cd sketches

Switching to a new painting medium can be difficult and confusing. And, with the gouache becoming more and more popular, many people are beginning to switch to it. Because of its unique qualities Gouache can sometimes be a polarizing medium. In this article, I will answer some of the most asked questions about this mystifying type of paint. 1. Can Gouache be Used Like Watercolor? For people coming from the world of watercolor over to gouache this is the million-dollar question. Can gouache be used like watercolor?  Both gouache and watercolor are water-based paints with similar ingredients. They are both made up of : pigment, gum arabic, and other preservatives. So because both are essentially made of the same thing; they're the exact same right? Well kind of. Gouache when used with enough water can be used exactly like watercolor. The only real difference is that gouache dries to a matte finish while watercolor by varying brands can have different finishes (matte, glossy, satin). ...

If you spend any time on the Plein air side of the internet, I'm sure you have heard of underpaintings. An underpainting is a layer of paint that will later influence the rest of the painting. Artist like James Gurney and Jared Cullum make some of the best use of this technique. While this technique may seem a bit confusing now, by the end of this article, you'll begin to get the gist.  1. Forces you to Cover the Whole Page If you are using an opaque medium and you want to make sure that you paint the whole page opaquely, an underpainting can be a great way to achieve your goal. It would be almost impossible to ignore a missing spaces when they are bright orange instead of white. Some artist like to leave bits of color exposed, but if you want to cover it all you certainly can. Covering the whole page opaquely also lends itself well to that unique gouache look.  I use this a lot for plein-air 2. Blank Page Syndrome You are excited to paint, you pull out your sketchbook open to...

    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 use...

 I can vividly remember time in my life (not so long ago) when I absolutely couldn't stand how my art looked. I always thought that something was off, my paintings were never worth keeping. I would draw something in my sketchbook, look at it for far too long, crumple it up and throw it away. Looking back, I probably should've just kept them. But the point is to say that this feeling isn't uncommon among artists. This article looks to explore some of the reasons you can't stand the art you make and how you can go about changing that.  1. You Revere Perfectionism The first reason why you aren't happy with your art is not perfectionism itself, but the fact that you may think perfectionism is a good or cool trait to have. Wanting your work to be as good as is can be is fine, but when you begin to think that the time you spent painting or drawing was worthless because it's not perfect, it is no longer conducive to feeling good about your work or yourself. It's ve...

1. A Snowy Landscape 2. A Self Portrait 3. Your Car 4. Boxing Match Figure Study 5. A Childhood Home 6. Your Pencil Case 7. A Mechanical Device 8. Your Favorite Movie Character 9. A House in Your Neighborhood 10. The View from Your window 11. Medieval Weaponry 12. A Castle 13. A Random Object in Your Room 14. The View from a Park Bench 15. Basketball game Figure Study 16. An Ornate Staircase 17. A Family Member Portrait 18. Your Favorite TV show Character 19. A Scene from a Movie 20. A Beach Scene 21. Construction Equipment  22. A Man with a Mustache 23. A Fruit Still life 24. Landscape with Rolling Hills 25. Football Game Figure Studies 26. A Forest Scene 27. An Abandoned Building 28. Your Dog 29. Your Cat 30. Your kitchen 31. A Cowboy 32. A Mountain Range 33. Pink Flowers 34. A Knight on Horseback 35.A Fallen Tree 36. Your Local McDonalds 37. Your Dream Car 38. Horse riding Figure Studies 39. A Pumpkin Patch 40. A King/Queen 41. A Shadowy face 42. Something You've never painted 4...

  Gouache vs Watercolor: The Key Differences Artists have been using different types of paints for centuries to create art. Two of the most popular types of paint in modern times are gouache and watercolor. While both are water-based paints, they have distinct differences that artists should understand before choosing which medium to use. In this article, we will explore the key differences between gouache and watercolor. 1. Opacity The first (and most obvious) difference between Gouache and Watercolor is the opacity. Opacity, for our sake, is the ability of a layer of paint to completely cover another. Watercolor is known  for its transparency. When you use watercolor, one layer can still be seen under another. This is often responsible for that unique quality that watercolor paintings have. On the other hand, gouache can be used both transparently and opaquely depending on how much water is used. Because gouache can be used opaquely, mistakes can easily be covered up by pai...

 5 SIGNS YOUR PAINTING IS DONE Although a lot of people think it is hard to get a painting started, what most artists really struggle with is bringing themselves to stop painting. This article will cover five ways to recognize when you can call it quits.  1. You keep repainting the same areas One thing you'll begin to notice when you start coming to the end of a painting is that you keep going back to rework the same areas. Whether it is that one clump of grass in the corner, or the left nostril, if you continually find that you just keep going back to one area, it may be time to stop. There is a difference between working until you get an area perfect and going back to repaint an area just because you don't know what else to do.  2. You can't tell if the painting is getting better or worse You've been painting for hours on end, and you start to realize that the more you paint the less you even know what you're looking at. This is a great sign that you should stop p...