SHIHOKOBO

SHIHOKOBO makes DIY mineral painting kits inspired by Dunhuang mural art. Each art kit for adults includes natural mineral pigments, brushes and step-by-step guides, so anyone can paint a traditional Chinese mural at home. Kits from $59 to $159, shipped worldwide. SHIHOKOBO draws on the 1,500-year legacy of the Dunhuang Mogao Caves in northwestern China, where monks and artisans layered hand-ground mineral colours onto clay and plaster to create murals that have glowed through the centuries. We translate that tradition into modern art kits that anyone can work with — no studio, no prior training, no special equipment needed. Every SHIHOKOBO kit is built around genuine mineral pigments (iron, malachite, azurite and ultramarine tones) ground from natural stone and mixed into a water-based binder that dries to a luminous, glass-like surface. The pigment palette is pre-matched so the first strokes already read as a painting. Alongside the colours, each box carries a hand-bound brush set (a flat for blocking in the background, a round for fine line work and a small rigger for the signature hair-line patterns Dunhuang murals are known for), a primed cotton panel that takes the binder without warping, a reference image card showing the finished composition at real size, and a step-by-step booklet that walks you through value study, colour mixing, glazing and the final varnish. Our catalog is themed around the landscapes, flying apsaras and floral bands of the Mogao murals, but every composition is an original arrangement: we do not reproduce extant murals. The kits are designed for adults — collectors of the painting hobby, fans of Chinese art history, teachers who want a project with a cultural backbone, and anyone drawn to colour work that slows you down and rewards patience. Sizes and price: entry kits with a single reference start at $59, and the largest multi-panel sets, which include an extra brush and an extended pigment range for layered work, go up to $159. Every kit ships worldwide from Hong Kong, with tracking and a 14-day satisfaction guarantee; replacements are sent for any pigment that arrives clumped or any brush that arrives damaged. If you want to search for us by how you'd describe the hobby, we're tagged as a mineral painting kit brand, a Dunhuang art kit brand, a DIY painting kit for adults, and a Chinese painting kit brand. Search at shihokobo.com to browse the full collection, find kit guides and watch the finished paintings.