Sometimes a more aggressive application of gesso can add animation and excitement to a painting.
A combination of soft glazes and rough aggressive brush strokes over the wings and tail of this parrot give a feeling of movement and panic. The glazes were applied after the watercolor had dried, then the rough brush strokes were scrubbed over the wet gesso glazes with a 1/2 inch bristle brush. Adding the strokes to the wet glazes meant, if necessary, I could use a dry hake brush to ease the brush strokes back into the glaze.
White Gouache
As well as gesso, white gouache can be used to add soft hazy areas of light to your work. Like gesso, gouache can be almost invisibly subtle or powerful and obvious. The big difference between gouache and gesso is that gesso , once dry, can be worked over, where as gouache remains forever soluble so, once dry, has to be left as is.
For this reason gouache is best applied towards the end of a painting whereas gesso can be incorporated at any time during the progress of the painting. The contrasting effect of a flat opaque area of gouache works beautifully with the transparency of watercolor. Because the gouache is so easily marked by a drop of water or a careless brush, applying it last or covering it once it is dry is good insurance.
The dark shadows under the striped awning are brought to life with a few marks of pure Ultramarine. In this case I used Ultramarine gouache straight out of the tube. Gouache dries to a flat, opaque finish and is more visible over darks than Ultramarine watercolor.
A Palette of blues from warm to cool. The first three are the ones I use plus, occasionally, Indigo.
The flat gouache sky (mixed from Ultramarine Blue and White Gouache) really makes the transparent washes of Quinacridone Gold, Alizarin and Permanent Rose appear to glow. The rocks and tree details were finished completely before the gouache sky was applied.
The light in the sky of this painting was added by wetting the entire sky, mixing some white gouache with a small amount of water then dropping it on to the area above the focal point and letting it spread. After the sky dried, tree details were carefully flicked in over the gouache with a rigger brush.
Don’t mix gouache or gesso on your watercolor palette. Gouache will turn your colors to an opaque mud if it find its way into your paint wells. Gesso will dry hard and immovable. Use an old plate or small spare palette.
Gesso and gouache have different properties. A question often asked is “When do you use gouache and when do you use gesso?” There is no hard and fast rule, but here are a few points to consider:
Gesso can be applied at any time during the course of a painting
Gesso can be applied in layers one on top of the other
Gouache is best applied as a final step due to its easily damaged nature.
Gouache can be completely washed off if necessary
Gouache is more suited to adding fine white or tinted detail than gesso
The best way to experience the difference between these two white pigments is to experiment. They both produce some wonderful effects and if you haven’t tried them already, you will be surprised at what they can add to your work.
What is White Gouache?
Gouache is a water soluble pigment similar to watercolor with the addition of calcium carbonate to make it flat and opaque. It was originally used by graphic designers to produce artwork for photographing or scanning. A flat, non reflective surface was important but permanent, lightfast colors were less of an issue as, once photographed, the artwork was no longer needed. Modern artist quality gouache has better lasting qualities, but I prefer to stick to white and tint it myself with lightfast watercolors. Gouache should be used on a separate palette so as not to pollute your transparent watercolors
What is White Gesso?
White gesso is an acrylic polymer based paint developed to prime painting surfaces. It is similar to white acrylic paint with the addition of calcium carbonate, marble dust and various other additives to make it a flat, toothy finish. There is also a watercolor gesso available designed to be absorbent enough to work as a ground for watercolor. Gesso should be washed out of your brushes immediately, as once dry, it turns to an insoluble,immovabletype of plastic.
See also “Gesso Glazes” and “Gouache” for more information.
Gouache (/ɡuˈɑːʃ, ɡwɑːʃ/; French: [ɡwaʃ]), body color, or opaque watercolor is a water-medium paint consisting of natural pigment, water, a binding agent (usually gum arabic or dextrin), and sometimes additional inert material. Gouache is designed to be opaque.
Gouache is unpopular as it was considered an art supply rather than a painting medium for a long time. Designers used it for flat surfaces, animation used it for backgrounds, painters used it for plein air studies, and kids used it in school. Very few artists used it as their main medium.
Gouache paint is water-soluble and can be thinned with water to create different effects. However, using too much water can result in a weak and diluted color. Artists that discover gouache after painting with watercolor for a while have a tendency to use gouache too diluted, like watercolor.
Water resistance can be achieved by adding small amounts of Acrylic Matt Medium to your Designers Gouache colour. It is also possible to use Acrylic Gesso Primer with Designers Gouache. This will ensure the absorbency and film stability expected for permanent works of art.
Some more: Camille Pissaro, Egon Schiele, François Boucher, Adolph Menzel, Marc Chagall, Whistler… Special thanks to the members of the Facebook group 'Gouache Painters' where I asked for some input.
The fact that gouache is rehydratable makes it a difficult medium. Beginners often find that when they build up gouache in layers, they reactivate the paint beneath, which smudges and disturbs the painting. You'll probably have to grit your teeth through a few such mishaps.
Relatively resistant to colour fading. Can be transparent or opaque depending on how much water is used to paint. It is reusable by simply adding water (a painting can be reworked if it hasn't been varnished). It comes in different sizes suited to all budgets (tablet, tube, bottle).
Skin irritation ： Irritant by repeated or prolonged contact, and may cause inflammation. Inhalation Toxicity ： Although some of raw materials are pointed to may stimulate eyes and respiratory organs with their vapor or mists under highly concentrated state, the toxic act of gouache is not confirmed.
Some brands use pigments that tend to be naturally opaque and load the formulation with so much pigment that opacity is the result. This makes gouache more expensive than watercolor or acrylics. Those other types of paints don't need as much pigment in order for them to dry opaquely on paper or canvas.
In gouache it is difficult to achieve such interesting uniform transitions and smooth washes as in watercolour, and in general the paint is a little less plastic. You can blur layers with water or wash them with pure water, but it requires more accuracy and carefulness.
However gouache has larger particles and more pigment in its binder. It also includes an inert, white such as chalk. These make gouache heavier, more opaque, and more reflective than watercolor. The extra pigment and whitening with the longer mulling production time adds to its cost.
Like acrylic, underpainting can be applied when working with gouache paints too. Underpainting will help you map out your colour values before going in and placing the colour. Keep in mind, if multiple layers of gouache are applied over the top of each other, you may run the risk of pigment cracking.
Mixing too much water can make your gouache painting look streaky (you don't want to see spots of white paper underneath). When blending two gouache colors, I recommend mixing white instead of water. If you must add water, add it in tiny quantities until you're satisfied with how the color spreads on the paper.
Canvas. Stretched cotton canvas is the surface used most often by professional artists, for its cloth weave and spring. When you use acrylics you can paint straight onto canvas, as they will not sink into the material like oils.
The most popular surface for painting with acrylics is canvas, which is available in many sizes. A wonderful alternative is wood panels, which is increasing in popularity as more high-quality wood art panels are being manufactured.
In this respect, gouache is more convenient: while the classic sequence of layers in watercolour is, for obvious reasons, “from light to dark”, gouache allows you to work in both ways: you can put light colour first and then dark, or vice versa, first dark and then light colour on top.
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