Gouache Painting

With the holiday season behind us I have found time to sit down and finally get back into this blog. For Christmas my aunt contacted me asking me to do a family portrait of my cousin, her husband and son. I was more than happy to do it and decided to go with Gouache.

 Now when doing portraits its always good to go from more than one reference, so with my piece I chose at least 2-3 different pictures of each person I was to draw. Gouache is one of the most commonly used mediums in the art world. Unlike oil painting you don't need turpentine or paint thinner (so your respiratory system can take a break). When painting with gouache you'll need plenty of water to clean your brushes, a palette (preferably white) water color brushes (i prefer rounded tip brushes, especially for portraits), gouache of course, painters tape and a canvas or illustration board.

Now before i do anything I always like to put a coat of gesso on the board, it gives support for the painting and allows the medium to absorb better. I usually put painters tape around the border of the board, either 1'' or 2'' is good just to give it a clean crispy look.

The gouache I use is Winsor and Newton Designers Gouache. Make sure to have a white, black, burnt sienna, spectrum yellow, primary blue and spectrum red (if you want more go for it, I prefer a limited palette). Gouache is a bit pricey but it can last a long time if used correctly. By putting the gouache on a damp paper towel will allow it to dry not as fast while painting and storing it in a sealed box with a wet sponge inside while not in use helps as well. Gouache can be very watered down if you prefer it almost using it as if it were water color paint or you can use it like oil paint and add barely any water, but water is needed to use gouache.

I use colored pencil for my outline of the drawing, since gouache can be less opaque depending on the water amount added, be careful on your marks for the outline. With gouache like other paintings it is good to do layers of the piece, always starting with the background and working your way to the front.

It does dry pretty fast but I like to use a hair dryer just to speed up the process a bit, if you want to get fancy and spend some money you could purchase a heat gun. Once finished with your piece make sure to wash your brushes off with soap and water thoroughly and you're ready for your next piece.

The piece I did for my aunt to give to my cousin for Christmas was a success and it really makes me happy seeing the expressions on peoples faces when they see my work. Hope you enjoyed your Holiday and Happy New Year.