It is very likely that more than once you have come across this term, especially lately since it has gained in popularity; but do you know what exactly gouache is? And what is it about gouache that everyone is talking about?
What is gouache?
Gouache is a type of artistic paint that has the appearance of opaque watercolour. That is why it is a perfect paint to work with light colours on dark backgrounds, as there are no problems of coverage as with watercolour. And if you want it to become a little more translucent to give it a more watercolour-like style, just add a little water.
Although it is a paint that dries very quickly, one of its great advantages is that it provides flexibility, once it has dried, it remains soluble, which allows us to continue making modifications. For this reason, we achieve great precision with it, making it perfect for painting large surfaces or for lettering, for example, something that we can always add to our scrapbooking projects.
For these reasons, gouache has become so fashionable. It is easy to use, it gives us a lot of flexibility, we can use it in different ways and with a little water we can modify our design as many times as we need.
Characteristics of gouache
Before starting to paint with gouache, there are certain things that must be taken into account so that the final result is as expected. It is a quite thick paint, so you will have to use the brush in a precise way and try to apply the colours always in the same direction and smoothly, in this way you will obtain a uniform result.
As we mentioned before, if you add water, the texture of your paint will change, and it will become translucent, you will not get a lighter colour, as you might think at first. If we want to lighten the colours, we will need to mix it with the white colour.
As it is an opaque paint, you can work with them in the order you want, i.e. you can start with the dark colours and then with the lighter ones. With other techniques, it is more normal to work the other way round, starting with the light colours first and finishing with the darker ones. For this reason, gouache is our recommendation for painting on black.
Difference between gouache and watercolours
Gouache and watercolour are often compared because they are both based on a mixture of pigments and water, but in reality, they are quite different paints. The opacity of goauche is due to the white pigment that is added to it, which contains gum arabic, whose function is to unite all the components. In terms of appearance, the main difference is that gouache is a more opaque paint than watercolour. For example, if we make a design with pencil and paint over it with watercolour, our pencil marks will be visible; however, this is not the case if we apply gouache.
Besides, as watercolour is more translucent, the light passes through the pigment and reflects on the colour white of the paper, making it appear more luminous. With gouache, being more opaque, this does not happen and if we want to add luminosity to our design, we will have to lighten the colours with white pigment.
Now that we have seen the main differences, you may be wondering which one is better, which one should I choose? Well, as we always say, it will depend on your own preferences and the type of project you are going to carry out. For example, gouache dries faster than watercolour, so watercolour could be more useful for drawings or more complex techniques for which we need more time. Perhaps this is one of the reasons why watercolours are usually preferred by artists, while gouache is the paint of choice for illustrators.
What do I need to paint with gouache?
Surfaces
Gouache is a very versatile paint that can be used on many supports. It is usually used on watercolour paper. This paper must have a non-oily base and must be at least 200 g/m2. In addition to watercolour paper, we can also paint with gouache on cardboard or wood.
Brushes
As goauche is a water-based paint-like watercolour, we can use the same brushes we use for watercolour. We must bear in mind that they must be quite flexible brushes with a high capacity to retain water and pigment. And how to clean the brushes after use? Very easy, just water is enough.
Palette
A good palette to make colour mixtures is a must. Our recommendation is to use a white palette to be able to see the colour clearly without interference.
These are the main characteristics of the gouache. Now it's your turn, tell us, have you ever tried gouache, what do you think?
