How to Get a Guache Look in Digital Art

Gouache Painting ~ 8×10

(NOTE: This page was completely revised in September 2009)

Why gouache?

People begin painting for a diverseness of reasons: a social activity, such as a painting grade; a pleasant way to pass a few hours; an experiment, simply to see if they can.  For many, it is a wonderful and valid hobby, to occupy the mind, engage the imagination, and go on motor skills active.  In my case, painting was a natural progression from a lifetime of producing drawings in pencil, colored pencil, and pen and ink.  A lifelong want to paint was put off until I reached my sixties.  One time begun, it has become a passion that can't exist ignored.

Only every bit painting was a progression from drawing, the utilize of gouache grew out of the management those drawings were taking.  I had begun using gouache for backgrounds and underpaintings for my Prismacolor pencil drawings.  As the underpaintings became more extensive, I somewhen fix the pencils aside, and proceeded to just paint.  In the beginning, the transition from sharp points to soft brushes was difficult.  I establish myself attempting to "depict" with a brush, and it wasn't the await I wanted.

I am a simple man, with unproblematic beliefs, and as a outcome, I accept a fairly uncomplicated approach to painting.  I don't experiment with other media these days.  I've dabble briefly in oils, acrylics and pastels in years past, only today, my focus is exclusively on gouache.  Painting is one of the most difficult things I've tried to practice.  Achieving the wait I want with gouache is enough of a challenge without spending time experimenting with other materials.

Many of my oil painter friends wonder why I don't switch to oils.  After all, most galleries prefer information technology, it sells better, and the full general public is familiar with it.  Gouache, on the other hand, is thought of as only another course of watercolor, and the public, as well every bit many artists, never heard of it.  For me, it was, and still is, primarily a matter of convenience.  It has also presented its own peculiar challenges that I but tin can't resist.

What is it?

The utilise of gouache is centuries old.  From the Italian "guazzo", pregnant "water paint", its use appears to go back some 800 years, used originally to illuminate manuscripts.  Early European painters used it as an outdoor sketching medium, and it was used extensively during the golden historic period of mag analogy because of its fast-drying characteristics.

There are other sources of technical information about gouache, then I'll speak here simply from my own experience.  Gouache, like any other medium, can be used in a diverseness of ways, and since every artist works differently, others will accept different experiences.  There are a lot of very fine artists working with or experimenting with gouache today, and I am in awe of what some of them do.  For about, it is an occasional diversion from their principal medium of oils, watercolors or pastels, and some use it for plein air, or outdoor, sketches.  Very few fine artists have used information technology as their primary painting medium.

Afterwards in this article, I reference a couple of artists who I know do a lot of experimentation with gouache.  In improver, the names that come up in any discussions about gouache that I accept participated in are Erik Tiemens, Nathan Fowkes, Thomas Paquette and Marc Hanson.  All have websites and/or blogs where one can see their wonderful work.

Gouache (gwash), also called opaque watercolor, is heavier than traditional transparent watercolors, with a higher pigment to water ratio.  It has unique properties and peculiarities, among them an extremely fast drying time, and the fact that colors dry to a dissimilar value than when they were originally applied.  (In general, lights dry lighter; darks dry darker.)  This provides an interesting claiming to the painter, peculiarly if work is being washed over several sessions.

Other Characteristics of gouache.

Gouache dries very chop-chop, both on the painting and on the palette.  However, it is rewettable, and remains agile, apparently for years.  I have a lilliputian plastic foldup watercolor palette that I took on a trip recently. It still had dried globs of paint from some outdoor sessions nearly a year before. I rolled a moisture brush around on it, and it was skilful to go, although information technology never quite softens up completely similar out of the tube.  I generally employ this dried pigment thinly, to lay out compositions, draw initial structural shapes, and establish big colour masses with sparse washes.  When I'k prepare to really start painting, I squeeze out fresh paint, working in a gouache version of alla prima, in the sense of working wet-in-moisture.  I've incorporated a step-by-step sit-in at the cease of this article to show my procedure of developing a painting.

