Choosing materials for creativity: gouache "Ray"

It is impossible to create a single work of art, if it does not use high-quality consumables and tools. All parents want their child to draw well, but even remarkable talent can remain undiscovered if the wrong or just poor quality means are chosen for self-expression.

“Ray” is a brand as recognizable in Russia as unknown abroad. The exact date of the founding of the company, which became the forerunner of the modern “Ray,” has been erased by history, but it is known that the production of consumer goods, mostly oriented to the younger generation, began in the 1930s. At that time, the company's product line was significantly different from today’s: it consisted mainly of plastic dolls and other toys. However, gouache in the product line of the company was already present.

In 1970, the company finally acquired the modern name and formed an assortment that is more reminiscent of today. Today “Luch” is a chemical plant representing one of the leading Russian manufacturers of children's goods: paints (including gouache) and crayons, plasticine and accessories for modeling, glue and much more.

It should be noted that the chemical plant under consideration produces not only gouache, but also watercolor. Both types of paints are often used for children's creativity, and parents, in most cases, do not understand what is better from this.

Actually, it is gouache that is more suitable for teaching children. Like watercolor, it is absolutely safe for a child - there are no harmful synthetic additives in its composition. At the same time, gouache paints have much greater brightness, they are dense and opaque, and therefore, it is much easier for them to draw errors just by blocking the damaged layer with a new one.

Gouache is thicker because it does not spread, and small details remain clear. Finally, with gouache, you can achieve a very realistic transfer of texture.

Art gouache, produced by the factory "Luch", has the following advantages:

• includes only high quality and safe components;
• characterized by high color saturation and purity of shades;
• It is characterized by high uniformity of application to the base of any type, does not spread;
• blends beautifully for new shades.

Over the decades of working with clients, the firm’s developers have managed to create many varieties of gouache sets, among which there is always something that will best suit the kid or adult art lover.

All gouache brand products can be divided into several lines:

• "Lux" - These are sets of 6 and 12 flowers in 20 ml jars. The manufacturer positions such products as fairly high-quality: according to his reviews, such paints are useful both for teaching children and for honing the artist’s professional skills.

• "Fantasy" - on the contrary, it is much more focused on children. This is evidenced even by the packaging design, echoing the style of fantasy. The jars here are somewhat reduced (15 ml each) in order to make it easier for the child to move them to and from school. The set includes 9 or 12 colors.
• "Prestige" - This is a series of gouaches, the sets of which are complemented by plausible effects of gold or silver glitter. Not all the colors in the set shine, but from 8-12 jars of 20 ml at least 1-2 differ from the standard color palette. Sets in this series are very diverse, since they can vary in configuration.

• "Classic", as the name implies, as closely as possible with the recipes tested over decades, and therefore, perhaps, most of all meets the needs of the school curriculum. The set includes from 6 to 18 colors, with a total weight of 120 to 375 grams.
• This series is somewhat similar to the series. "Zoo"which comes in cheaper packaging.

In addition, the brand also produces special fluorescent and pearl sets (6 colors each). The first of them gives a glowing in the dark image, while the second provides a distinctive pearlescent sheen.

The first option, perhaps, will be very much appreciated by children, who by their nature are very greedy for all sorts of spectacular pictures, but the second set should be bought by a serious illustrator, and even then - not as the main one, but only as a supplement.

We must not forget that "Ray" offers a completely different approach to buying paint, offering to buy individually cans of gouache, with a volume of 225 or even 500 ml each. It is clear that even a modest set of 6 colors in this case will weigh at least 3 kg, and therefore it will be hard to wear to school, and yet, in the case of regular and hard drawing, this option is worth considering.

In particular, this solution is suitable if the child draws a lot at home. Also, it will fit for the needs of a large group of children in kindergarten or school. In the end, in the presence of preserved old small-sized jars, large bottles of gouache can be bought as wholesale.

Perhaps there are not too many products, the opinion of which would be so high. The vast majority of commentators praise gouache "Ray", calling it fully relevant to all sorts of requests. At the same time, positive comments were left not only by the parents of the children, who themselves did not paint with such products, but also by adult amateur artists.

So, very highly appreciate the juiciness of gouache paints of this brand. All colors from the sets are distinguished by high saturation, both in a jar and already dried on paper., thanks to which the drawings are bright and beautiful. For children, this characteristic is exactly what is needed to attract interest and ensure stable interest, but adults also really liked this moment.

Many consumers note that paints of this type do not dry out for a very long time. This is convenient because a competing watercolor, without water for a long time, turns into stone, and although it is still possible to dilute it later, such a procedure is not always convenient. Gouache, which is a thick suspension, always retains its original texture.

There is a relatively low consumption of gouache "Ray". Due to the high content of high-quality pigments, even a small amount of paint gives bright, rich strokes, so artists of any age do not have the need to use all the paint quickly. In combination with a low price, this makes the gouache kits of the chemical plant under consideration almost the best choice, since the desired effect is achieved at minimal cost.

However, not a single product can be impeccable, and therefore it makes sense to consider even the few, but still come across negative opinions about such paint.

In addition to clearly overestimated expectations from ordinary, albeit good, children's paint, sometimes they also criticize poor adhesion to paper and a sharp unpleasant odor. However, judging by the rarity of such opinions, we are talking more about an overdue recruitment, because according to other reviews, these qualities of gouache from “Ray” are not at all peculiar.

In the next video you will find a mini-review of this gouache of the "Classic" series.