To paint better with gouache, focus on understanding its unique properties, particularly how water affects its opacity and drying, and employ specific techniques like layering, controlling water levels, and using white paint effectively, as outlined in tips from resources like Gathered.how.
Gouache is a versatile water-based paint that can be used opaquely like acrylics or more transparently like watercolors. Mastering its use involves understanding its specific characteristics. Here are key tips to help improve your gouache painting, based on expert advice:
Key Tips for Improving Your Gouache Painting
1. Watch Out for Colour Shifting
A crucial characteristic of gouache is colour shifting as it dries. Darker colours tend to dry lighter, while lighter colours often dry darker. This means the colour you see wet on your brush won't be exactly the same as the final dried colour on your painting.
- Practical Tip: Keep a scrap piece of paper handy to test colours before applying them to your main artwork. Apply a small swatch and let it dry completely to see the true dried colour.
2. Paint Base Layers First
Building up your painting in layers is a common and effective technique in gouache. Start with broader base layers and gradually add detail on top.
- Why it helps: This approach allows you to establish the main shapes and colours of your composition before adding finer details. Because gouache can be opaque, you can often paint lighter colours over darker ones, but starting with base layers provides a solid foundation.
3. Experiment with Adding More or Less Water
The amount of water you mix with gouache dramatically affects its consistency, opacity, and appearance.
- More Water: Makes the paint more transparent, similar to watercolour. This is good for washes, blending, and creating translucent effects.
- Less Water: Makes the paint thicker and more opaque, allowing for solid coverage and vibrant, flat areas of colour. It behaves more like acrylic or traditional gouache (sometimes called 'body colour').
| Water Level | Consistency | Opacity | Use Cases |
|---|---|---|---|
| High | Thin, liquid | Transparent | Washes, blending, glazing |
| Medium | Creamy, fluid | Semi-opaque | General application, smooth flow |
| Low | Thick, paste-like | Opaque | Bold strokes, solid coverage |
- Practical Tip: Practice mixing different water ratios on a separate sheet to see how the consistency and opacity change.
4. Use a Fine Brush for Detailed Work
While larger brushes are great for base layers and washes, a fine-tipped brush is essential for adding details, lines, and small accents.
- How to Use: Load your fine brush with paint mixed to a slightly thicker consistency (less water) for crisp lines, or a slightly thinner consistency (more water) for smoother, finer details.
5. Use White Paint to Lighten Colours
Unlike watercolour where you use the white of the paper for highlights, gouache uses white paint (specifically titanium white) to create lighter tints and opaque highlights.
- Practical Tip: Mix white paint directly with your colours on a palette to create lighter versions of the hue. Be mindful that adding white can sometimes make the colour shift more noticeable when drying.
6. Seal Your Painting When It's Done
Gouache, being a water-soluble medium, is vulnerable to moisture even after drying. Sealing the finished painting protects it from humidity, spills, and general wear.
- Method: Use a fixative or varnish specifically designed for water-based media like gouache or watercolour. Apply it evenly according to the product instructions. This step ensures the longevity of your artwork.
7. Reactivate Your Paints with Water
One of gouache's unique properties is that it can be reactivated with water even after it has dried on your palette or painting surface.
- On the Palette: If your paint dries while you're working, simply add a few drops of water and mix it back to a usable consistency. This reduces waste.
- On the Painting: You can carefully re-wet areas of your painting to blend, lift colour, or make corrections. This requires practice to control, as excessive re-wetting can disturb underlying layers.
By practicing these techniques and understanding the specific behaviors of gouache, you can significantly improve your painting skills with this dynamic medium.
For more details, you can refer to resources like the original article on Gathered.how.