Because gouache remains "live", unless information technology is stock-still in some way, wet paint – or a moisture castor – stroked over it will activate the existing pigment, and the existing paint tin can mix with the fresh paint.  Referred to as "lifting", this characteristic is frustrating to many people who don't use gouache very oft.  Because of my own painting method, I comprehend this characteristic and brand apply of it extensively.

Will the gouache scissure? They say it volition if applied too thickly. The problem is, I can't find a definition of "too thick". It might if done on newspaper, or any flexible support.  I have worked primarily on illustration lath, Multimedia artboard and masonite, and I've applied paint fairly thickly at times, merely I don't think it's thick enough to exist in danger of slap-up. I've tried using a palette knife a couple of times, just then far oasis't gotten the hang of it.  Information technology'south probably just also.

Gouache dries to a matte, suede-like stop.  It'southward pretty tough pigment, and unless the surface is scratched, it holds upward well to existence handled.  Because information technology dries immediately, I ofttimes stack finished boards in boxes without sideslip sheets.

Painting surfaces/supports

I find paper hard to work on, and because I varnish near of my piece of work and put it directly into frames without mats or glass, I adopt working on a more rigid support.  I've worked on Crescent board, gessoed masonite, and most recently on Multimedia artboard.  Each has its own surface characteristics, and adjustments have to exist made from ane to the other.  Masonite remains rigid, of course, but both the Crescent and Multimedia lath need to be taped down or clipped to a strong surface.  In that location are many other surfaces out there to paint on with gouache.  Since I haven't tried them, I'll just address those that I've used.

Illustration board

I work on both gessoed and ungessoed Crescent illustration lath, although I have begun to simplify my life past painting most often on ungessoed lath.  I prefer the cold printing, because I do like a trivial texture to piece of work on. Different weights of Crescent board seem to have different texture patterns.  The Crescent board has enough of absorbency to take the paint well, which I like.  One drawback is that I can't wipe a passage out completely.  Likewise, too many rough strokes with a wet brush will begin to rough up the surface.

Because I varnish most of my finished work, I frequently cutting the lath with some empty border infinite around the painting area.  I tape it down to either foamcore board or masonite, considering when it gets moisture, information technology will warp.  I as well utilise those piffling black spring loaded clips.  The border also allows me the option of matting the painting if I choose to. The paint will act differently depending on whether you gesso it or not.  It seems to accept a softer, suede-similar appearance without gesso, and I think in that location is less lifting.  Gessoed illustration lath will non be quite as slick as gessoed masonite.

Masonite

A number of people have expressed the frustration that gessoed masonite is a slick surface, and difficult to paint on.  They are partly right.   I recall "slick" may be a bit of an overstatement.  It is definitely non a porous surface that the pigment sinks into.  How exercise I paint on information technology?  The only reply on this 1 is, there is no easy answer. Y'all just have to experiment – with the ratio of paint vs water, and the touch of the brush.

Austin, Texas artist David Clemons was 1 of 2 people who suggested masonite as a potential surface for gouache, and then I figure I'm prophylactic.  I sometimes wonder if David doesn't have a laboratory fastened to his studio infinite, because he does a lot of enquiry and experimenting with paints and surfaces.  He's a gilt mine of information regarding gouache and casein   You lot can detect lots of opinions near gouache (including David'due south) at www.wetcanvas.com.  Go to the Casein, Gouache, Egg Tempera forum.

I used to buy masonite panels off the shelf at my local art supply store, but not anymore, for reasons stated in the following paragraph. They come in most of the standard sizes, smoothen on both sides.  I'thou sure I could find untempered masonite at one of the big stores like Home Depot or Loew's, just I just only don't take room for a table saw.

A note of circumspection: I have had the pigment peel from a gessoed masonite board. Shut inspection makes it appear that the gesso didn't adhere to the masonite.  There take been a couple of thoughts proposed on this from other artists.  I is that the masonite had an oily surface that wasn't cleaned thoroughly.  The other is that I should accept prepped the masonite with a sealer earlier brushing on the gesso.  It has likewise been suggested that I wasn't using the correct kind of gesso.  I of the most probable scenarios is that I was using acrylic gesso on tempered masonite, which evidently has some oil in it.  I have been told that acrylic gesso will work fine on untempered masonite.  I take suspended my use of masonite until I decide if I want to spend the time doing extensive prep work prior to starting a painting.  Future lifestyle plans will call for keeping my processes as simple and uncomplicated as possible.

