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GOUACHE
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Posted
In Praise of Gouache
Usually on occasions of using gouache it has been for the purpose of designing a logo or similar commercial requirement. However over the holiday I started to paint with gouache and found it so rewarding. I have previously mostly used acrylics. With gouache all one needs is to add water. To get the best from acrylics you need the mediums. For example flow improver, thats the latest one, gloss medium, matt medium, slow drying medium. All that at extra cost. Actually adding water to acrylics does not dilute the paint but breaks down the pigment strength. Gouache like I said you only need to add water. It can dry out but just a touch of water brings it back to life again. No job of removed hard acrylic, now just wasted dried up paint. No need for stay wet palettes, another expense. I also found the colours to look natural when applied to any surface, soft as well not harsh. When over laying one colour over another the paint kind of sinks into the next then it comes back. If the tone is not quite right you can easily adjust it by lightening or darkening the tone with no bad effect. You can get the layers to mix or keep them separate by the amount of water you use. I found keeping the colours nice and creamy gave the best control. That wonderful wildlife and bird artist Charles Tunnicliffe OBE, RA used gouache extensively. Also Rowland Hilder OBE although a watercolour artist used a lot of gouache in some of his paintings for which he was criticised. He said, “well I use whatever brings out the best effect I am looking for.” No gouache is not chalky if you buy quality brand and it does not harm your best sable brushes which I keep well away from acrylics. The big bonus is none of the paint goes to waste. If you like doing detailed work gouache does a superb job. etail work is not a great favourite of mine but I have recently completed a dog in action and I did enjoy painting in the details with gouache. I do use acrylics and have done many a painting with them. Although I use the best quality without adding one of those umpteen mediums I find the paint gives a somewhat lifeless appearance, it looses its punch. I end up putting some gloss varnish on to boost the colour more. Not a great love of gloss finish though. I do use a lot of acrylic but its usually in conjunction with something else. Its great for underpainting and making primers and grounds for working over.
Posted
Very interesting John. I use designer white gouache with my watercolour, sometimes for highlights and sometimes to add body colour. I keep meaning to use it more fully. Recently I bought a budget set of gouache at Hobbycraft. They were made by Windsor and Newton, but I should have known they were too cheap to be any good. I'm going to have to fork out for some decent stuff.
Posted
Sensing a quarrel, the wise man backs away. But I've never been a wise man...
I don't use gouache very often: but I've seen some wonderful paintings using it - it can have an almost creamy texture, hold brushmarks well (if you want it to) and these days - as was not always the case - much more of it is lightfast. No, you don't need mediums with it - there may be some, I don't know, but I would think they'd defeat the purpose of the paint - disguise its true qualities.
And yet all the same - I'm in full agreement with Syd on acrylic. For many years, I've only used water to make it workable: a little flow improver sometimes, perhaps a little glaze medium now and then, but on the whole just water. If if's on watercolour paper, I don't normally varnish it; if it's on canvas or board, I do. The brands I presently use are Winsor & Newton's Artist quality; Daler Rowney Cryla; D-R System 3; and Chromacolour. I don't have the problems that John suggests they present, though I do agree that they need a bit of work (as do other paints) and people can be misled by the claims some make that they're so much easier than watercolour or oil - but that's another argument for another day.
Used in a layering technique, using glazing and scumbles, or used directly alla prima (though always have water or medium to immediate hand) the range of colours on offer these days is enormous, a lot more subtle than they were in the very early days - which Syd and I both remember, from 50 years ago in my case and around 60 in his - and yet still powerful. If you can't blend with them - though that's nowhere near so difficult as some say it is - either develop your overpainting technique to give the appearance of blending, or use paints with a longer drying time, or the 'interactive' brands. And try the acrylic inks - fabulous medium in the right hands.
To keep myself in touch with acrylic paints and painters, I applied to join the National Association of Painters in Acrylic around 2 years ago and - excuse a note of smug - was accepted. I have since seen superb paintings in acrylic that make me jealous of the artists, but it's a great incentive to improve. You have two die-hard acrylic painters here, John - gouache is great stuff, but we shall defend our medium with the pointy end of our paint brushes - and we may even kick your shins.
Posted
My post is not meant to be a stand off between Acrylics and Gouache. I just wanted to highlight gouache as it is well out in the backwater these day. But as far as economics is concerned Gouache would take the price. I have used Acrylics for umpteen years and some I have go back many years, like those Cryla flow tubes for example. I have a box of old tubes which I use for priming and laying a base colour down. By the way they keep very well so long as you keep the caps clean. Some I have must be 30 odd years old and still alive, and still in use. I cannot recall anytime when a tube has dried out on me. I currently us Winsor and Newton Pro colours. But one thing is for sure I do not let Acrylics get anywhere near my series 7 sable brushes. Thanks for contributing to the thread folks.
Posted
Having a read through my book -The Art of Botanical Painting - Margaret Stevens (vpsba) I was once gain amazed at the beauty of the flowers painted, using gouache, by Sally Keir (sba) If her work doesn't inspire the 'botanical artist' to use this medium or at least try it, then I don't know what will. I did a search for this lady, only to find she has passed away.
So, it will be one pot of liquid pencil and some W+N designer gouache. If I get anywhere near to Sally's flower portraits I will think myself very lucky. I have tried gouache, I found it needs some getting used to. Onward.
Posted
To follow up on John's initial thread, my copies of both The Artist and Leisure Painter have just landed on my doorstep. Inside The Artist is an interesting feature by Barry Herniman, the first of two articles demonstrating gouache - Schmincke gouache to be exact.
I haven't time to read it fully as I am off out to find another average landscape, in the hope of spicing it up as I did on my recent effort. My thanks to those of you who took the trouble to comment, in particular to John, who quite rightly pointed out an error which was swiftly rectified.
Also inside this edition is an interesting feature on self portraits, that one I will enjoy digesting later. Like the author, I always paint my annual SP. It always amazes me how much younger I seem to look each year - I call it 'artist's licence'. Oh, and I mustn't forget an interesting letter on the 'Your Views' page - It relates to a previous article on reed pens, modesty prevents me from saying who wrote it, but I expect you've already guessed.
So, plenty to keep me interested over the coming weeks, and I haven't even taken the wrapping off the Leisure Painter yet.
Posted
Just returned from a sketching expedition, (went all of two miles!), anyway John, that is also an interesting article in the LP. I have spent so many years as a graphic designer and editorial artist latterly, that I don't really want to spend any more time looking at that screen, more than is necessary I mean. However, it's a useful facility this digital format, I just like flicking through pages and to get hold of the thing.
I suppose this would be a good opportunity to congratulate you on having a page feature in the LP, courtesy of Jane Stroud. Well done on that John, it was a damn good pastel. Perhaps my time will come one day!.
Posted
As you like it Alan but I just found the benefits of the digital editions are worth the screen time. Yes now all about working on the computer. Its the reason I gave up the digital art and painting on it. You come away with feeling square eyed. Thanks for the complement, the EC was quite unexpected.