Gouache is one of my most favorite mediums and you can get some wonderful effects. As Leaha said, I too would love to see more Gouache tutorials. Thank you for the video :)
I would love to see some guache painting tutorials for impressionistic landscapes. I love your videos Michele! Thank you for your generosity sharing your knowledge!
Thanks so much for this tutorial, Michele! It’s really helpful to understand more about gouache - you’re always so clear and practical in the way you describe things!
Agreed. I tried gouache for a while and it drove me nuts trying to match colors. At the time I was taking a workshop where the instructor INSISTED that the color and or value had to match. I had abandoned oil because my late husband complained of the smell of both oils and acrylics, so was trying to use gouache. Horrible experience!
Also, as acrylic gouache is acrylic, and not gouache, clean up needs to be especially mindful so no plastic particles get into the water supply/environment/sentient beings. Excellent video!
Biggest plus point of gouache for me is....I keep my gouache paints in a stay wet palette ...spray it weekly once...just open ..paint and close..easy quick to use with effect like oils. I need not worry about saving the white of paper like watercolour...very forgiving medium. I'm using this medium besides pastels everyday at night post dinner after family sleeps for 20-30 minutes. Just open paint and close. Washing brushes takes less than a minute. Low maintenance. I seal the surface with dorland's wax medium.
Oooh, you do realise you've just scrambled my head 🤪and turned my thinking upside down 🙃 lol 😅 But such a fantastic and interesting video Michele. Very informative, and I would love to learn more about gouache if you are thinking of doing something similar in the future. I'm interested in finding out more about other mediums too, such as acrylic, and perhaps painting with inks in varying colours. Thank you so much for this week's video, it's very much appreciated. Take care 😍 Audrey X
Very useful. I would like more on gouache please. I usually use watercolour but am currently using gouache for some Christmas cards etc. I am not quite a beginner.
I am so happy to see this video. I bought some gouache about a year ago and tried to use it like watercolor. I did watch some instruction videos but none covered like this and I did almost everything wrong. Thank you so much. Will be trying my paints again while they're still good.
Nice one Michele, At last someone promoting Gouache, this has been my 'go to' this year for anything A4 or smaller. I find you need to plan & think ahead as it can catch you out but the results are well worth the effort. Good Job 🙂
I've been spending this morning watching your videos. I bought a basic set of gouache paints from Michael's recently just to test them. Since I am new to the medium, I can use all the advice I can get.
I did a whole sunset painting with watercolor using that double dipped brush technique. Use a big flat brush and carefully dip slightly wet masstone situation. It’s so fun and beautiful 😄
I really don't like gouache at all but this was an excellent tutorial and I must admit that the blending of two or three colors on a single brush is quite beautiful. I always learn so much from your videos!
Whew, That was A LOT of information! Fantastic job with this one Michele. I just recently bought some gouache to try on a building study I'm doing. I've never used it before so this was a really timely video. I would love to see some more information on using gouache combined with watercolors in a painting scenario. Thank you from across the pond :)
I recently purchased a medium-sized set of gouache paints and have begun experimenting with them. So fun! More gouache videos would be welcomed, but whatever you have time or desire to do is fine by me.
Thanks Michele! I am new to gouache and this video came at the perfect time. I would love more gouache videos, either tips or painting a flower, animal, etc.
whoa you got a new 100 subscribers overnight, congrats! You deserve it, I'm getting so much from your videos. Art stuff is so confusing and overwhelming due to all the choices but it feels like things are coming together for me, thanks to you! 🥰
Michelle...maybe useful to your viewers...if you agree with this...one gouache teacher said, instead of mixing two colours and white to create a gradient between the two....he says to put darker colour first...then a premixed midtone between two colours then the lighter colour ...then soft strokes with a mop brush to create a gradient...without using much white. It's tedious but the effect is stunning actually.
Very helpful, thanks! I'm just getting started in this medium, and these tips are already helping me know how to correct some things I was getting frustrated with. I would like to see more on gouache, especially landscapes techniques.
As an aside: I saw this artist using big dots of acrylic paint and creating a picture by using a sponge , some aluminum foil, and a bundle of q-tips. After brushing, he/she used these various “tools” to created some lovely forest and rain scenes. Of course I realize that with gouache it would have to be either much smaller or done in sections as gouache dries faster than acrylic. This would be after I get a better handle on what the paints do, but I thought that “freedom” could be tried on gouache and just have fun with it…..See what happens. Thanks for all your lessons. I’m going to check out your drawing tutorials for home use. Happy holidays to you, Michelle
What I’ve found so far with experimentation is paint all the lights in first. Then darken as you go through more layers (it’s best to plan the painting). But defo do a swatch to see how the paints react.
