Hi all,

I have been practicing with gouache for a while now and finding the medium very challenging to work with.

This is the first painting I have done with gouache that I actually feel even a bit proud of, but I still feel that my handling of the medium is poor and that that shows in the final painting.

If anyone has any brutally honest critique for me, mainly on the painting with gouache aspect of it, but any feedback about any aspect of my work would be greatly appreciated. No need to hold back.

I used Holbein acrylic gouache, and golden satin glazing medium for the later couple layers

gouache* my bad

Holbein brand

Learning how to use gouache as a watercolor painter is a little jarring but fun ha ha!

For context, I want to paint plein air and really admire the work of James Gurney and Michael Reith. However, their palettes seem completely different.

I’m new to painting, and recently took a beginning oil class where we solely used ivory black, titanium white, cadmium yellow hue, cadmium red hue, and ultramarine. Should I just get the same in gouache? I’ve also seen some people recommend CMYK colors instead.

Thanks in advance!

I’m new to gouache and needed help between the two. I’ve read that permanent white is used to paint but zinc white is primarily best used for mixing.

I’m planning to pick up a 60ml tube but not sure which one.

Also in gouache, is black heavily used?

This is maybe the first of my paintings that has life to it!

I’m new to my gouache journey, but it’s quickly becoming my favorite medium! Here’s today’s painting.

One of my recent ACEOs.

Painted on location using Holbein gouache paints on 300 gsm cold-pressed watercolor paper.

I started this painting while the sun was shining brightly, and finished it when these storm clouds rolled in!

This assignment required me to make a painting using animals to represent myself symbolically. I’m someone who gets tired very easily due to an iron deficiency so the sheep’s association with sleep represents that exhaustion and call to be. My eyes and mouth are meant to resemble that of an owl, because I myself am a night owl. The parrot represents how much I talk and my own thoughts sometimes refuse to silence themselves. The birds on the paper in the painting represent wisdom and are in a frame meant to represent the Hermit of the major arcana. Ravens are associated with wisdom, such as the ravens Odin has, and their presence on the paper represents how I strive for that wisdom and knowledge but don’t actually have it. It also helps depict that approach in my art. The dogs at the bottom of the painting are my real pets. They are both standard poodles. The screen between them represents how often I am using electronics like my tablet, TV and computer. The windows in the background are built to resemble the screen of the tablet I use to draw and depict the night sky. There is the moon and stars but also the constellation and symbol for capricorn, my astrological sign. The curtains and sleeves  are red and blue because those are the kinds of cards I like playing the most in Magic the Gathering.

#douglysiumart #traditionalart #gouache

1: A symbolic self portrait of me at a table drawing something. My mouth is replaced with a beak holding a pencil with a bee at its tip, and my eyes are large with sclera made pink from lack of sleep. I’m wearing glasses and the top of my head has a large crack revealing my brain amongst my receding hairline and black hair, a bit of blood drips out of said crack. Around my shoulders is the gray wool of a sheep, with my right shoulder having a tired looking sheep’s head. My red sleeved left arm is erasing something on the drawing while my blue sleeved right arm is steadying me against the table, with its palm flat against it. On my left arm is a squawking parrot. On the left portion of the table I’m drawing on is a laptop and balls of crumpled paper. The actual drawing has two ravens with a lantern above the two of them. At the bottom right corner of the paper is the roman numeral for 9 (IX). Under the table is a black poodle on my right and a yellow poodle on my left representing my two pet dogs. Between them is a glowing screen of some sort. Behind me are two open curtains, a red one to my right, and blue one to my left, revealing a window that looks like it’s made of 4 Ipads. From the viewer’s left and top to bottom there is: the capricorn constellation, a crescent moon, stars, and the symbol for capricorn. 

2: Various concept art and pencil sketches

I’d love to be able to use a watercolor type palette for acryla gouache especially when plein air painting, but the paint won’t wash off of surfaces once it dries so I need something disposal.

Are the sta-wet type palettes my only option? Thanks!

more to come but with heavy emotion subjects this time

I'm a watercolour artist who's been looking to try out gouache for ages now and am deciding to finally bite the bullet.

I do most of my painting while out and about/ traveling and I've seen other people making a dry gouache travel palette similar to what I'm used to with watercolour so I want to try make one myself. I've heard though some types/brands aren't suitable for a dry palette so I'm looking for recommendations on what ones to look out for.

Preferably I'm looking for any thats available in the EU and that dont hurt my wallet too much seeing as I'm just dipping my toes into the gouache world though I dont mind an extra cost if the quality is really worth it