A question about gouache

In this post, my friend Lindsay asked: "Have you ever used Gouache? And what are you feelings about it? What kind of paper did you use for your portraits?"


Last question first - I used a Lanaquarelle watercolor block (cold pressed 140 lb., if that matters to anybody). I adore watercolor blocks, mostly because stretching your own paper might be the most tedious thing on earth. But nobody wants a warped painting. Watercolor blocks are the best of both worlds - they don't warp and they don't require any prior preparation. They're stacks of watercolor paper that are sealed on all sides. You finish your piece, let it dry completely, and then slice through the glue with a thin blade. Off pops your nice, flat painting.


As for gouache, I have some limited experience with it. I find gouache colors chalkier than I usually care to use, but maybe that's just because I've used cheaper brands; some of my favorite illustrators use it because they like the color. It's also more fragile and prone to flaking than watercolor, especially when layered. Because it's more opaque than watercolor, it's easier to get flat, solid tones and cover up your brushstrokes or underlayers. But generally, if I want something light and thin I'll stick to watercolor; if I want something opaque and solid, I'll stick to acrylic or oil.


The exception: I love to use gouache and watercolor together. It's nice to be able to dab a touch of gouache on a watercolor if I forgot to leave a highlight white. I also combined the two for a project I did in college - I did ten small paintings of some of the sheep parables in the New Testament (see image at the top of the post). I layered gouache highlights atop darker watercolor tones, sometimes leaving the watercolor revealed and sometimes blending the two as I brushed over the dry pigment with a new wet color. It produced a slight glowing effect that I really like. I love the look of a chalky, solid highlight adjacent to a more transparent and textured shadow.