Several people have accessed my website over the years as a result of doing web searches for gouache painting (pronounced “gwosh” or “goo-wash”), probably led there by the many gouache paintings listed on the site. . There is some conflicting information published on this topic. Accordingly, this article is to help you better understand this opaque watercolor medium based on over thirty-five years of experience using it and as a professional art educator.

Supposedly, the ancient Egyptians first employed this paint and its use was later refined by the Italians, from which we get the word originating as aguazzo or guazzo. This is said to refer to “mud” or “watercolor paint, splatter”. Sometimes used interchangeably as body color and designer colors. Guazzo was also supposedly an idiom to describe the 16th-century technique of applying oils over tempera paint. However, gouache paintings were exploited by illuminated manuscript artists and were later popular with some European decorative artists, as well as landscape and nature artists, such as Albrecht Durer. Because opaque paints dry quickly and can be applied in a flat, even tone, during the 19th century gouache was often the favorite of architectural and advertising illustrators; thus, the paint earned its nickname “designer colors.”

A gouache body of paint is made up of several elements, including pigment and an opacifying agent. These density additives differ by manufacturer. Some contain blanc fixe (French for permanent white); in this case its barium sulfate (also used as a filler in papers). Other manufacturers incorporate calcium carbonate, better known as chalk, or “precipitated” chalk (technical for synthetic). When the container of water is emptied to rinse the brushes during this painting process, the thickening material can be seen as sludge at the bottom of the container. Gum arabic is the binding agent that all gouache paint manufacturers adopt to fuse the ingredients together. In some cases glycerin and preservatives are also mixed. The main differences between transparent and opaque watercolors is the addition of a calcareous substance and the amount of gum arabic; gouache contains a higher concentration of the latter. When gouache is applied as a paste, it is the gum arabic that can give dried paint a pearlescent patina. If too thick is used, as with tempera, the paint will crack. Normally, a gouache painting will have a dull surface appearance. This makes it ideal for photographic reproduction purposes and is another reason why it has been popular with illustrators.

Some sources I’ve read say that gouache comes only in tubes. That is not like that. I have a set of Pelikan brand pans that I bought in my teens when I started using this type of paint in the mid-1970s. Called a “pie” shape, these pans have the advantage of being able to acquire replaceable colored pastels. and an integrated palette. Because gouache paints can be re-moistened and reworked when dry, as the pastels are emptied, you can squeeze the paint tubes into the pastel receptacles. Gouache tubes are said to have a shelf life of 3-5 years, which is when the tubes solidify. When this happens, I open the tubes and use the dry form just as I do the pastel variety. Sometimes I use a single edge razor blade to shave the necessary amounts on a paddle. Apparently gouache can also be bought in liquid form, but only in small jars that are black or white in color. These are probably the only two available because they are the two most commonly used colors and the high opacity content causes them to settle in jars.

Some advantages and uses of gouache have already been covered, but there is more. Because gouache painting materials are easily transportable and dry quickly, as with transparent colors, they are ideal for outdoor pieces (painting in the open air), and some artists have used gouache as preliminary sketches for more oil paintings. big. As noted above, gouache can be re-moistened after it dries, so plein-air paintings can be reworked in the studio. This quality also allows colors to gradually blend and blend on the surface of the painting. Also, gouache works well on stained papers and can also serve as a base for pastels.

Transparent wet-on-wet, dry brush, and splatter watercolor techniques can also be achieved with gouache. However, due to the opacity of the material, paints do not bleed or bloom as much in wet-on-wet colors as they do in transparents. Liquid masking agents can also be used to block out areas white, although most gouache artists only take advantage of white paint. As you may know, “glazing” in painting is the process of painting one thin, diluted layer of color over another. Again, due to the chalky substance of gouache, many believe that it cannot be glazed with gouache. However, to solve the problem of the base paint mixing with the thinned paint as the glaze is applied. I spray a single coat of fixer (the same thing used on pencils, chalks, and pastels to prevent smearing) onto the work and let it dry. I then glaze over an area, particularly for the shadows. There are two concerns when doing this. First of all, the fixer can’t be too thick or else the paint you put on top will clump up and not cover. The second must also be taken into account and planned. You can change the color, especially by washing thin layers of white areas. I will refer to this again when I talk about the finishing of the paintings. In addition, I have also successfully used gouache for airbrush painting, as in the “Family Outing” and “Morning Stretch” paintings.

The ability to mix with other water-based paints is another admirable characteristic of gouache, especially transparent water-colours. It has been said that gouache does not mix well with acrylics because the paint sticks together, thinks it curdles, like cottage cheese. I’ve never had this problem, but then I don’t use a lot of gouache from the tubes added directly with acrylic paint, just small amounts. The way I mix them works quite well. However, since acrylic dries like plastic with a slippery surface, to paint gouache over acrylics, a thin coat of fixer must be applied to allow the gouache to adhere.

Any watercolor paper used for transparent watercolor painting can be used with gouache. Plain serrated or heat-pressed papers 140 lbs. or thicker work well. I prefer to use mounted rag paper called a watercolor board made by Crescent. Another paper I have had success with is a four-ply rag paper used in museum mounting. I moisten this paper and then stretch it over a wooden frame made one by two. The softened cotton paper is stretched and stapled like canvas.

When it comes to finishing and displaying gouache paintings, there are numerous issues to consider. The most common way to approach gouache for framing is to handle the same as transparent, matte, and framed watercolors under glass. In the mid 1980’s I stopped using this method for three reasons. A gouache painting, “Warm and Misty December,” which I entered into a National Wildlife Art Collectors Society exhibit in Minneapolis, Minnesota, was disqualified from the competition by the judges because they thought the original was a print, no brush strokes were visible on the surface of the paper, it had a smooth, flat surface appearance and was under a white mat.

The second reason has two inherent problems that arise with shipping paintings under glass. One is increased freight charges due to weight compared to non-under glass paintings and the other is breakage. To address these issues, I took a look at how acrylics were handled. Gouache paintings can be finished with any acrylic varnish medium; however, a few coats of fixative should be sprayed so that the paint does not run with the acrylic varnish. This will remove the dull, chalky appearance of the gouache and the pieces will look like oil paintings. These photos I put directly into frames without glass. For whatever reason, I’ve noticed that images with a high gloss varnish tend to sell faster than others.

The third reason I prefer acrylic varnish to gouache is the richness and depth it brings to the color qualities of the finished product. This obviously means that the colors will change a bit. Consequently, you should practice this technique several times to become familiar with how it affects paints. When it comes to creating the illusion of water and making it feel really wet, there’s no other type of paint I’ve ever worked with that does the same job. Since whites tend to wash out, to get strong whites and other bright colors, I mix acrylics.

As with any watercolor, transparent or opaque, no matter how the work is framed when it comes to displaying them, make sure they are out of direct sunlight and not in long-term exposure to fluorescent lights as they give off a low UV level. radiation which will eventually fade the colors, unless under UV protective glass.

Hopefully, you’ve gotten a feel for this versatile gouache medium and aren’t afraid to try it yourself. If you have any questions, feel free to contact me.