Multimedia Artboard:

This is true "pick it upwards and paint on information technology" stuff.  Made of paper and epoxy resin, it takes the pigment extremely well, and for a short time, became my favorite support.  Information technology's roughly in the same price range as Crescent board, but doesn't warp when extensive wet washes are used.  While it is sparse and doesn't warp, I still use a couple of very small pieces of tape to attach it to a solid surface like foamcore lath.  Information technology's been around a long fourth dimension, and appears to take about any media.  Like the Crescent board, I can't completely wipe off a passage to repaint.  A coat of gesso may have care of that.  There does seem to exist a slightly longer drying time than with Crescent board.  We're only talking about minutes hither, so it's not often a problem.  This is good stuff, simply I'll admit, I observe myself returning to Crescent board, maybe because of the more absorbent texture.

Other supports:

Someone who is doing a lot of experimenting with gouache on a diversity of papers is New Mexico creative person Deborah Secor.  Primarily a pastellist, Deborah explores gouache at very small sizes, and creates some wonderful gems.  I doubtable she may start playing with larger sizes as well.  Deborah'southward work can be constitute at http://www.deborahsecor.blogspot.com/

Gesso

I've used a gesso brand off the shelf at my local store, Demco Creative person Series, white, for oil and acrylic, and also more than recently Liquitex Acrylic Gesso.

If or when I accept a new approach to gesso and/or masonite, I'll update this section.

Varnishing

Allow me say very clearly that I am neither an advocate nor an opponent of varnishing gouache.  Some people do, most don't; and some vehemently oppose it.  Information technology is a personal pick.  I do it.  Those who oppose it accept valid reasons: information technology gives a glossy surface (depending on the angle yous view information technology), and it does change some of the colors, although it by and large appears to but revitalize the colors to the luminescence they had when commencement applied.  I have as well used Krylon Matte Finish spray, which appears to provide good protection as well, without the glossy finish.

When a painting is finished and signed, I apply several coats of spray varnish, and, if necessary for work on analogy board, crop information technology to fit direct into a frame.  Most artists seem to prefer the soft matte finish of gouache.  I've been swimming against the current most of my artistic life, and continue to do and so in this respect.  Varnishing eliminates the demand for a mat and drinking glass, restores the original brilliance of the paint, and gives the finished slice the look of a minor oil painting.  I kind of similar it that way.

I have found that on larger pieces (16×20 is big for me), getting smooth coverage is difficult.  In assuring that I go complete coverage, I seem to overdo the spray, resulting in some areas being more glossy than others.  This is simply noticeable when the piece of work is viewed from an extreme side angle.

I have pieces that were varnished virtually two years ago, and see no changes other than those that have been mentioned.  I brand information technology clear when displaying my piece of work that information technology is varnished.

I can only tell you what I've told others: try it on a couple of your accented rejects. Information technology'due south a very personal choice, and I don't want to feel responsible for anyone feeling like they ruined a wonderful slice of fine art if they aren't happy with the result.

I use Krylon Kamar Varnish. It'due south a spray varnish and should always be used outdoors. I generally let a painting sit down for about a week before varnishing,  I lay the painting flat and apply a light first coat, then one or ii more light coats after that, waiting about an hr between coats. I believe a single coat would suffice, only several coats assure me that I've covered the entire painting well. It dries very quickly, touchable later on less than xv minutes. Picket out for bugs, because they volition become part of the painting if yous're not careful. To avert bugs, I spray a slice, and then motion information technology into my garage immediately and lay it on a apartment surface. I can frame a piece within an 60 minutes of spraying the last coat. Information technology's not magic, and is really an easy procedure. The characterization says it's non-yellowing, acid costless, and allows piece of cake rework, although I haven't tried to rework a varnished piece.

