As someone who dabbles in both traditional and experimental art, I was immediately drawn to the Art Whale Metallic Watercolor set. The moment I unboxed it, the sturdy metal tin gave me that satisfying 'artist's toolkit' feel – like I was holding a treasure chest of creative possibilities.

The first thing that struck me was how these tiny half-pans pack such a punch. I tested them on black paper (my usual watercolors would disappear), and wow – the chameleon pigments actually glowed against the dark surface. The pearlescent white became my instant favorite for adding moonlight effects to my fantasy landscapes.

What surprised me most was the waterbrush included. At first I thought it was gimmicky, but it's become my go-to for outdoor sketching. Last weekend at the park, I did a quick metallic sunset study in my journal, and the brush's water reservoir meant no messy water cups to carry around.

The swatch card is genius – I spent a happy afternoon testing all 48 colors (yes, even the 'weird' ones). The glittery teal transformed my boring calligraphy practice into something magical. Though fair warning: these metallics do leave a subtle sparkle on everything they touch (including my cat who investigated too closely).

While professional artists might want larger pans, for my mixed-media projects and art journaling, these concentrated pigments last surprisingly long. That said, if you're doing large wash backgrounds daily, you might burn through them faster.