Gouache with gouache
Posted: December 17, 2017 Filed under: Uncategorized 28 CommentsHere’s the difficulty of painting tubes of gouache with gouache. If you squeeze out pigment before you do your drawing, you run the risk of having the gouache dry into hard mounds by the time you’re ready to paint. If you decide to wait and instead squeeze the pigment out after the drawing is done, it’s hard to place the tubes back in exactly the same position unless you move them one by one, very carefully. Not an insurmountable feat. Simply a minor inconvenience. Sketched on Stillman & Birn Nova series, 3.5 x 5″.
Shari Blaukopf's Sketchbook 
Shari, I think you did an admirable job here! Have you tried the Schmincke brand of gouache made in Germany? It is of excellent quality, highly pigmented, lots of single pigment tube colours, can be allowed to dry in pans and re-wets very well. Roz Stendahl is a big fan and you can get lots of great tips about using gouache (and a wide variety of other media and papers…) from her blog at: http://rozwoundup.com/blog.
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Hi Paul, Thank you so much for all this info. I haven’t tried the Schminke brand of gouache yet. These first tubes I bought were in the sale at the art store, and since I wasn’t really sure I would like using them I didn’t want to invest too much. Plus Schminke paints are hard to find in Montreal. At least where I shop. So… something to try for sure. I like the idea that they rewet well. And I am really enjoying my gouache experiments!
As for Roz Stendhahl, I love her work and follow her on Instagram but never realized that her website and blog are a treasure trove of information.Thanks for reminding me to have a look. I can see I have a lot of catching up to do. Again, many thanks.
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Hahaha! That’s really hilarious, Shari! : )
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Something to think about next time you paint tubes of paint Carol. Of course in oil you won’t have that problem!
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Hi Shari,
i also follow Gurney Journey and have noted many good tips for artists working in gouache including squeezing the color out on a wet surface such as damp terry toweling. I have only worked with white and have no real experience. I’ll be curious to see what works for you..
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Hi Holly, I have received so much great advice in the comments section of this post. Much food for thought. Certainly lots to be found on James Gurney’s site. Thanks!
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Also Nathan Fowkes has some great gouache paintings online.
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Thanks for this tip Jan.
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I am expecting some gouache in my stocking . . . Caran d’Ache I think. Are you using acrylic gouache rather than watercolor gouache? Anyway, I always think of the tales of Madeleine and Bemelmans’ work, which I have loved since forever. And thus, gouache! Keep on painting – love to see your posts.
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What could be better than a gift of art supplies?? Lucky you.
Of course I know the Madeline books but never realized they were in gouache. I will have to take a better look! Thanks for this tip.
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I can just picture you picking up each tube to squeeze it out and then carefully placing it back in its proper spot. lol This is great!
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Thanks Joan!
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You crack me up! Very comical. Great shadows.
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Thanks Alison.
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Congratulations on rediscovering the luxury of time to spare! And thanks for starting my day with those lovely bright colours and a chuckle too.
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Tony, I certainly am enjoying the time off. It’s a real luxury to have the time to experiment with materials.
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This is an excellent “gouache site”: http://nathanfowkes-sketch.blogspot.com/
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Thanks for this tip Robin. I will certainly have a look. You are not the first person to recommend Nathan Fowkes.
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You did a great job! You can construct a simple wet palette from household items: a shallow watertight container with lid, with a piece of sponge cut to fit the base, wet and wrung out, wrapped in baking paper. The baking paper over the moistened sponge will keep your paint active through rearrangements, phone calls and minor domestic upheaval. For anything longer, just put the lid on the container. Looking forward to more gouache gems.
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Thank so much for this detailed info Susan. One question: what is baking paper? Is it parchment that I put on my baking sheet when I make cookies?
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My friend Nina has spent a good part of this year figuring out how to make her gouache portable in a creamy state: she mixes them up in a travel palette and carries them around like here: https://www.instagram.com/p/BcdUpilg4HE/?hl=en&taken-by=ninaapplepine
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Suhita, I saw this on Instagram but will have to read about it a little more. Your workshop looks fantastic. Wish I could be there! And that garden!!
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Gay’s garden is amazing. And the redwoods….!!
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This is so funny. I have recently sketched and painted several things on my painting table-including some tubes of paint,brushes, jars of water, etc. And I picked up things to use not even thinking till it dawned on me that I had changed my still life.
I am enjoying gouache as it is a correctable medium but not oily like oil paint, and is still a watercolor if used diluted or combine them with transparent watercolor. I also want to try Schminke gouache paints- they sound useful.
Do you like gouache better on tinted paper?
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Hi Judy, Sounds like you are liking gouache too. Yes, I prefer the tinted paper because it gives you a middle value to work with, and I like when bits of the paper show through. Have you tried it?
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I have but I don’t always recognize the middle value. I try to start with the darkest values and then the lightest but it doesn’t go easily. I know I have to practice more.
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With gouache, it’s a good idea to keep a mister bottle around and spritz the paints every so often. Gives you more working time. Another solution I’ve tried is using a damp palette. It’s a simple thing you can make at home. Take a shallow plastic box or tray, like a food storage one, and put a few damp sponges in the bottom. On top of that a piece of disposable wax paper palette, like the kind you can use with oils or acrylics. Put your paints out on the wax paper. That will also help to keep them damp from the moisture in the box environment. You can store the unused paint that way for a few days if you cover it loosely with plastic food wrap. I’ve also heard it’s good to store damp, unused gouache in the fridge to inhibit the growth of mold. If it does dry out, depending on the brand, you can reactivate with water like watercolors. I don’t know how well it sets in pans for travel b/c it does dry out quite brittle. Love the painting by the way. Looks like you are having lots of fun!
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Janine, this is really great info. Thanks so much. I have all of that here, so this can be easily created. I really appreciate the detail!
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