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Gouache?

I was recently given a set of gouache, and upon trying it out realized that I have absolutely no idea what I'm doing XD. I haven't had much time to experiment, and do expect to be able to figure stuff out on my own when I work with it more, but I was wondering if anyone here might have some knowledge or tips they'd like to share :D

I'm not exactly skilled with gouache, but I had to use it a lot in my first year. It's pretty versatile..you can mix it with water and use it like watercolor or keep it thick and use it more like an acrylic. I usually painted with it at a consistency somewhere in between those two. My teacher was big on "melted ice cream" consistency if that means anything to you. It didn't mean a whole lot to me, lol.

"melted ice cream," huh? Sounds interesting^^ The first time I tried them, I added too much water, so next time I'll try to lay off on the water a bit. Thanks!

I use it like watercolor on all my ACEO cards I've been doing, and if I need to layer another color on top of it I use it as an opaque paint. So its like, you can fix your mistakes you can't fix with watercolor XD

me an gouache don't get along XD my thoughts on it:

- opaque watercolor: it's exactly what it sounds like. it's pure pigment with a gum arabic binder, and is to be thinned with water, though it retains certain amount of opacity. for transparent glazes, add more gum arabic. i also hear adding gum arabic makes the gouache more water soluble. like it needs it.

- i notice great differences between high and low quality gouache. unfortunately gouache isn't something you can skimp on, which sucks because it's quite expensive. stick to brands like holbein and winsor & newton designer gouache. since it's pretty much pure pigment, you can tell when it's made cheaply (as apposed to paints that have the ability to use additives to make a decent paint that uses less pigment, ie cheaper materials). poor quality gouache tends to separate in the tube. even some high quality pigments might do that and it's really annoying. there's also bigger color shifts and greater inconsistencies. speaking of which...

- gouache has the biggest color shift between wet and dry than any other kind of paint i've used. it's so noticeable to me that i can barely stand to work with it just because of that.

- it dries too fast and is too water soluble for my liking. unlike transparent watercolor, gouache pretty much sits on top of the paper (where tp watercolor soaks into it) making it susceptible to smearing and lifting.

- though i can't imagine why you would, don't use it impasto on flexible surfaces (paper) because it wil crack and crumble.

- the one thing i like about gouache is that you don't need high quality brushes to use it (like tp watercolor). cheap synthetics will do.

if you can get past all that, gouache is a joy to use. X)

I've worked with gouache a lot over the past few years. In my color and design class we worked almost exclusively with it. At first I didn't like how much time it took. This was mainly because the teacher had a specific way he wanted it used that took forever. I always loved the end result I got from it, but I simply hated the process of using it. Our final project in that class was much more free form though and I got to work with gouache in any way I wanted. I still thinned it to the "melted-ice-cream" thickness, but from then one used it straight like acrylic/ink...and it was SO much more fun to work with!

Well, this last semester I did an independent study in art where I got to come up with my own studio project. What I decided to do was portraits of people's eyes that matter a lot to me. I would do a normal portrait of their eyes then I would take the colors in their eyes and do a landscape only using those colors. I was a bit leery because I knew the best thing to use for these landscapes would be gouache and I wasn't sure I wanted to work with gouache again. I did though and used it as I did with that last project...and I actually LOVE to work with gouache now!

I think it is a lot more fun to work with as a drawing material rather then a paint. If you look at it as a drawing material (which it is considered) then it is nice to work with! Because of that it is actually great to use in mixed media projects.

Overall, stick with it! The first few times a rough, but the more you work with it the more you will find what works for you ^__^

Wow, thanks you two! Lots of good advice^^ I've only had a little bit of time to test mine out, but I liked the results I got, despite the fact that what I did was very basic XD. Sounds like it'll take lots of time and patience to truly learn how to use it, but when it comes to art I love tackling a challenge :D

Emerald Sage said: ...I decided to do was portraits of people's eyes that matter a lot to me. I would do a normal portrait of their eyes then I would take the colors in their eyes and do a landscape only using those colors...

That sounds gorgeous, I would love to see that! =)

kynliod said:

Emerald Sage said: ...I decided to do was portraits of people's eyes that matter a lot to me. I would do a normal portrait of their eyes then I would take the colors in their eyes and do a landscape only using those colors...

That sounds gorgeous, I would love to see that! =)

I Actually am going to be uploading them once I photograph them ^__^

Awesome! =D I'll put you on watch so I can see them. =)

I uploaded the ones I have done thus far so feel free to check them out whenever ^__^

Ooh!! I'm on it! *hops on over*

I love gouache and use it for most of my art. They have a section in WetCanvas for "Casein/Gouache/Egg Tempera" that has a bunch of good gouache info and demos. I also have some small gouache tutorials on my blog (learning as I go): crashoctopus.com. :D

One of the techniques I've been observing in a local artist, and I'm trying to adopt a bit, is that she uses Gosche after her watercolors to add in highlights after her colors have gotten too dark to work with. I find it useful, although I can't say I've mastered it very much just yet.

I use gouache pretty regularly, by itself and with watercolor. Like some others have said, I usually thin it down to almost watercolor consistency. I do like using it on black or other darker-colored paper, it makes the bright colors show better. When I use it on colored paper, I put it on thicker. It's fun to leave some of the background showing through to act as the shadows. I use oxgall instead of water if the paper is too thin for regular washes.

Remember that the light colors dry darker and the dark colors dry lighter!

Kensan Oni said: One of the techniques I've been observing in a local artist, and I'm trying to adopt a bit, is that she uses Gosche after her watercolors to add in highlights after her colors have gotten too dark to work with. I find it useful, although I can't say I've mastered it very much just yet.

That's certainly something to keep in mind- it sounds like a very useful technique :)

Pineapple Bilby said:

I use gouache pretty regularly, by itself and with watercolor. Like some others have said, I usually thin it down to almost watercolor consistency. I do like using it on black or other darker-colored paper, it makes the bright colors show better. When I use it on colored paper, I put it on thicker. It's fun to leave some of the background showing through to act as the shadows. I use oxgall instead of water if the paper is too thin for regular washes.

Remember that the light colors dry darker and the dark colors dry lighter!

That's something I hadn't thought of- using dark paper. It certainly makes sense, though, with how much brighter gouache can be than watercolor. Thank you for the tips!

I second the dark paper idea! I often use neutral-toned papers, and let the paper be the mid-tone of the painting. Use gouache or watercolor washes for the darks, and more opaque gouache for the lights. Add white gouache for the highlights and it really makes it pop! Using the toned paper also brings a nice harmony to the whole piece.