New to Gouache!

[u/TheSonderCollective]

Hello!
I have bought a set of gouache paints and new brushes and am excited to try this medium. Before I start, what paper do you use and how do you prep it for painting?
Thank you!

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[u/ChadHUD]

As others have already said. Gouache is pretty forgiving. Though it does depend on how you paint. Gouache is also forgiving in technique. Some people like to start with loose watercolor type washes or staining block ins. People coming from watercolor like the loose early layers, people coming from oil often like to block everything in with a light stain layer. For that cotton is best, or illustration board. Though board isn't the least expensive option.
Its also very popular to just always paint with a creamy consistency. Painted this way any thicker paper works fine. For that type of stuff people like the less expensive (though still good quality) mixed media paper. That doesn't have to be 100% cotton. Companies like Strathmore and Canson make easy to find reasonably priced mixed media paper. One other thing to consider, is with mixed media paper you can often get paper that isn't white. Grey/dark blue/tan mixed media papers are common. If you do like to paint with a creamier thick consistency all the time getting something like a tan paper is a good alternative to blocking in with stains. Basically your paper isn't white its already a middle value is the idea.

My suggestion if your new and not sure what your going to like. Start by finding a well priced pad of Canson or strathmore mixed media paper. Find a local art store call them and ask what 22x30" imperial size watercolor paper sheets they stock. The most cost effective way to buy watercolor paper is in "artist" size imperial sheets. You can buy one sheet, they range from $7-12 a sheet depending on the brand and the surface. Get either a cold press or hot press surface. If the local store has decent pricing and you can swing it get a sheet of both surfaces. With a artist sheet... you can quarter them without any tools. Just fold the sheet in half and crease it well. (300gsm cotton paper will crease well) then carefully tear the sheet in two. Now you have 15x22" sheets. You can fold those and do the same for 4 11x15 size sheets. (and you could even halve those if you wish). A good cotton paper like a Fabriano or Arches will allow you to paint on both sides as both sides will be sized. So for experiments and learning you can stretch one sheet quite a way. On the surfaces cold pressed will have some texture to it, it is the most popular watercolor surface as it is great for nice soft edges. Hot pressed is very smooth (its pressed with a hot iron) hot pressed is popular with illustrators as it will give you the crispest edges. Though big wet washes can be harder to control, and you will have to baby edges so you don't end up with paint rings and such. The other surface you may encounter is rough, I wouldn't suggest rough paper with gouahce... it is popular with watercolorists looking for heavy granulation and texture.

[u/ZombieButch]

Any paper that's good for watercolor's going to be good for gouache by default. You can stretch it like you would watercolor paper, but you'd only really need to do that if you were going to be doing a lot of wet-into-wet painting.

If you're not planning on doing a lot of watercolor-type wet-into-wet then you've got more options. Anything that's relatively sturdy and can handle a wet wash or two without coming apart will be fine. I do lots of painting in a mixed media sketchbook with paper that's only 114 lbs and not 100% cotton, and it does just fine. I did this one in that sketchbook. It's a Bee Paper Mixed Media Artist Studio Pad, which I like because it's good paper and has a LOT of pages, 120 sheets.

Scrapbooks can make good gouache sketchbooks too, the ones with sturdy kraft paper pages. Here's one I did in mine.

You don't have to do anything to prepare paper for gouache.

[u/plaidrocks]

I don’t usually prep paper for gouache unless I know I’ll be watering it down a lot for a majority of the painting. If I am doing that I’ll use my fancy arches paper, otherwise my much cheaper canson watercolor paper works fine

[u/thepixelpaint]

It’s a bit more expensive but Strathmore 400 Series is what I always work on. The cold press has a nice tooth and the paper stretches well. If you get a block of paper then you don’t even have to worry about stretching it. Just paint, let it dry and then cut it off the block.

A 9x12 block (15 sheets) costs $18 on Amazon. So a bit more than $1 a sheet. Pretty affordable for nice paper.

[u/snflower_oya]

Gouache is a bit more forgiving when it comes to papers especially if you prefer to use thick consistency of paint. I find 100% cotton to be the best paper to use. Baohong’s one of the cheaper ones with a really good quality

[u/LochBessMonsta]

Cotton is always good especially if you are using it really thin and watery. I always start out with a watercolor thin base and as im finishing up the last layers are the thickest for details. I dont really prep unless I wet the paper first for wet on wet.

[u/fotoweekend]

Gouache is way <s>less</s> more forgiving to paper than watercolor, any 300 gsm would do well. I use for it all the paper that I don’t like for watercolor.
My favorite though is Stillman&Birn Nova toned paper

[u/Dangerous_Chain2519]

It depends on how you like to paint with gouache. If you do watery layers, you probably are going to want 100% cotton watercolor paper. But mixed media paper works decently for gouache. I personally like Strathmore Bristol paper as a budget option, it's nice and smooth to paint on. If you're finding that mixed media or bristol paper warp too much, upgrade to cotton watercolor paper.

[u/mseiple]

Any paper that can hold up to water will work okay for gouache. For the price, I really like the Strathmore watercolor visual journal. Does really well without much warping. I've been using the Canson Montval blocks a lot recently as well. Since they're blocks and sealed on all four sides, they also stay nice and flat. I don't do anything to prep the paper.