An Introduction To Gouache With Amy Beckwith

Working with Gouache as an Artist

I am a gouache and print artist. My artwork takes inspiration from wildlife, landscapes and birds. My work merges scenes from nature mixed with ornate flowers.
Many of my gouache originals are transformed into patterns and textiles. I first came across gouache paint when I was studying a fashion and textile degree and have not looked back since. It is a wonderful medium; there is so much freedom when creating my paintings. When starting a piece I like to begin with a light wash of gouache paint, like watercolour in consistency, then add thicker layers of gouache to build up a variety of vivid colours similar to acrylic paint effects.

To see more gouache paintings and artworks take look at my collection page

Gouache & Its History

The term ‘gouache’ was first used in France in the eighteenth century to describe a type of paint made from pigments bound in water-soluble gum, like watercolour, but with the addition of a white pigment in order to make it opaque. Larger percentages of binder are used than with watercolour and various amounts of inert pigments such as chalk are added to enhance the opacity. Gouache forms a thicker layer of paint on the paper surface and does not allow the paper to show through. It is often used to create highlights in watercolours.
Today the term gouache is often used loosely to describe any drawing made in body colour. Body colour is any type of opaque water-soluble pigment used by artists from the late fifteenth century. Lead white was used until the introduction of zinc oxide, known as Chinese white, in the nineteenth century.

Paints & Brushes

There are several great ranges of brushes and paints to use and gouache is ideal for all abilities and learners.

To begin, you need a good selection of brushes; flat wide big brushes are ideal for backgrounds and foliage; round medium brushes are perfect for refining areas of your painting and super fine small brushes are great for adding detail and defining the final artwork.

Regarding the type of gouache paints you choose, there are lots of wonderful selections. Some are very highly pigmented with bright colours which are beautiful for patterns, flowers and birds and others have softer creamy tones ideal for trees and woodland scenes. Sets of gouache paints in 14ml tubes provide a nice pallet when starting a picture. Look out for artist ranges or starter packs with red, white, green, yellow and blue. Gouache is also a brilliant paint for layering; you can also add light and dark colours back into your work and use dry brush techniques back on top of the painting. When painting with gouache you tend to use a lot of white when mixing colours so also look out for 37ml tubes of white as they give excellent paint coverage.

Preparing your Artworks

There are many enjoyable subjects to take inspiration from; landscapes and wildlife are perfect with their blend of colours, contrasts and textures. When starting any type of artwork, it is always best to think about the composition and scale of the piece.

Creating a border around each edge in pencil or masking out a border with masking tape before you start will help you centre your artwork. To begin, draw a light pencil sketch all over your page. Once you have finished your sketch you will start to see the rough shapes and layout of the work.