Comments about Sakura Koi Watercolor Sketch Box Sets:

I got the 24 colour set (I like as many colours as possible) and even though it isn't as 'pocket sized' as the 12 colour set, it is still nice and compact. The paints are student grade (so I wouldn't trust their lightfastness), but they are at the top range of student grade, with rich, vibrant colours (I also like that it comes with a flesh colour for convenience). Because of the small pan and brush size, I would probably not use this set for anything larger than post-card sized paintings, as trying to cover big areas would quickly become frustrating. I have not had any quality issues with my included waterbrush, however, as I often paint at home, I tend to prefer just using my normal sable or synthetic brushes. If you wanted to, you could carry along a small plastic bottle of water and include in the set a travel brush, such as the Da Vinci Cosmotop that Blick also sells (I have one of these in size 5 and it is excellent quality). There is plenty of mixing space in the little tray included. I really like using these paints for colour studies or for planning colour schemes in my manga drawings.

Comments about Sakura Koi Watercolor Sketch Box Sets:

orderd this product, regret the purchase. i was exided to get a waterbrush, but mine fell apart after 3 brushstrokes. i have found that the Ninji brush works well with pans, but best with prismicolor watercolor pencils

Comments about Sakura Koi Watercolor Sketch Box Sets:

I have been carrying this set (12) around with me everywhere, along with a notebook of a similar size, for about a year. The brush stopped working to drip water many months ago, so I just fill the brush/sponge storage spot with water and sponge out/replace as needed.

The red is not as strong a color as I'd like, and is therefore used up twice as fast as any other color (because it takes more on the brush to really get a good red), and the blues are too similar to be worth taking up 2 spots in the 12-color set. The pallet on the lid doesn't lie flat so it's only a little bit useful. A purple would be nice to have. It would also be nice if it were possible to buy replacement pans, though from reading the reviews others have posted I think I'm going to buy tubes and refill these pans (let the paint dry out in them) and see how that goes.

I've not used professional watercolors, so I can't compare, but these are very nice. Totally different world from kid-watercolors.

I find the brush perfectly serviceable as a brush, and it's definitely sturdy. Overall the set works well enough and is a unique product in its combination of quality, size, and that it's all-in-one. VERY glad I purchased it.

Comments about Sakura Koi Watercolor Sketch Box Sets:

The set was out of stock when I ordered it, but it came in time for the holidays. However, I didn't have time to check it prior to gifting it. The set was missing the waterbrush. I had to go online on Christmas day and spend more money to complete the set. The entire purchase was extremely disappointing.

Comments about Sakura Koi Watercolor Sketch Box Sets:

well made compact field paint box with colors that mix well together. multiple layers bring out the brightness of the watercolors and the set is fun to use. I make hand painted cards and enjoy the ease of use and storage which makes it my go to box of paints for cards and sketching out of doors. I would definitely give this paint box as a gift to my painter friends.

Comments about Sakura Koi Watercolor Sketch Box Sets:

I travel to the hospital alot and I love to watercolor. This is my new favorite set of water colors. I use it for painting cards, sketching scenes and just painting in general.
The colorsare very vibrant and beautiful but they do not look like the pallet. The pallet looks very dark becuase the colors are so concentrated. I cut a small piece of watercolor paper and made a chart so I knew what each color looked like on paper. Here is an example, look at the picture of the bigger set with 24 colors, in the second row there are some brown pallets, I'll have you know that even though they look brown they are actually the most beautiful shades of pink I've seen in water color.
The brush that comes with the set isnt that good. It's a nice concept but I would rather use my nice animal hair brushes then the plastic on it comes with. It's also hard to control the water with that brush. Now I have a good amount of strength in my hand but no matter how hard I squeezed the handle the water never came out right.
So basically this set is really awesome! All you have to do is make a chart of what the colors look like since the pallets are so concentrated and bring your regular brush with you since the brush it come with is really hard to use.

Comments about Sakura Koi Watercolor Sketch Box Sets:

I bought this because I can't resist anything watercolor related, not because it is actually useful to me:). It is well-designed for portability, and if you need a very small travelling paint kit, it may (or may not) be a good choice. I carried it around for a day and really enjoyed the ability to paint anywhere at all - really it is that easy! But, in the long run I am probably not going to be using it that much. I think it has about equal pros and cons, depending on your needs.

PROS:
Truly portable-this fits in a pocket or purse and takes up very little space. For this purpose, I have never seen a better paintbox.
Paints seem to be pretty good quality. I would guess they are student grade, like the Koi tube colors.
Waterbrush is a great convenience because you don't need a separate water container.
CONS:
Safety: please note that despite the toylike size, this is NOT for kids! The manufacturer says on the package that this is suitable for ages 14 and up. That's because the small pieces present a choking hazard. I agree. All of the moveable parts of this kit could be swallowed by a child (or pet).
The other con is personal. I'm an experienced watercolor painter, and usually work with bigger pans of paint and a size 12 brush when painting on location. The small pans and teeny brush point in this set are too fiddly for my taste, and it takes a longer time to lay a wash over the page or build up a full color sketch. Even when using my little 5" X 7" sketchbooks, I prefer a bigger brush and a bigger pan of paint. If you are used to working the same way, you may regret spending this much money on a frustrating product that you won't enjoy using.

On the other hand, if you want to try out watercolor without investing in full-sized tubes or pans of paint and a larger conventional brush,this can give you the basic materials to get started on a small scale. Or if you only need it to add color to line drawings in pen or pencil, this set will do the job.

Bottom line: It's expensive, so think before you buy.

Comments about Sakura Koi Watercolor Sketch Box Sets:

I love these gorgeous colours. Great for using in my sketchbook when I am on the move as they are small enough to cart around.

Comments about Sakura Koi Watercolor Sketch Box Sets:

I often want to paint when I travel, and packing this little box gives me everything I need. I'm amazed at the color saturation and clarity; the paints are of excellent quality. The box is very sturdy and small enough to fit in a pocket. The mixing wells are perfectly sized and placed, and easy to wipe completely clean. The brush is amazing to work with (and I wish they were sold separately). Really, all you need is a spiral-bound watercolor book and a pencil and you're set for delightful moments sketching everything from flowers to landscapes to cityscapes. Simply the best.

Comments about Sakura Koi Watercolor Sketch Box Sets:

The price is nice and you can create lovely watercolor sketches with this Koi set. However, this set is more of a gateway or economy item for artists that are not already using watermedia.

If you are already doing watercolor or guache and have artist-grade tubes at your disposal, you would be doing yourself a disservice by purchasing this set. You would be a lot better off buying a small portable palette for around $10, squeezing your vastly superior paints into the wells and allowing them to dry, and then taking paints that you are familar with into the field.

I bought the Koi 24-color set before purchasing watercolors. It was a good gateway into watermedia and it was a fun, exciting introduction to watercolors. I have no regrets. Now that I have artist-grade materials available to me, I want to use them both in the studio and in the field, so I rarely use my old Koi set (though I have liberated the waterbrush).