Interesting demo - all the gouache beginners' sets I've seen contain a Zinc White, rather than Process White or Titanium - I found Zinc White very hard to work with in gouache, because it's semi-transparent; whereas with gouache, you want an opaque white; Zinc might be useful for tempering/adjusting the paint, but do you agree with me that it's pretty hopeless as your main gouache white? Or do you use it successfully? One of the reasons why you might use a very large quantity of white is that you are using Zinc (aka Chinese White) and it just takes a bucket-load more of it to get creamy look which the best gouache paintings have.
The Talens is a mixed pigment, part titanium part lithopone. I generally use my Jackman's Titanium white, which is actually part of their watercolor range, but categories tend to be arbitary with whites. The main reason you use a lot of white as in many cases it substitutes for the water you would lighten colours with. I always prefer Titanium white, I don't see the point of a semi transparrent white.
Titanium white is excellent choice as Michelle said...but I'm aware of one Indian gouache artist who is very rarely using his white ...only for highlights. He says white muddies the saturation of hues.He rather uses lightest values in that colour. For example he uses brightest orange from tube for highlight in a red apple...then touch of yellow...lastly touch of white His works are excellent in gouache and watercolour. I took workshop with him...his works are excellent but I wasn't convinced with his teaching capabilities.
Oh wow 😮! Thanks so much for sharing & doing this informational video. So many of the things that you’ve talked about I had been trying to do with watercolor painting when I was beginning. My youngest daughter kept telling me that I needed to maybe give gouache a try. Now I am thinking about get a basic set of colors. I definitely need to get a larger tube of white gouache for my watercolors at least. I am really enjoying the videos, the Facebook group, and learning about art in general from you. I am also glad to hear that you’re feeling better since getting the booster shot. I have to get mine done soon.
Ditto; would love more gouache painting stuff if you're willing and able! It's so similar and yet SO different from watercolor. I see a lot of ... hate... of gouache .... in the watercolor community; like snubbing the nose at it and - although I have a really BAD gouache set right now, I've already done enough with it to know that I want to buy better paints to try it out on a more consistent basis. I love how BRIGHT it can be! Definitely on my way to go see what are some good gouache brands. :)
I will try. The issue with RU-vid is that if something isn't really super popular it can harm your channel to publish it. This shouldn't matter, but since the pandemic it's an important income source for me. People snubbing Gouache should realise that the first ever watercolourists all used white and opaque paints! This purist idea came later...
I've never used gouache before but I like the look of it, it looks like velvet to me, not "flat" 😊 But, I prefer the way watercolor works, particularly the way everything can be re-wetted so easily. And the special effects/layering.
Thanks for those great tips. I have been curious about gouache so I tiptoed into it by buying the Caran d'Ache pan of 12 colors. I haven't done much with them yet beyond a little play. Noticed that the color in the pan wets easily and is nice and creamy with little water. Very pleasant to use. My interest in them is twofold -- one I like is that you can use light over dark. I have watched a couple of videos where beautiful paintings were achieved. The other interest is I thought it would be fun to try a mixed media project. Do you have any classes showing mixing watercolor and gouache for beautiful effects, and if so, can you let me know where to watch them? Thanks!
OMG! I never, ever mix up enough paint. Ever! And it's almost impossible to color match complex mixed colors because of the dry shift. I think all artists would benefit from taking a toll painting or folk art painting class. There are loads of techniques that I see painters use and they come from this types of painting.
@@IntheStudiowithMicheleWebber At least with gouache and watercolour you can store and rewet it. Acyrlic does my head in. Once it's out of the tube, it's a case of use it or lose it.
I’ve just ordered my first set of Gouache and searched Gouache for beginners only to find my guru for watercolour painting comes up trumps for Gouache too. Thank you Michelle. If I wanted to paint a Naive style harbour scene with little boats and houses , would you use watercolour for the wash for the sky or would you do it all in gouache ? Thank you
@@IntheStudiowithMicheleWebber thank you. My paints arrived today. I ordered the starter set from Winsor and Newton. Can’t wait to play but I am working tomorrow 😢xx
This is very helpful, I do think I need your drawing class! I just bought my first set of gouache, but it is in pans and it is hard, not the soft jelly pans. Did I just make my first mistake? It is Caran D Ache, it was on sale on Amazon and I thought I would try it.
Hello Michele, Yes I would like more gouache painting tutorials. Have you ever used watercolor with gouache in a painting? I was experimenting and found by using watercolor in the background, letting it dry, then painting with gouache in the mid and foreground you can get a glowing affect. It was a kind of dreamy look. What do you think? Thank you.
Thanks Michele. In the North east US we call your folk painting toll painting or decorative painting. I love the effects they get when they double load the brush one color on one side and another on the other. My sister would do that in acrylics too. Even triple load a flat brush. Really beautiful 😍
Perfect energy level and pleasant delivery said the vocalist with on stage performance including musicals and operas, yet I’m modest and unpretentious in an industry full of artist who pull out prestigious schools someone else paid their way. Careers not built on creative innovation, skill, practice and talent. Thanks for being yourself. Genuine, friendly a charmingly humorous. I’m Zooey. I’ve been put on steroids. Brain more active. Greater appreciation and bold enough to compliment at length.
