The best brushes for gouache are made with synthetic materials. This is due to their incredible ability to hold a large amount of paint, they are commonly used by artists who like to experiment with their painting techniques, allowing them to apply soft, flexible paint strokes. Acrylic gouache is a very fluid acrylic paint, and traditional gouache is opaque watercolour, and so the brushes you might use for either of these mediums would be suitable for gouache. Whether loose and expressive or more controlled and refined, we have a wide variety of brushes that are designed to offer performance and an enjoyable painting experience.
You might have come across this popular painting medium and curious to start painting with gouache after seeing so many fantastic artworks being produced.
I can’t tell you the number of times I got inspired by seeing an artwork done in gouache that made me want to begin immediately with this medium.
You might be the same. Before you rush ahead to grab your set of gouache paints, here’s a guide that may answer some of your questions and make you aware of things you might not have known about gouache.
This guide will hopefully show you the ropes around gouache and things you need to be aware of.
Before we begin, let’s answer the one main question that may be sitting on your mind.
1. Is Gouache Good For Beginners?
Every painting medium has its own challenges but that doesn’t necessarily mean it’s a bad thing.
Gouache is only challenging at first when you’re not accustomed to using this material and haven’t quite managed to nail down its techniques.
So, is it a good medium for beginners? Absolutely. Gouache is a fast-drying medium and has the ability to reactivate, this gives the beginner sufficient time to learn the skill of layering and leaves you with a beautiful matte finish without any streaks.
Since gouache is sort of a mix between watercolor and acrylics, it may be an easier medium to use and one of the best for beginner artists who are looking to learn and experiment.
For instance, with acrylics, once a layer is dried, it’s dried.
There’s no way to reactivate that layer however with gouache, there is a period where you can reactivate previous layers if you discover any mistakes or you would like to rework a particular area of the painting.
One of the challenging factors when working with watercolors is that you have to work from light to dark and save your darks since it’s very difficult to make something dark light again.
Using gouache, you can bring back the lights which are a huge benefit if you’re been working with watercolors for some time now.
Gouache is definitely a medium worth trying out but may require some time and practice to truly experience its greatness.
See also: Is Acrylic Paint Good For Beginners? (4 Best Reasons Why)
2. Brushes You Will Need When Painting With Gouache
So, you finally have the Gouache paint on hand but you’re probably left wondering, what kind of brushes do you need? It’s simple really.
Depending on the size of your painting, you will need the basic brushes (synthetic or natural hair) but synthetic watercolor brushes are preferred when using gouache.
Its soft texture will help with easy applications and allow the paint to flow more smoothly.
Also, if you need to do finer details, it will make your life so much better if you have fine liner brushes! Take my word for it.
Best Gouache Paint Brushes
However, the usual brushes you will need are round, flat, liner, filbert but you can make do with what you already have.
3. Recommended Gouache Brands To Try
- Winsor & Newton *Artist Grade
- Hime Jelly Gouache
- Royal Talens
- Reeves
4. How To Paint With Gouache
Here comes the fun part, learning to paint with Gouache. Even though this is thrilling and exciting, to a certain extent you may start to feel a bit nervous.
I mean, starting any new medium you’ve never handled before can be stressful but if you manage to get these few basics down, using gouache will be a walk in the park.
Get Familiar With This Medium
Painting with any new medium can be challenging at first. When receiving my gouache for the first time, it was strange because it’s neither acrylic nor watercolor yet still a mix between the two.
See also: 6 Main Differences Between Gouache and Watercolor Paint
The key to painting with gouache is getting the right consistency and you have to be careful with the amount of water you use when mixing the paint. The texture should not be too watery or too thick but a milk-like consistency is perfect to use.
It may take some time and practice for you to find what works for you but keep experimenting and eventually, you’ll find the right consistency.
Type of Paper To Use
With watercolors, you have to use a good textured paper that is strong enough for the water to hold and when painting with gouache, a watercolor paper of at least 300 gsm is the perfect surface for you to use especially if you plan to use light washes.
However, with gouache, you can easily paint on just about any surface as long as the paper is thick enough to hold the paint and won’t lead to tearing when applying thick layers of paint.
Gouache can also be used on wood as long as the wood surface is primed with gesso or acrylic paint.
Techniques To Try
Now that you have the basics down, it’s a good idea to know some familiar techniques when painting with gouache that will make your experience easier. Here’s a few easy tips for you to try:
Start with something small
If this is your first time painting with gouache, try painting something small like fruits or a basic round ball. This will help you be more familiar with how to layer colors to make it into a 3D shape with the use of colors.