The following information was provided past "Angus" in a previous comment:

This resin varnish is marketed every bit an archival lifetime finish that should never yellowish. However, if it is damaged or degrades, it may be easily removed with mineral spirits or, for spot repair, a pencil eraser. It may too be painted over if there is damage to the underlying paint. Kamar is a blend of B67 and F10 museum quality acrylic resins. These are harder than B72, but remain soluble if retouching is e'er required due to damage, and may be painted over.

How practise I know all this? Krylon is one of the few companies that will actually tell you exactly what is in its products (no secret formulas). This came from a manufacturing plant rep, who assured me that Kamar will last a very long time, does not xanthous, and is easy either to remove or paint over. It can be used with oil or waterbased paint.

Comparisons with other media

Information technology has been twenty years or and so since I experimented very briefly with oils and with acrylics.  Much has inverse in terms of mediums that can be used with them to either speed upward or slow down their drying time.  My noesis of both is limited, so in making any comparisons, I'yard going to restrict myself simply to my own experience.

Compared to oils…

There can be a similarity to oils, in that ane can utilise bold strokes over existing paint, and a loaded brush can create strokes that resemble those produced with oils.  One probably shouldn't work in a thick impasto technique, nonetheless, due to the possibility of cracking.  Different oils, gouache dries almost immediately.  Information technology tin can, withal, exist mixed and blended directly on the painting, like oils, because it remains "agile" even when it is dry.

Compared to acrylics…

Like acrylics, gouache dries quickly, even more than quickly than acrylics.  Notwithstanding, dissimilar acrylics, information technology tin be reworked months, even years later.  A wet castor volition reactivate gouache, and new colour tin can be composite into existing pigment, directly on the painting.  No medium is required other than water.

I remember toning down, or changing the temperature of an acrylic painting by going over it with a thin launder.  The aforementioned can be washed with gouache, although information technology has to exist washed very carefully and patiently.  The brush must be cleaned after two or 3 strokes, and the launder must exist applied with a very, very light touch.

While an acrylic painting, when dry, can be placed directly into a frame, a gouache painting must exist framed nether glass unless it is fixed or varnished.

Compared to transparent watercolor…

I should say first that I take no real experience using transparent watercolor.  In terms of paint, transparent watercolor is, of course, the closest relative to gouache.  They can be used in very similar means, just also with completely different methods.  Many artists have used the two together, presumably laying the groundwork with watercolor, and then calculation more than opaque gouache strokes over it.  Some mix white gouache with transparent watercolor to brand it more opaque, and many use white gouache for touchups and highlights.  For me, pure gouache offers the all-time of both worlds, allowing me to use thin transparent washes when desired, and thicker more opaque passages with strokes alike to oils.

I have read that some watercolor societies don't recognize gouache, and that some watercolor shows and competitions don't accept gouache.  I don't consider myself a watercolorist.  I am simply a painter who uses a water soluble paint.

For watercolor and gouache combinations, I will refer yous to my friend, English artist Maggie Latham.  Maggie does a lot of experimenting with both watercolor and gouache on a variety of papers, and her "Everything Gouache" web log is filled with lots of good data:  http://everythinggouache.blogspot.com/

Brushes

While I more often than not begin with washes, as a painting progresses, I sometimes tend to paint like an oil painter.  I apply bristle brights and filberts, as well equally some pocket-size rounds and liners.  I like for a brush to be somewhat potent, only still have some flexibility.  I do not use elevation of the line, expensive brushes.  Gouache on a textured surface will wear brushes down pretty quickly.  A square brush won't stay square for very long.  For his plein air gouache work, Mark Hanson uses inexpensive craft brushes he gets at one of the major craft store chains.  I felt better after reading that, because I use a lot of those myself.  If you're going to utilise gouache primarily for studies, don't invest in the same quality brushes you use for oils or watercolor.  Experiment with cheap brushes beginning.  And by all means, don't use the brushes y'all use for those other media.

