Is Five Below Gouache Worth $5? A Beginner’s Honest Review

If you’ve watched any art videos on YouTube, you’ve probably seen artists testing out cheap supplies and declaring them either hidden gems or complete disasters. Recently, I picked up the $5 gouache paint set from Five Below and see what all the fuss was about.

There was just one catch: I had never used gouache before.

That meant I went into this experiment with no expectations, no comparisons to expensive brands, and no preconceived ideas about what gouache should feel like. Sometimes being a complete beginner is the best way to test a product.

First Impressions

The first challenge was simply opening the paint tubes.

Each color was sealed with foil, and that foil seemed determined to fight me every step of the way. It tended to tear apart instead of coming off cleanly, making the process a little annoying. Since watching someone peel foil off paint tubes isn't exactly thrilling content, I spared everyone the full experience.

Once everything was opened, I grabbed my sketchbook and started swatching each color.

What I Expected Gouache to Be

From what I understood, gouache is often described as a hybrid between watercolor and acrylic paint.

• Like watercolor, it can be reactivated with water.
• Unlike watercolor, it is usually much more opaque.
• It typically dries with a matte finish.

At least, that's what I had heard.

As I started swatching the colors, I immediately noticed something surprising: these paints weren't very opaque at all. Most of the colors appeared fairly transparent, which wasn't what I expected based on everything I'd heard about gouache.

That doesn't automatically make them bad—it just means they didn't behave the way I thought gouache would.

Testing the Colors

One criticism I had heard from other reviewers was that the paint felt powdery or pasty.

Personally, I didn't experience that.

The paint felt perfectly normal to me, though I should point out that I have no experience with professional-quality gouache. Since this was my first time using the medium, I had nothing to compare it to.

The colors seemed to activate easily with water and spread across the paper with little trouble.

Painting a Simple Sunset Scene

For my first test painting, I kept things simple.

I painted a small ocean scene with a sunset and a little boat floating on the water. The idea actually came from a photo I took during a cruise, and it seemed like a good subject for a quick experiment.

One thing I noticed was that the colors blended together reasonably well while still wet.

I had watched reviews claiming that these paints didn't blend very well, but my experience was different. As I worked through the sunset colors, I felt they mixed just fine for a beginner project.

The white paint, however, wasn't particularly strong.

When I tried adding white highlights, they didn't appear very opaque. To be fair, I was painting over colors that were still wet, so some of that was probably user error. The white paint may have performed better if I had allowed the underlying layers to dry first.

The finished painting had a very matte appearance with almost no shine at all. Once dry, the surface also felt somewhat rough to the touch. Since I'm still new to gouache, I'm not sure whether that's typical behavior or a result of the paint's quality.

A More Spooky Test

Of course, I couldn't stop with a peaceful sunset.

I needed to create something a little more on-brand.

For my second painting, I used only black and white paint to create a spooky scene. I wanted to see how well the colors blended and layered together.

This is where the paint's limitations became more noticeable.

The blending wasn't exactly smooth, but it created an interesting textured effect that actually worked well for the eerie atmosphere. Since I wasn't waiting for layers to dry and was painting directly over wet sections, I wasn't exactly giving the paint an ideal test environment.

Still, I liked the look it produced.

I even added a little ghost to the scene and ended up with an idea for a larger painting. I may recreate it in acrylic someday when the painting bug strikes again.

The Unexpected Spider Detail

One of my favorite parts of the finished spooky painting wasn't even the paint.

I had used spider-themed washi tape around the edges and originally planned to remove it once everything dried. But after looking at the finished piece, I decided the spiders actually added to the artwork.

So they stayed.

Sometimes the accidental details end up being the best part.

A Quick Side Note: Substitute Teaching and Germs

While recording this review, I was battling yet another illness.

I recently started working as a substitute teacher, and in just three months I've managed to get sick three separate times. If you're a substitute teacher and have somehow mastered the art of avoiding every cold and mystery virus that walks through a classroom, please share your secrets.

Seriously.

I need them.

Final Thoughts

So, is the $5 gouache from Five Below worth buying?

As a complete beginner, I actually enjoyed using it.

Is it professional-grade gouache? Probably not.

Was it as opaque as I expected? Definitely not.

Did it allow me to create a couple of fun paintings and experiment with a new medium for only five dollars? Absolutely.

For beginners who are curious about gouache but don't want to spend a lot of money, this set might be a fun way to test the waters. Just keep your expectations realistic and remember that budget art supplies often have their quirks.

For me, the experience was worth the five bucks—and it even inspired a future spooky painting idea.

Have you tried the Five Below gouache set? I'd love to hear your thoughts. Did you have the same experience, or did it behave differently for you?

Stay spooky, and happy painting! 👻🎨