I had never before tried to use gouache. I barely knew how to pronounce it (see below).
Okay, that was silly. I could have just written out how the dictionary says to say it, but I liked the video better!
As he said, gouache is a type of paint that has pigment, a binder, white paint, and sometimes other add-ins. Gouache has been around since the 16th century. Currently, it is finding popularity with illustrators because of its vibrant colors and opaqueness. It is much like watercolor in that you use water to activate the paint and the opaqueness depends on how much water is added.
Here’s the type of Gouache I am using, but I also have a small collection of tubes. The thing about gouache is that just a little goes a very long way and you can rewet your palette each time so there is no waste of paint. For me, that is a game changer.
You can dilute it enough to use it as a wash of light color, much like watercolor, but what would be the point of that. Just use watercolor if that is the look you are going for. You can build up layers, but you have to go slowly and be very careful. Gouache paint is easily reactivated, so if the layer you add is very wet, all that happens is you reactivate the bottom layer and they combine to form another color. Sometimes you may want to have that happen, but usually you don’t. If you aren’t careful, you just create mud-like colors. Gouache can be challenging, yes, but the paint presents in such an array of beautiful colors that most artists cannot avoid using gouache.
Here is an excerpt from “The Oliver’s Madhouse”:
Fast drying
As with watercolours, gouache dries very quickly. This means you can add many layers in the space of a day or if you are only doing a basic painting you can mat, frame and hang you picture the same day.
Easy to clean
Because it is water-based, it is easy to clean up but has the advantage over watercolours of producing opaque colourings in the style of oils.
Easy set-up
Also like watercolours, gouache paints offer an easy set-up and are known to travel well. It also has the advantage of being mostly cheaper to purchase.
Best of all worlds
Gouache could be considered a super paint in the way that is has the best properties of many different materials: it can do a wash like a watercolour, blend like an oil and dry brush like acrylic.
Easy to photograph
Because it dries to a matt, you do not get the glare from a gouache painting, meaning it is easy for you to photograph. Here are some examples of gouache paintings for inspiration.
Rewettable
Gouache does not chemically change when it dries which means it is always possible to re-wet the paint and amend a picture. Likewise, you can rewet the mixed colours you have prepared in a palette and previously allowed to dry.
So with that said, what can you paint with gouache? Anything you want.
Below are a few videos that show you how you use this medium:
So now you know what it is and how to use it. Right? That’s what I thought, too, but it seems that there is a long learning curve to using this medium. I am slowly getting better and I really love how this paint covers the page. The colors pop and painting is relatively easy. The paint, however, does pretty much what it wants, so learning how to corral it and get the results you are looking for takes me some time.
All that said, I plan to continue to use this medium because it is fun and beautiful. I think time will make it easier and easier for me. Just like anything else, I think it requires lots of practice to become proficient with this medium.
Here are a few of the sketches I have painted using this medium:
You can see that I am learning how to use this medium, but I think I have slowly gotten better. What do you think?
There is another type of gouache called Acryla Gouache that is more like acrylic paint. I have not yet tried this type of paint out, but do plan to at some future time. If you have used this paint, let me know in the comments what you think about it and do you like it.
