Helen Tarr recommends the Caran d'Ache Studio Gouache set as the ideal Christmas gift for artists as she demonstrates painting a festive bauble.
I am used to using gouache paint from tubes so this was a new experience for me and I was curious to see how they would perform. This set contained: lemon yellow, vermillion, magenta, cyan, emerald green, brown and black plus a tube of white gouache and a No.8 soft round watercolour brush. The tin comes wrapped in a cardboard sleeve that has a colour chart on the inside which is well worth completing and keeping in the tin.
Because these colours come in dry pans they are by necessity made transparent by the addition of water to activate them. The tube of white gouache gives opacity to the colours but tints them lighter and desaturates the colour in the process. However, by trial and error, I was able to get the effects I wanted in this painting and enjoyed discovering what was possible.
Watch Helen's demonstration to paint a glittering bauble
I began my demonstration above by sketching out the composition with a very diluted blue/ brown mix. If your first layer of paint is watery and light in tone it is easier to cover with subsequent, more opaque layers. These paints performed well and retained their glowing colour even when diluted. I allowed the paint time to dry between layers and they didn’t blend or become muddy when rewetted with subsequent layers.
Top Tips:
- Spritzing the dry pans with a little water loosens the surface colour making it easier to pick up a good quantity on the brush
- Dabbing your colour mix onto a piece of kitchen roll and holding it up to the subject is a quick way to check your colours and tones
- Use two jars of water, one for rinsing your brush and one for diluting colour
- Dab your brush dry after rinsing to ensure you control the level of dilution of your mixes
- I found the brush very useful and it remained neat as I worked, but it’s hard to do everything with one brush so I’d recommend adding a flat and larger round brush to your kit
A Caran d'Ache Studio Set of eight pans costs just £26.34 and can be purchased from Art Supplies with Painters Online.
Give the gift of glowing colour
About Helen Tarr
Helen is a professional artist currently based in Staffordshire. She has a BA (Hons) and MA in Fine Art, and specialises in painting with oils. The landscape and flora surrounding her rural home are a recurring source of inspiration for her studio and plein air work. Helen has exhibited her paintings widely and in 2023 she won the Parker Harris and People’s Choice awards for her painting Still-life with Lemons, in The Artist exhibition at Patching’s Art Centre.
Helen is currently preparing for a major solo exhibition at Gallery No.1 and New Court Galleries in Repton, Derbyshire in January 2025.
To see more of her work and for details about classes, workshops and demonstrations, please visit Helen’s website at www.helentarr.art.
For more on Helen’s artist’s life you can connect with her on Instagram and Facebook.