A very interesting video. I often don't mix enough watercolour paint, so I haven't a chance with gouache. I take it that quality matters, like it does with watercolours?
Is it the same as Poster paints ? We call them that in India I think. I use both water colour and poster colours ... Not know if its affecting the quality of my paintings? I usually make birds and fruits . Some flowers too.
very timely video! i haven't figured out gouache at all. i was thinking about starting my learning from scratch again, and do some swatching first, given the color shifts when it dries. was is more useful, swatching with water only, swatching with white and should i also include a test for opacity or all of the above? also, i understand that gouache has a denser pigment load than watercolor that makes it opaque. is there any other difference is the physical paint itself? (because geeky artists want to know :-p )
Some of the pigments in gouache are larger, as you say more pigment load and there will be a difference in the binder formulation, with sometimes an addition of white in the form of chalks etc, although high quality brands will try not to use too much of this. The paint company I work with is going to do gouache soon, so I will no doubt learn more about the process then.
Michele could you talk about gesso and glazing differences I'm really unsure of these I seen some videos where artistvare mixing watercolor and senniler oil pastels with these items I was able to buy a few caran dashe neo 2 watersoulable crayons and a few senniler oil pastels metallic to see how they work but the glazing mediums clear and heavy? As such has really gotten me confuse how are these different from molding paste???? What does any of this mean...lol lol...thanks for any help...
I think you have confused me too. I don't generally use gesso because it's usually used with canvas to prepare it, which I don't paint on, and glazing mediums, molding paste are usually used with acrylics. Glazing medium makes acrylic paints more transparent and molding paste is for texture, both of them you mix into the paint before applying :-)
@@IntheStudiowithMicheleWebber thank you so much for info I think I'm trying to learn about to much different art medians just liked the senniler oilpastel sticks so much but didnt want to have spray afixadent(?) to seal it so it wouldnt move on opposite pg of a mixed sketch book....I thought I could mix it with a glaze or gesso??? To seal it as I draw with the oil pastel stick...honestly watercolor just seems the less highmaibtence paint median to do.. lol all I have to do is seal it with Doran's...thank you again for the prompt reply...I'm using your color chart posters every time I paint they work wonderful (is there a a way I can send in a review also can i post a picture of the posters hanging on my wall in your store with my review?).. that are framed and my postive review????mikelle art mom🎨✍
I know this is an older video but maybe someone can answer. Would it be useful to use the acrylic type as a base layer, then the regular for the rest since the acrylic one won’t deactivate? I do that with ink under watercolor so just wondering if that would work out?
I had the same thought of a layer of acrylic under watercolour, but it didn't work, watercolours don't sit well on acrylics. You can do it the other way round, but I wouldn't recommend it with gouache. An under layer of standard watercolours may move less than layering with gouache from the start though.
How long does it take to fully dry thin application ? Heavy application ? There is a medium available for acrylics that extends the drying time. Is there one for gouache or can the acrylic medium be used on gouache also? Does adding water to dilute color also increase drying time rather than using white gouache paint to dilute the color ? Lastly, is gouache also compatible with acrylic paint, like it is for watercolor paint ? Thank you so much for all these helpful hints. I have a set of gouache with which I have never worked. Now I would be much more willing to try to challenge myself. Thanks !
Drying times can't be predicted as they vary according to temperature and humidity. Gouache is far closer to watercolors than acrylics. Therefore the closest thing to an extender medium (unless there are specific ones I don't know about) would be gum arabic but it would almost certainly negatively affect the opacity. A 'stay wet' acrylics palette can be used to help slow palette drying time (or a water spray). Acrylics are not compatable but could be used in a mixed media way, ie thinish coat of gouache first, dry, then acrylics on top. You can't mix them in though and they won't paint well on top of acrylics, like watercolor they need to adhere directly to the paper.
Thank you for answering all my questions about gouache. I will make some “turtle and frog compatibility tests” before launching into an actual picture. It seems like gouache is a bit trickier than watercolor in that it can easily be disturbed with water, even after drying. Is there a fixative that can be used to protect it, like watercolor ? It will be interesting to see what happens with watercolor pencil or colored pencils on top of dried gouache. Wonder what salt would do? I better stop now !!!!!! HaHaHa
Help! Started gouache today (arteza) on fabriabo 100%cotton paper. It seemd like there is alot of drag. Is gouache a medium that needs to be built up? Or does a watercolor background need to be put down first
Acrylics can go over dried watercolor or gouache if not too thick, they shouldn't be mixed together though, and water based paints will not go on top of acrylic so use them for the underneath layer.
