What You Should Know Before Getting Gouache!

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    As with any new painting medium, making the jump to gouache can be exciting but also a bit scary. But it doesn't have to be. Painting like anything else is a skill that can be learned, improved and adapted to new styles and mediums. In this Article, I will go over some things that you should at least recognize before getting too deep into painting with gouache. 


1. It's Not Exactly Like Watercolor

The first thing that you will need to adjust to when using gouache is the fact that, while gouache is similar to watercolor in many ways, It also is its own thing. I made a helpful article on this topic not too long ago. Gouache Vs. Watercolor. But the overall idea is that gouache and watercolor have unique traits that lend themselves to different techniques and use cases. Watercolor is a very transparent paint that even when used directly from the tube is not as opaque as gouache. Gouache on the other hand, even when watered down, has some opacity that makes its uses slightly different from watercolor.

Photo by Anna Tarazevich (Pexels)


2. Opacity Varies

While we're on the topic of opacity, I thought I should make this point now. Gouache paints from different brands (and even within brands) will have differing levels of opacity. As you might expect, cheaper student-grade gouache paints tend to be less opaque because the price point limits how much opaque pigment the manufacturer can add. Also, some colors themselves have a natural tendency to be more or less opaque. For example, Yellow Ochre and Burnt Sienna will usually have no problems with opacity regardless of how cheap the paint is. 

Photo by Lorena Martínez (Pexels)


3. Any Paper Will Do

If you are a beginner getting your budget together for a new gouache setup, one of the areas that you can save on is paper. Of course I don't mean use computer paper, but, gouache tends to be more forgiving with what kind of paper you use. For a long time when I was first learning to use gouache, I used a sketchbook that was just meant for pencils. Was it the best? No. But was it functional enough to keep me practicing? Absolutely. Walmart (at least where I'm at) has a nice sized pad of watercolor paper for about $7 (Grumbacher).

Photo by COLYS HAT (Pexels)


4. Palettes

As for palettes, you have a couple of different options. The first of which is to buy gouache that comes in a palette, this includes brands like Himi and Arrtx. These 'jelly gouache' paints are great for beginners because they are relatively low cost and prevent the user from wasting paint. The next option is to buy tubed paint and put it into an airtight palette. This is the one that I use (Palette). Air-tight palettes are also great for reducing paint waste. The main upside is that you can also add your own favorite colors from different brands. The last option I can think of is just using the paint fresh from the tube. This is definitely for brave painters but if you can muster up the courage, it does the job. It also means that you can bring as many tubes of paint as you want, not limited by the amount of wells a palette has. 

Photo by Antoni Shkraba (Pexels)


5. Layering? Glazing? Blending?

Even though these are three different concepts, I thought it would make sense to lump these all together. Because gouache is 're-wet-able' when you paint over an already existing layer, the layer underneath will be disturbed. For blending this is great, you can use water to blend out colors or fix mistakes. For layering this makes things a bit problematic. It is common gouache-etiquette that you paint from thin layers to thick layers so that you avoid smudging. Glazing with gouache does work but it does require a gentle hand. Essentially if you can manage to get a thin enough layer and you only apply one layer of glaze, you can make it work. James Gurney has a great video on Gouache Glazing

Photo by RODNAE Productions (Pexels)

*The link to the palette in #4 is an affiliate link, meaning I receive a commission on purchases thorough that link.


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