Gouache Research

I feel like gouache is one of the lesser known paints, perhaps because of the strange name, which comes from the Italian word “guazzo”, or “water paint”.  It was originally used long ago to illuminate manuscripts or sketch outdoor scenes.  In the golden age of illustration it was used in magazines.    From what I’ve experienced and read, gouache is a lot like watercolor in that it uses water as a solvent and goes on similarly, but it’s much thicker and less transparent.  It’s also unique (and sometimes more difficult in some ways) because it’s color changes when it dries.  The darker colors lighten generally and the lighter colors darken.  Because of this it’s usually best to get the whole painting done in ones session or remember what colors you used.  The advantages however are that it has a very quick drying time and can also be rewetted for changing if needed.  Because of this the painting is easy to alter and mix on the painting itself(even after days and months) and it’s possible to get some pretty smooth transitions if needed.  Like most other paints, gouache can be applied in many different brush stroke types, though impasto isn’t much of an option and it may crack if applied too thickly.  It’s a pretty smooth paint and good for backgrounds or underpainting.   The texture of the dried paint is a matte, suede –like finish.

The first artist I looked at was a modern user of gouache, Erik Tiemens.  For the most part he uses a mixture of media, combining gouache with watercolor and ink pens, but I think the effect he gets with it is amazing.  The colors he uses are vibrant and you can tell that the textures he uses varied, either getting a nice smooth wash or a definite brush stroke out of the gouache or watercolor.  For the most part he does landscapes and scenery.

Another current artist I found was Thomas Paquette, who also does a lot of scenery but paints in a very different style, though still beautiful.  For the most part he uses mid- to lighter-tone pastel-like colors in all.  The textures he uses are mostly  smooth—actually he does most of his strokes in smooth, thicker strokes and the edges in between seem very… melty?  You can tell he paints wet on a relatively smooth surface with definitive, roundish edges.  It’s a unique style, and I like it a lot.

The last artist I found was Racovskiy Nicolay.  He uses some more variety in subject, but many of the best ones were scenery again.  He paints in a very smooth way, especially in the sailing boat painting where he painted on a textured paper.  Gouache really can get a variety of textures and the lighting effects he uses with it are very nice.