Gouache: Weird Word, Weird Paint??
In which we try something new…
Heyoooooo everyone!!
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Wait- what??
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Well…that was weird…
Anywho!
In my time as an artist…(meaning from when I was smooshing flowers in our backyard trying to make my own paint, to printing and selling my artwork) I’ve tried lots of different mediums.
I’ve tried regular graphits sketching (nice, but I only use mechanical pencils now, 2HB and higher is just too smudgy…)
I’ve tried Charcoal (again, too smudgy and it gets on EVERYTHING)
I had a brief fascitnation with acrylic (it ended amicably, but we both agreed it was for the best)
I even tried polymer clay! (…it’s not like play-dough at ALL I was so disappointed…)
But eventually I’ve settled on watercolor!
*blinks back at audience who is wondering why I’m telling them things they already know*
ANYWAYYYYY
What is art if not ever changing? As we grow in our craft, why not try something new?
(and if you should know ONE thing about me, it’s that I LOVE trying new things)
Gouache
So what is gouache? Well, first of all, it rhymes with ‘wash’. Like this, ‘gwash’.
Yes…it is a real word, even though it sounds strange. Sorry, but it’s probably France’s fault. I mean, that’s how we got croissant…and the whole ‘how do we pronounce this banana shaped bread…thing’
WOW really off topic, but we’re back now!
So basically, gouache is an opaque paint medium that sits somewhere in between the watercolor and acrylic texture…
Here’s what I’m going to be using:
Now I’ve seen some YouTubers use this, and because it was borderline ‘trendy’ I almost didn’t buy it.
But hey a sale is a sale, and I don’t like parting With. My. Money.
Did I spend a whole weekend just watching ‘paint with me’ videos on YouTube and call it research?
Yes, yes I did.
Did I learn anything useful??
*flips thru all my random notes on scrap pieces of paper when I have a perfectly good notebook*
Well….I learned that gouache is traditionally used similarly to acrylic, but can be watered down and used like watercolor! So…basically it’s like a creamier version of acrylic, that can be sprayed with water to be re-activated to use again!
So what do I think of it so far?
Well I never liked the way you have to paint with acrylic, and gouache uses the same technique so 'I’m not sure I’m completely sold :(
Here are some questions I have:
What’s the best consistency to use it? More water? More paint?
