Be bold with gouache

Gouache is considered a bit of an anomaly. There is a misconception that it is chalky, difficult to work with, dries too quickly, cracks and so on. Gouache uses the same pigments and gum arabic binder as watercolour but has white added, so it’s not as translucent as watercolour, hence the ‘chalky finish’ label attached to it. The advantage to this addition of white (and it is not a massive amount) is that the paint film dries to an even flat, matte colour.

Gouache in practice

Gouache can be painted transparently, semi-transparently and opaquely in the same painting – by adding lots of water I can create watercolour effects with gouache that extend the versatility of the medium. When washes are heavily diluted and glazed I add painting mediums such as granulation medium to deliberately split the paint film and add exciting textures. Lots of happy accidents occur when painting like this and I work with rather than against them in a painting that is very controlled. There is total freedom in my