Last week, we started our series on gouache with a primer on what exactly is gouache. This week, we're going to look at some basic types of washes, and how to lay the paint down on your page. As I start this series, I realize just like the fountain pen series, it can become a little sprawling. So consider this some ideas to get you started. Next week, I'll talk about some of my favorite layering materials (like crayons, colored pencils, and pastels!).
A note on brushes:
You may remember my previous column on ugly brushes! I try to take good care of my brushes (using soap to rinse when I'm done, and taking care to not leave my brush in the water cup for too long.) But I'm also focused on my creative process an sometimes stuff gets chaotic! For the demonstrations below, I'll be using acryla gouache. Acryla gouache is waterproof when it's dry- so don't use your nice sable brushes with it and then let it dry and then it's all crusty and you have to scrape it out. Ask me how I know ;). Instead, for acryla gouache, I'd recommend acrylic brushes! These are a bit sturdier (with synthetic bristles), and usually a bit cheaper.
Techniques
Here are some of my favorite techniques. Some of these I've picked up from watercolor techniques. There's no right or wrong way to do these. I’m trying sharing some process videos, let me know if you like em or not!
Wet on wet
You can dilute gouache down to a consistency similar to watercolor. The pigment can be moved around in fun ways. With acryla gouache, this layer can dry and not be disturbed which makes it great for underpaintings! I tend to start a lot of my paintings this way (perhaps a habit from fat over lean, an oil painting technique.)
Acryla gouache:
Regular Gouache:
Layering thicker layers
If you're used to oil, or any other medium with a longer working time), acryla gouache is going to feel like a sprint. Blending two colors seamlessly with thicker layers can take some scrubbing.
Acryla Gouache:
Regular Gouache:
Glazing & Dry Brushes
Glazing is where acryla gouache shines. If you want to knock something back, or adjust the hue of a part of the painting, you can wait until it all dries and then thin down some gouache and layer it over. You've got to be more aware of where the puddles of water are where this technique, to avoid splotchyness where you don't want it.
Dry brushing is another way to blend colors. I usually have lots of paper towels to control how much water is in my brush.
The final video is just acryla gouache. I tend not to glaze as much with traditional gouache!
Regular Gouache Consideration
Regular gouache has the benefit of being portable if you put it in a travel case. It's a little more finicky with multiple layers, but I find it a little easier to blend with the water-soluble nature of it. The greatest danger of this kind of gouache for me is becoming muddy. I try to pick and stick with a color scheme, because it's hard to change colors drastically after they've been laid down.
Hope you found these little vignettes an interesting peek into my process. If you have any questions, please feel free to ask. I love this weird medium.
Resources
Here are some of my favorite resources lately for learning how to paint:
Pixelchan - Pixelchan’s paid tutorials. are fantastic. He’s a plein air king, and it’s amazing to see his choice when color picking. He uses traditional gouache, so he’s got to carefully select his colors.
James Gurney's whole channel is a fantastic resource, especially for plein air.
Nathan Fowkes book is another plein air resource which I've mentioned before!
This week’s substack of the week is
!!! Kaly is a fantastic illustrator and kidlit person, and this week, “Nine Lives” has a mad libs for the art store that is just so spot on. Give it a follow!!
A couple of months ago, a friend asked if I wanted to get coffee at a cafe near my home. I realized that I hadn't checked lately about what new options were around me, and since the pandemic, there have been tons of new little cafes opening up near me. My new local favorite is a place called Jurassic Magic, but I've started to walk in the 45 minutes around my home to hunt down new places. This is your reminder to see if any places have opened up near you. I've been living in my home for ten years (!!!) and so got so used to the options around me, it was a good reminder to pretend that I had just moved here and what I might look for. I even found a place that offers craft workshops a ten-minute walk!
ok love u bye.