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It’s time to learn about gouache, and start painting with it too. So grab your gouache painting supplies and let’s paint!   What is Gouache Gouache is an opaque paint, which means it is not transparent like watercolor. It is a thick, water based paint bound with a gum arabic binder, and mixed with a white pigment. It also has a velvety matte texture when dried. It can also be reactivated, like watercolor, when dried. Gouache has the consistency of watercolor, and the opacity of acrylic. It’s like a hybrid of the two. It can also be used on a variety of surfaces, like wood, glass, ceramic, etc., because of its opaque nature. Unlike watercolor, you do not want to add water to lighten the colors. Instead, you’ll want to add white paint to achieve lighter colors.   How to Use Gouache The nice thing about gouache paint, is that aside from mixing colors, there is no prep time. It comes pre-wet out of the tube, so all you have to do is add water and paint.When using gouache, you don’t want to work straight out of the tube. You’ll want to dilute it with water, to achieve a cream-like consistency for best results. The reason you don’t want to add too little or too much water, is because the paint will either crack or be too thin, respectively.     After you have mixed all the colors that you want to paint with, the next step is to paint. When painting with gouache, you’ll want to follow a few simple rules. Your base layers should be the thinnest, diluted with the most water. As you work on each new layer, keep adding less and less water. The less water you have in the paint, the less likely you are to reactivate the previous layers. The second rule is to work from your darkest shades, into the lighter shades. This is how to get the smoothest blending, without reactivating your layers. Since gouache dries so quickly, you’ll want to work fast, and working dark to light helps with that. However, this last rule isn’t necessary, unless you want smooth blending. If that’s not what you’re looking for, feel free to experiment!   One thing to note, is that gouache doesn’t work too well with the “wet into wet” technique. The paints tend to resist each other, instead of mixing. So, all the blending you will want to do, should be controlled with a paintbrush, like with acrylics. Keep in mind, lighter gouache colors tend to dry darker, and darker colors tend to dry lighter.       Gouache Techniques You can perform a few different techniques with gouache paint. First, there is the “light to dark” technique. This is where you paint light colored layers, and then add your shading on top.   Next is the “dark to light” technique, which is where you start painting your dark shadows, and work in your lighter colors.   Then, there is “dry brushing.” Just like with watercolor, this is where you add little to no water to your paint to get a textured look.     Gouache is also great for linework because of its viscosity and opaqueness.   The last technique is to use water to soften the edges of the paint. Now, doing this over another lay could reactivate the previous layer, and pull it up, so be very cautious with this one.   So, now that you’ve learned the basics of painting with gouache, grab your paints and experiment to see which painting style suits you!     Article by McCaela Gates Made especially for MyArtscape

With any painting, you’re going to want a good surface to paint on. For each type of paint, there are a few options to choose from, depending on your preference.From watercolor papers, to stretched canvases, there is always an option for everyone.   Watercolor Paper   When you plan painting with media that may need a lot of water, like watercolor and gouache, you’ll want something that can handle the water. Watercolor paper is specifically designed to work well with both watercolor and gouache. When picking out a watercolor paper, you don’t want paper that’s too thin. Usually, any watercolor paper labeled 140lb (300 gsm) is a great start. You could even get a heavier paper if you wish. You want to make sure that the paper is meant for water-based media, because even if the paper is heavy enough, if it isn’t designed for water, it won’t be coated. Non-coated papers will warp badly and peel with water.Along with paper weight, another thing to consider is the paper texture. Most watercolor papers come in hot press and cold press, some occasionally come in rough. Hot pressed watercolor paper has a very smooth texture, whereas cold pressed has a rough, toothy texture. Rough paper is just like cold pressed, but with more texture to it. However, texture is really the only difference, so feel free to experiment with which one you like most.Another thing to consider is what the paper is made of. Most watercolor papers are made with a mixture of wood pulp and other cellulose fibers. Higher quality papers are made with 100% cotton, and are more expensive. These higher quality papers can also take a lot more lifting, scrubbing, etc., than the lower quality papers.   Canvas and Panels   If you’re painting with thicker paints, like acrylic and oils, you will want a sturdy surface that can handle them. For that, you will want a canvas of some type. There are a few types of canvases: One is stretched canvases, which are canvases stretched over wooden bars, you can buy these pre-stretched, or you can stretch your own.Another is canvas panels, which are canvases mounted to a solid board. Lastly, there are also canvas pads, which are pads of paper, meant to mimic canvas texture. Canvas pads are great for beginners, or for practice. Canvas can also come in different textures, depending on how it’s woven. The finer it’s woven together, the smoother the texture. If you prefer smooth, detailed strokes, you’ll want a very finely woven canvas. If you want bold, textured strokes, you may prefer a rough texture.Another thing to consider is cost. There are two types of canvas: linen and cotton. Linen is the top of the line, and is expensive. Cotton, while lower in quality, is affordable and more than suitable for long lasting paintings.Each canvas can come primed or unprimed. For oils, you’ll always want to either find a pre-primed canvas, or prime your own with gesso. Acrylics can be painted onto an unprimed canvas, but the colors will be duller, than on a canvas that is primed with gesso. Gesso makes sure that the paint will adhere properly to thecanvas.You’ll want a good surface that can handle whatever medium you throw at it. Try a few different types of canvases, or papers, and see which one suits your painting style the best! Article by McCaela GatesMade especially for MyArtscape