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.

Oil Painting (re-post)

So since this is my first blog I'll start off by saying a little more about myself, I attend R.I.T. and am majoring in Illustration and minoring in APR (Advertising and Public Relations).

 Since attending school I have grown to love and hate all different types of mediums. This past fall quarter I came face to face with a medium I was for some reason crazy scared of... Oil Paint!

 First lesson to know when you plan on doing an oil painting is TIME MANAGEMENT! I was unaware of how long it took for oil paints to dry and ended up making a MacGyver box to carry in my "finished" piece into school. It took almost 48 hours for the whole piece to dry! 

Second lesson is keep paper towel or a rag/cloth of some sort handy, Don't dip your brush into water to clean it off in the midst of painting like I did. Ever heard the saying "They mix like oil and water"? Yes, that phrase applies to oil paints just as it does oil. I bought Grumbacher's Unscented Turpentine which makes for a great medium and solvent as well as for cleaning your brushes. Buying unscented is worth it unless you want to go cross eyed while painting. 

I purchased Grumbacher's Oil Paints as well, using a limited palette of colors, Titanium White, Ivory Black, Cobalt Blue Hue, Cadmium Yellow Pal Hue, Cadmium Red Medium Hue and Raw Sienna. 

Your brush is just as important as the paints and canvas, buying a pricey brush is worth it just as long as you clean it regularly after use, Soap and Hot Water works best!

 A palette is of course needed, I use a reusable white plastic plate, doesn't hurt to go green!

 My first and only piece I've done is a painting of all four of my grandparents with a skyline of Buffalo, NY (that's where my roots are). Hope you enjoyed reading and hopefully this was of some help to you! Ill be posting again soon!