I am fairly new to painting I have always used watercolour until recently when i tried acrylics I love both mediums. My problem is a friend gave me some gouache paints her son left behind when he emigrated,I have no idea at all how to use them so I would be most grateful for any advice on using these paints
Thanks
vera

I have a similar problem.

P.S I have noticed posts on this forum , years old and still waiting a reply.
I wonder how long we will have to wait.

Little plum 2

hi little plum .when i started painting and joined saa i had questions galore any i posted were aswered fairly quickly and have yet to have one unanswered sooooooooo here's hoping it's the same with this one .we may well be using our gouache paints yet .
vera

Hi vera.charlie,

Got an e-mail pretty soon after my post, telling me that you had posted again .!!
Pity we couldn,t get an answer to our question that quick.
Glad you have been more fortunate in the past.
Still doesn,t answer my previous comment though.

Good Luck Little Plum 2.

Hello,
Gouache paint is a watercolour paint which also contains white pigment. It is opaque and can be painted thickly or thinly and is often use in conjunction with watercolour paint.

Wikipedia says "Gouache is a type of paint consisting of pigment suspended in water. A binding agent, usually gum arabic, is also present, just as in watercolor. Gouache differs from watercolor in that the particles are larger, the ratio of pigment to water is much higher, and an additional, inert, white pigment such as chalk is also present. This makes gouache heavier and more opaque, with greater reflective qualities. It generally dries to a different value than it appears when wet (lighter tones generally dry darker, while darker tones tend to dry lighter), which can make it difficult to match colors over multiple painting sessions. This, combined with its quick coverage and total hiding power, mean that gouache lends itself to more immediate techniques than watercolor

Regarding answers to forum questions, the forum exists for members to communicate with each other and we often add comments, if you want a direct answer to a question it is best to contact the SAA directly.

happy painting


John

dear John,
Thank you for your welcome advice re gouache paint , I thought it must have been something to do with the texture & ability to cover previous colours,but didnt know if it was more like watercolour or acrylic .I will try painting with it later to-day and let you know how i get on .
Thank's John for restoring Littleplum 2 's faith in the forum as I said in my previous post I have had nothing but good responses from our members
happy painting
vera [a master piece in the waiting ]

I second that reply from vera. charlie,but I think I must have misled you.
What i meant was the lack of response between posters.
I find the S.A.A a fine organization its taught me a lot through the Painting Channel.
Just waiting till I think I am worthy enough to put paint to paper again.
Hope it is soon, I am 75 next birthday,!!
Thank you John, and and good luck to you again vera.charlie.

hi,
I couldnt agree more about the painting & drawing channel I have learned so much from it . When I started I actually bought Geoff Kerseys dvd's which were so good for beginners ,but there are so many artists and so many mediums to try . I am not very good at drawing so I find the ready to paint books such a help I kind of mix and match them . I am also a golden oldie 70 next year and as i'm disabled [limited mobility] I find painting an ideal hobby to keep my old brain matter turning over. Hope you continue to enjoy your painting as much as I do
vera.

Gouache paint is basically posh poster paint like we used to use at school, however it is very much more refined and uses high quality pigments and binders. Watercolourists will already be familiar with white gouache as it is also known as Chinese white (frowned upon by watercolour purists), the Victorians referred to it as body-colour. If you add Chinese white to normal watercolour you are in effect turning it into gouache. Have you ever tried to photograph or scan a watercolour painting only to find that some of the subtle areas don't reproduce at all well? This is because watercolour is a transparent medium so a lot of the light is reflected back through from the paper surface losing the very pale washes. The surface of gouache being matt and slightly chalky absorbs most of the light making it one of the best mediums for accurate colour reproduction and is therefore one of the favoured mediums in the illustration and design industry and it is no coincidence that Winsor and Newton's product is called Designer's Gouache. Gouache is a beautiful medium to work with and has the advantage of allowing work to progress from dark to light, in fact paintings done on black paper, card or mountboard can look stunning, in one of the bedrooms in the National Trust's house 'Kingston Lacey' there is a fantastic set of victorian 'classical' themed gouaches painted on black paper which are truly remarkable. Another useful aspect of gouache is that the surface is very slightly chalky/velvety making it ideal for working over with pastel or coloured pencil and again some beautiful results are possible. Blending can be achieved even after the paint has dried by very carefully dampening the area with clean water either from a brush or sprayed from an atomiser and the new colour can be blended in though I would suggest that this technique be practised a little before attempting it on a painting you are otherwise happy with. It is a very forgiving medium and some truly fine art is achievable! Check out my gallery (watercolours) to view a few examples.

dear murray ince ,
thank you for taking the time to pass on this information about gouache paints . I played about with the paints I have after johnsaa replied to my post and I was amazed how good a medium this was .I cant wait to get some dark paper to try out your advice .as i said I am very much a novice but love experimenting with different mediums . I have bought oils & pastils but never tried them except to define edges of flowers with my pastil pencils . wish me luck as i go on my merry way .
happy painting
vera