Gouache Brands

I use DaVinci Gouache.  I can buy larger tubes online at a reasonable price that definitely beats my local art supply store's prices.  I went from a student make in the first (Reeves) to Windsor & Newton, and saw a large improvement in the manner the paint flowed.  I finally went to DaVinci, and saw no difference.  Artist'southward who experiment with dissimilar brands seem to prefer other manufacturers as well, citing smoother coverage or fluidity.  I suspect preferences depend a lot on painting styles and techniques, and for the style I pigment, DaVinci serves my purposes quite well.  Anyone who has followed my use of gouache for any length of time will recognize that when information technology comes to materials, I tend to have the view "if information technology ain't broke, don't fix information technology".  I am a peasant, I'm afraid, more than probable to be swayed by practicality than by tendency.

My Work Space

I have one of those squeamish wood palettes with the thumb pigsty in information technology, but it's never been used.  Since I work in a water-soluble medium, I apply a cheap aluminum blistering pan with a snap-on plastic lid.  For the size I utilise, an 8×10 piece of drinking glass, with a neutral colored board under information technology, fits nicely into the pan.  Gouache dries VERY, VERY Speedily, even on the palette.  To keep the paint from drying out too fast, I squeeze it out on folded strips of moisture paper towels, and spray the paper towels regularly while I'm working.  When I call up to spray one last time and put on the chapeau, the paint volition stay wet for a day, sometimes 3 days.  A spray bottle is essential, every bit is the standard coil of paper towels.

Similar most artists, I'd love to accept a huge studio fastened to the firm, or in a barn, but we live in a condo/townhouse, and space is at a premium.  Because my studio besides serves as sleeping/play infinite for our grandchildren when they visit, I endeavour to go on my actual work area pretty compact.  Hither, next to my easel, is my painting setup. Equally y'all tin can see, information technology isn't fancy, and doesn't take up much room.  When nosotros demand the space, I simply pour the water out of the jars, put the chapeau on the palette, toss everything in a big plastic bin and put it on a shelf in the closet.  Of course, then there's the easel, the piece of work table, the frames, and assorted boxes, but they all have a hiding place equally well.  An inflatable air mattress comes out, and we have an instant sleeping space.  Information technology means living without a studio for a couple of days, but that time is spent enjoying family anyway, and setting back up is more often than not a quick operation.

My wife and I have a long range plan… to eventually live and travel in a motorhome or travel trailer, exploring the country, painting, and doing a wide range of shows, big and small.  The convenience of gouache volition surely come up into play when that twenty-four hours comes.  While paint, brushes, and board don't require a lot of space, framed art and spare frames and framing supplies practice.  That will become a claiming when our lifestyle changes.

Pretty fancy, huh?  Now you lot know why I will never be part of a studio tour.

How I Utilize Gouache

I study, and notice, and effort to learn from the experience of those who have portrayed the mural before me, simply when it's time to paint, using the principles I've learned, I tend to let intuition take over.  The painting becomes part observation, role science, role retention and part imagination, with, quite frequently, a strong dose of emotion.

I began painting at a drawing table, but my honey wife bought me an easel, and in one case I began working at the easel, my piece of work changed rapidly, and started taking on a more painterly look.  In the photograph below, yous will meet that I practice occasionally accept a print of someone else'due south work nearby, simply to study how they painted certain passages.  In this case, it was a Clyde Aspevig painting, primarily for the fashion he painted the foreground grasses.  I have no hesitation about learning from others.

I by and large pigment in silence, trying to hear the ripple of water meandering by stones in a creek, the soft swish of a cakewalk in the leaves and grasses, those mysterious buzzing sounds one hears when the sun is shining and every footstep kicks up a piddling cloud of grit on dry footing.

What follows is a step-by-step caption of how I paint.

This painting is eight×10, on gessoed masonite.  Information technology was done almost entirely with very cheap, flat synthetic bristle brushes, primarily a 1″ brush, and a few smaller ones toward the finish.

I begin about every painting the same way, with a very loose sketch, simply establishing the limerick and the main shapes.  Xanthous ochre is my preferred color for this, and I work adequately wet, sometimes wiping out areas, sometimes just going in with darker strokes as I brand adjustments.

