When I tell people I mainly paint using gouache, they either say, “I LOVE gouache!” or “what the heck is that?” Even though it’s been around for centuries, it never gained the same level of notoriety that acrylic, watercolour, and oil paint did. I had never even heard of it until my mid-20s! I was taking an illustration course at Emily Carr University, and one of my classmates was exhibiting a painting of hers. I was blown away by how vibrant and saturated the colours were, even though they looked natural and life-like. When she told me she used gouache to paint it, I immediately knew this was something I was going to invest in. Now, 7 years later, I paint almost exclusively with gouache and have come to appreciate its unique qualities. It’s not the best choice for every project, but here are the pros and cons of gouache (from my perspective).
Gouache on watercolour paper by Lynda Tierney. Prints available.
Pro: Gouache can be re-wet to fix mistakes
If you’re like me—A.K.A. constantly messing up your paintings—then you will love how forgiving gouache is. The ability to fix mistakes with ease by simply lifting them with a wet brush is truly a godsend. I find this allows me to be more confident in my brush strokes as well, since I know I can fix them later if they aren’t perfect. And when I say “later,” I really mean it—gouache can be re-wet even YEARS in the future!
Con: Gouache can get muddy when re-wet
Of course, with every blessing there is a curse. Since gouache can be reactivated with water, additional layers of paint my accidentally lift lower ones. If you’re not careful, things can get muddy fairly quickly. My trick for this is to do as little layering as possible, and use Holbein Acryla Gouache for any base layers that you definitely don’t want to lift.
Pro: Gouache is extremely pigmented
Gouache is the perfect medium if you want to create vibrant paintings with natural tones. Since it is mixed using white paint instead of water, it gives a saturated, bold look. I find this makes my artwork look more professional because it looks inherently confident due to its lack of transparency. Gouache can make dark shadows look more nuanced and deeper, especially because it has a matte finish.
Con: Gouache isn’t ideal for bright subject matter
Because gouache requires the inclusion of white paint to mix colours, it can be a challenge to maintain the vibrancy of extremely light colours. It’s easy to create a soft pastel, but a neon is going to seem impossible. For this reason, it’s important to consider your subject matter when choosing a medium. Is getting an exact colour match essential to the integrity of the painting? Would the colours you need to create be better served by an acrylic medium?
Pro: Gouache is easy to mix
I’m not exactly sure why, but I’ve always had better luck mixing colours using gouache than I have with other mediums. The consistency isn’t as thick as oil paint, and I think the reliance on white paint rather than water makes mixing colours more intuitive. I’m able to focus on exactly the colour I want to mix rather than how it’s going to blend and transform. There is less guess work involved.
Con: Gouache is difficult to colour match
Burn this into your brain: always mix more paint than you think you need. When gouache dries, the shade changes ever so slightly, usually a bit darker if it’s a light colour and a bit lighter if it’s a dark colour. For this reason, you really don’t want to run out of your mixed colour if you are painting large, flat objects that need consistency (walls, sky, etc.). It’s always better to have more than you need.
Pro: Gouache doesn’t need much drying time
Just blink and it’s dry! This is fantastic if you are on a deadline and can’t be waiting around to scan or mail your artwork. While oil paint can take weeks to dry, gouache dries almost immediately. Procrastinators rejoice! It’s the perfect medium for you.
Con: Gouache dries faster than you can paint
Although you can re-wet gouache, I find blending easier when I first put the paint down. It can be frustrating to try and blend fresh, wet paint into dried paint on the page, so it’s good practice to prepare all the colours you want to blend before you start laying them on the page. If I’m in the middle of painting an area that requires blending, I cannot be interrupted! The door will go unanswered, and texts will be ignored.
I’m sure there are many more things I love and hate about gouache, but these are the issues I come up against most often. What about you? Is gouache a part of your painting repertoire?