Monday, June 24, 2019

Gouache is Hard!


I have wanted to explore painting with gouache for quite some time, despite not knowing a whole lot about it. Upon research, I learned that it is often used by illustrators and it's properties fall somewhere in between watercolor and acrylic. After swatching my paints, I dove right in. I decided to start with a familiar pattern, ginkgo leaves. In the past I have painted them in both watercolor and acrylics. This should be easy, right? Ugh. Epic fail. I took a break and watched a few youtube videos and came to the realization that my ginkgo leaves probably cannot be saved. To fix them, I will have to add too many layers of paint. Since gouache is chalky, it may crack off the paper. Better to start over. I will save this hideous piece, and perhaps come back to it later. OR... since it looks like Christmas ginkgo leaves, I can finish the background and turn it into a holiday card! Better yet, I could sacrifice it the next time we need to burn brush in the yard.
That's probably the best idea.
This weekend I put the gouache paints away and went back to watercolors. I am trying to not be discouraged. Perhaps one night this week I will give it another go.

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