Take your gouache painting to the next level

Hang on Studio Wall

Equipment

Arches Not paper

W&N Designer Gouache set

Colours

Primary yellow

Permanent yellow deep

Spectrum red

Primary red

Ultramarine

Primary blue

Permanent green middle

Yellow ochre

Ivory black

Zinc white

Top tips for gouache painting

Following on from his introduction to painting gouache, Robert Brindley says, 'Gouache has a great, velvety texture that results in a very smooth, solid appearance, yet by working on a slightly more textured paper, or board, the results can be very different'.

Winter Morning, Norfolk, gouache, (23x27cm)

Very stiff card, primed both sides to prevent warping before texture paste was applied, resulted in a lovely sensitive surface to work on. The board was tinted with a very watery wash of burnt sienna acrylic. I used a limited palette of primary yellow, primary red, permanent alizarin, ultramarine blue and white. A very loose block-in was then over painted with quite a few layers of broken colour. The tree, bushes and fine grasses were added last, taking care not to disturb the underlying paint. As always, I took special care to let each successive application of paint dry before adding another.

Choosing your paper

'The most obvious way to achieve more texture is to use one of the many watercolour papers available. For example, a Hot Pressed paper will result in a very smooth finish and pleasing effect. However, I find that without any texture the paint can slip around too much and any layering of paint can easily disturb the underlying layer. It's also worth bearing in mind that dry brushing and scumbling become less effective or non-existent on a smooth surface.

'A Not paper has a slightly textured finish that is very easy to work on and aids the execution of dry brushwork and scumbling. Rough paper will provide interesting textures, although it is a little more difficult to work as the brush seems to drag more and it's easy to lose any sensitivity and 'feel' through the brush. You may find that more colour is used on a rougher surface and also you may need to use more layers to achieve what you are after.'

Texturing your own surface

When painting with gouache I now tend to work on paper or board that I have textured myself.

For certain subjects I prefer a more random texture and less drag on the brush. I use any fairly thick, good-quality paper or board, to which I apply one coat of acrylic primer. When dry I apply texture paste using a 12- or 25mm flat brush, criss-crossing the brushstrokes to give a random texture. By varying the quantity of texture paste used –spreading it thinner, or thicker – I can achieve many different painting surfaces. Finally, I add another coat of acrylic primer.

Light on The Fells, Seatoller, Cumbria, gouache, (25x30cm)

Here I painted on tinted pasted mount board with quite a heavy application of texture paste. The painting was developed by layering on top of a loose block-in. The colours used were primary yellow, yellow ochre, primary red, permanent alizarin, cerulean, ultramarine blue and white. The darks in the trees were mixed with a combination of ultramarine blue, permanent alizarin and yellow ochre. A very small touch of white was used for the slightly lighter areas in the foliage.

Evaluating your work

When I reach the final stage of painting I always take time for evaluation by asking myself some of the following questions:

Does the composition work? A successful painting should have a visual path through the painting, leading to the focal point.
Does the tonal sequence work? Tone is all important, therefore it is prudent to carry out a few small, tonal studies before starting to paint.
Does the colour harmony work? After tone it is important to ensure that the colour harmony works. Never have too many strident colours opposing each other in your paintings.
Do the edges work? Too many hard edges scattered around the painting will destroy the balance and lead-in. In general, eliminate most of the harder edges around the outer areas of your painting. It may help to squint your eyes to identify the worst offenders. By softening a few edges and retaining some of the harder ones, you will be able to move the emphasis and strengthen the focal point.

Pony in The Snow, Scotby, Cumbria, gouache, (19x16cm)

This was painted on a block of Arches cold-pressed watercolour paper. I decided not to tint the paper, instead I used the white of the paper for most of the lightest areas of snow. My limited palette was yellow ochre, primary yellow, burnt sienna, primary red, cerulean, ultramarine blue and white.

Robert’s top tips for newcomers to gouache:

Never paint too thickly in the early stages.
Try to develop the painting from dark to light; however, leave the extremes till later.
Be aware of creating dirty colour. Apply the colour lightly initially and experiment on a scrap of paper first if you are not sure .
Try to resist adding detail too early.
Be patient and wait until the paint is completely dry before layering the next colour.
Don't work too small or your painting will become too fiddly/busy.

Demonstration: Back Gardens, Scotby, Cumbria

After drawing a very simple outline and applying a tonal wash of primary red plus yellow ochre,block in the large tree shapes using yellow ochre, primary yellow, primary blue and touch of spectrum red and white.

For the sky use primary blue, a touch of spectrum red and white.

Add a very small touch of spectrum red towards the bottom of the sky and also increase the white in the mix progressively as the sky nears the horizon.

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Continuing the blocking-in, start to develop the middle ground using yellow ochre, primary yellow, primary blue, ultramarine, spectrum red and white.

The distant tree on the right and the silhouette of the roofs are painted with a varied mix of ultramarine blue, spectrum red, a very small touch of yellow ochre and varying degrees of white.

The foliage in the middle ground is developed light-to-dark using combinations of yellow ochre, primary yellow, primary blue, ultramarine blue and small touches of spectrum red and white. The spectrum red helps to neutralise or grey-down the greens.

This stage is generally a continuation the previous one, adding touches of sparkly light where the light catches small leaves.

Begin adding details to some of the trees.

Continue to develop the painting using the same colours and mixes, focusing mainly on capturing the areas of light as accurately as possible.

Add further structure to the trees.

Top Tip

I was very happy with the warm, tinted ground and how it enhanced the green and also unified the painting. Subsequently, I made every effort not to lose too much of this tint.

Finished painting

Back Gardens, Scotby, Cumbria, gouache on paper, (23x27cm)

Finally complete the trees and details.

'I wanted to capture all the pinpoints of light catching leaves and grasses and, although too many small, distracting marks can be a mistake, I felt that these details were vital for the success of this painting, so hopefully I haven't overdone it!'

Robert Brindley is a member of the Royal Society of Marine Artists.

His book Painting Landscapes in Oils is published by Crowood Press (www.crowood.com) and his four DVDs are available from Town House Films (www.townhousefilms.co.uk).

See more on his website, www.robertbrindley.com.

This article is taken from the March 2021 issue of The Artist. Enjoy endless inspiration with access to past and present issues of both The Artist and Leisure Painter magazines, plus exclusive video demos, tutorials and more, with our Studio Membership! Discover how you can join today.

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