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Top eleven tips and tricks 202212/31/2023 ![]() If it is a translucent or semi-opaque paint, then it will be difficult to achieve a finish that isn’t streaky even if you try to apply a few layers. On the back of the Winsor and Newton gouache tubes there is a little square that is either coloured black to indicate the paint is opaque or it is left blank to show the paint is translucent or it has a diagonal line indicating a semi-opaque paint. If you add too much water, it will become a wash (which might be the desired effect) but for an opaque finish, you need to add just enough water to make it flow freely without sticking.Ĭlosely related to the previous tip, if you want an opaque finish then check the paint you are starting with. Using the paint straight out of the tube will give you a lumpy bumpy finish. Gouache needs to be mixed with water to thin it down to a creamy consistency. Well firstly I should say that this doesn’t always happen but mostly it is dependent on how much water you add. One of the questions I am often asked is how I get the paint so smooth. Also it’s good to have a few different sizes depending on what size area you need to paint or how neat it needs to be. Art shops are usually happy to wet the brushes for you if you want to check that they have a good tip. I like to buy my brushes in store so I can check the tips - nothing worse than buying a brush and finding a bristle bent backwards in the protective plastic tube I can never fix that one stray hair and it will forever annoy me. ![]() My old brushes get recycled to paint mixing brushes so keep a separate pile for mixing and painting. With regard to brushes, I don’t think you necessarily need to buy the most expensive, but if you want to paint fine lines, then you are going to need a brush with a good point on it and it is necessary to replace brushes as they wear out. At the same time, if you have a larger area to cover, make sure you mix enough as it will be almost impossible to match that colour if you are mixing different paints together. ![]() You really only need very small amounts so don’t squeeze out too much paint - a little goes a long way. I find these paints to be consistent and I stick mainly to the Series 1 or 2 paints in the lower price range and occasionally add a different colour to my collection. To this day, I still mostly use Winsor and Newton and also love the Holbein brand as well. In those days, all my dollars were spent on buying silver for jewellery making experiments but I diligently went off to the art shop and spent the rest of my money on Winsor and Newton gouache and brushes. He encouraged us to buy the best brand of brushes and paint that we could afford. I still remember one of my first rendering classes at uni where our lecturer introduced us to the materials we would need to purchase for the work we would be doing. I would love to hear your tips in the comments. The following tips are just some of the questions I get asked and the observations I have made along the way. For the last 10 years or more, I have worked predominantly in gouache as I love the vibrancy of the colours and it suits my style of working relatively small on a desk. I remember experimenting with gouache as a high school art student and was later reintroduced to the medium at university when one of my lecturers taught us to render jewellery using gouache - yes these were the days before Procreate when all out work was done by hand. That being said, I am always happy to share what I have learned and often post painting process pics on my Instagram feed. I sometimes get asked if I run workshops or classes teaching painting techniques but unfortunately I just don’t have time for this and also don’t feel qualified maybe ask me in another 10 years. ![]() I will preface this journal entry by saying that I am no expert on gouache and feel like I will forever be a student of this medium. ![]()
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