, they could include darker, warmer browns and reds. Due to all the shades having a white base (PW6/Titanium White), you cannot mix to get any darker shades, so these are meant to use as they are.
I find that shades named warm brown (1-4) are actually quite neutral to cool leaning, not really warm browns. Shades 1 and 2, 3 and 4 in each colour are very similar as well, just a tiny bit darker between the two. Perhaps it is because each shade isn’t available open stock, they include similar shades in case you run out of the individual shades. Anyhow, it would have been great to have some warm reds and darker, warmer browns in this set.
I enjoyed this set so much that I ended up buying the Dreamy Macaron set out of my own pocket, so stay tuned for that review!
FUUMUUI 5pc Professional Watercolour Brush Set
By the way, I painted all the artwork for this FUUMUUI Opaque Watercolour review with FUUMUUI 5pc Professional Watercolour Brush Set.
This set includes an Extended Needle, Pointed Round, Flat, Mop Wash and Calligraphy Brush for large wash to fine details. They are all made with natural hair (sable and squirrel), so initially they did shed (except for the flat brush) a bit. You can run your fingers through the bristles a few times for each brush to remove any loose hair, and then you shouldn’t have issues.
I used these brushes for two weeks and I must say the Extended Needle brush is my favourite! Its body is made with sable, which acts as a reservoir to hold a lot of liquid, while the needle tip is synthetic. This allows the paint to evenly distribute to the tip, so that you can paint without the frequent need to reload the brush. I find this brush especially useful when painting long lines (like whiskers and hair) with no skipping.
FUUMUUI 5pc Professional Watercolor Brush Set retails for CAD$54.00 on their website and CAD$38 (sale price is around $30) on Amazon.
Summary
I hope you enjoyed this FUUMUUI Opaque Watercolour Review! Overall, I liked FUUMUUI’s products. I have been interested in trying out their brushes for a while. Since this review, I have purchased the Dreamy Macaron 24-colour set as well as the filbert grainer brush set. I will be reviewing them separately once I had a chance to paint with them. So far, I am very impressed. Their paper is also very good. They also have a lot of palettes and plein air supplies which are all very nice and affordable if you are in the market for those as well.
Though the items in FUUMUUI Opaque Watercolour Review are sent to me by FUUMUUI, all opinions are my own. The links are for your convenience only; I do not earn any commission from any purchase you make. I currently do not have affiliate codes or sponsorships so as to keep my reviews unbiased.