Using a mixture of ultramarine and burnt umber, I establish my darker masses and shadows.  Because I tend toward warm in my paintings, I like the bluish/regal equally a beginning for the cooler shadows.  They don't always end up absurd, but at least my center'south in the right place at the beginning.  Considering gouache remains agile, easily wiped out with a wet brush or paper towel, the ochre lines don't concern me.  They will eventually disappear in nigh places as I work over them, or remain in a softened class, giving the appearance of a warm undertone in the finished painting.

Next, I establish the warm areas, using pure xanthous ochre, yet working very wet.  I'm a big fan of California urban mural painter William (Bill) Wray, and Bill continually stresses "warm against cool, light against nighttime", and I endeavour to proceed that philosophy in my head as I develop a painting.  Here, I'm simply establishing where the light hits.

Due to the "lifting" characteristic of gouache, a very light touch with a wet brush is called for here, because in some areas, I'm simply layering light washes over darker undertones.

Even though it remains agile, gouache dries on the surface very quickly.  Inside but a couple of minutes, I've taken a damp newspaper towel and wiped some areas, non being overly cautious, but to selection the paint out of some places, and soften edges.  The damp paper towel volition crusade some of the colors to blend a fleck, depending on how heavy a touch is used.  Too heavy, and everything is wiped out; likewise light, and non much happens.  I'll also use a dampened cotton swab (Q-tip) to pick out some lighter spots.

Using ultramarine, lemon yellow, yellow ochre and red, I first experimenting with greens.  (Every painting I do seems to exist an experiment where greens are concerned.)  I probably utilise way besides much yellow ochre, just information technology does seem to unify the painting.  Nigh of it will disappear as the greens are developed further, but some volition remain and glow through the other colors.

I've carried some of the greens downwardly into the water, and once more employ a damp paper towel to very lightly blend some of the color and soften the brush strokes.

I've begun to build the sky very lightly at this point, with combinations of ultramarine, yellow ochre, a touch on of red, and titanium white, all applied pretty thinly.  I'm letting the heaven colors carry into the tree edges, taking advantage of the lifting characteristic of the gouache to soften some of the edges.

I've punched in a few sky holes at this bespeak, trying to get some definition to the tree masses.  I've continued to slowly work on the greens, and in some places the pigment is being applied with a chip thicker consistency.  I've carried the heaven color downwardly into the h2o a chip more opaquely every bit well.

Although the horizon line is nevertheless undefined, I've let the colors blend in that location as they may, through a variety of wet castor strokes and utilise of the damp paper towel.

From this signal on, it'due south a continuous bicycle of opaque and transparent strokes, of pushing and pulling the lights and darks, the warms and cools, putting in the afar horizon tree line, and getting some definition into the h2o by pulling the sky colors and reflected ground and tree foliage.

The painting has reached that "at present don't screw it up" stage.  I'yard happy with how it's going, and know the wait I desire to end up with.

Touches of xanthous ochre/titanium white in the clouds requite a chip more warmth to the sky.  Then it's a matter of simply working the greens until I'm satisfied, touching up the highlights and tweaking the skyholes.

A few added strokes in the grass surface area punch those areas a bit.  Someone has pointed out that my skyholes are a scrap rough, and I doubtable the far waterline is a bit too harsh, merely it does draw the center to that area.  Although that's fine with me, I may touch a few of those things upward earlier varnishing.

The progress images are digital photos, and the finished prototype is a scan, so colors and sharpness are a bit different.  I've also sharpened the progress images slightly, and so the brushwork is more visible.

I've included a blowup below, taken from the scanned image.  I believe it goes a long way toward illustrating the layers of paint, the brushwork, and the edges that are developed through lifting and wiping.  In the enlargment, the strokes and edges created by the bristle brushes appear sharp and harsh, only from iii feet away, this painting has a very soft look.  Overall, I'k happy with information technology.  Information technology already looks nice in a frame, and once it'due south varnished, it should glow on the wall.

The Ongoing Process

The process shown to a higher place was photographed and/or scanned in January 2009.  As my work continues to evolve, I find myself continually exploring a wider variation of color, softening edges, and experimenting with brushwork.  However, the process, in full general, remains the same.  I endeavour to publish posts of new work often here on the blog.

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Source: https://ralphparker.wordpress.com/gouache-paintings/

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