Let layers fully dry in between
As we know, gouache has the ability to reactivate when water is introduced however if you find it challenging to apply multiple layers, it’s best to allow the layers to fully dry before applying another application. This way, you won’t have to deal with muddy colors.
Use Color Charts And Swatches
Buying expensive painting supplies can make you feel really nervous to waste the paint but one thing I’ve noticed is that when mixing specific colors, it’s so easy to go wrong and you end up scrapping the paint.
The best thing you can do as a beginner artist is to learn color mixing and have ready swatches of your paints available so you’re never clueless before starting.
With the more experience you have with color mixing theory, you’ll be able to save more paint. I highly recommend purchasing a cheap gouache set and learning to mix colors with that before diving into the more expensive artist grade paints.
Gouache Dries Differently
Unlike other paints, with gouache, the darks will dry lighter and the lights will dry dark. So, keep that in mind when painting your lights and shadows or large flat areas.
Also, during humid and hot weather, gouache dries almost instantly, so you will have to keep spraying with water to keep the paint wet.
5. Taking Care of Your Brushes
I know how tempting it is after finishing a painting and you feel like you’ve reached that peak and the last thing you want to do is clean all those brushes but in order to prolong the life of your brushes, it’s really important to take care of them
Just by doing these few things, you can easily make sure that even cheap brushes will last longer.
Here are a few tips you can follow when cleaning your brushes (whether that’s for gouache, acrylic or watercolor) that won’t ruin them:
- Make sure to never leave your brushes sitting in water as this can loosen the glue that binds the bristles to the handle.
- Use a brush cleaner or soap to wash off the excess paint as soon as you finish painting.
- Run them back and forth lightly on your hand using the soap and rinse with water.
- Use a paper towel to wipe off access water and allow them to dry horizontally.
6. Practice Continuously
From my own personal experience, the one thing I’ve noticed that made a huge difference in the way the current paintings turn out has a lot to do with how often I practice and paint.
Painting more often and trying new things can greatly help you to make drastic improvements because the more you do something, you can easily pick up on past mistakes and continue to make progress.
Also, learning from online sources and tutorials will give you a new insight into how specific things are done by other artists that will make you more knowledgeable when you’re painting.
Learning these tips and tricks from others will only be beneficial to you and help you make further progress.
Keep practicing and don’t give up even when a painting doesn’t turn out the way you would have liked. You’re just one bad painting away from a great one!
Other Questions You May Have
Can I mix acrylic with gouache?
Yes, you can! However, do keep in mind that since you will be adding acrylic paints, this will now make it water-resistant which means you cannot reactivate a previous layer and it dries instantly.
The texture of the paint and piece will be different as well however, there is acrylic gouache that is available that will give you what you’re looking for.
Should you varnish gouache?
It depends. It’s not typically recommended to varnish gouache since this can affect the matte finish as well as the overall colors of the painting. You could simply frame the painting to ensure it stays protected.
How long does gouache take to dry?
Wet gouache can take anywhere between 10 to 30 minutes to dry or even longer to fully dry but it typically dries as soon as the water evaporates. If you’re in a humid country, it will dry much faster but you can use a hairdryer to speed up the process.
Why is my gouache streaky?
Watercolor Paint Brushes For Sale
If your gouache looks streaky, this usually means the paint is too dry. Add a bit more water to get the right consistency but be aware that adding too much water could lead to it looking transparent like watercolors.
Related Post: Should I Learn To Draw Before Painting?
If you typically dabble in watercolor but also happen to love acrylic, don’t choose between the two. Instead, opt for painting with gouache. It’s the best of both worlds — depending on how much water you use with it, gouache can have a matte-like acrylic effect or look more like an opaque version of watercolor.It’s important to have the right gouache supplies.
Before you dive in and paint an entire gouache landscape though, make sure you have the tools you need.
Good to Know: Gouache doesn’t require a ton of expensive or specialized supplies. But because it’s a unique type of paint, your supplies may be a bit different than when you paint with watercolor or acrylic.
Gouache Paint
Gouache is sometimes referred to as “opaque watercolor.” Like watercolor, it starts with a color pigment that’s combined with a binding agent, like gum arabic. But the pigment is added in a greater quantity, and it’s paired with a solid white pigment. This gives gouache a heavier texture and higher level of opacity than translucent watercolor paint.
For a basic gouache palette, invest in tubes of primary colors, plus black and white. You can also purchase a six-, eight- or 12-color beginner’s kit, which will have a good selection of basic colors you’ll frequently use — not to mention save you from re-mixing the same colors again and again.
Brushes
When first starting out, you only need three brushes: a smaller round brush, a larger round brush and a broad brush for painting larger areas or washes. You have total freedom to experiment with different brush types (like natural hair), but synthetic watercolor brushes are great for painting with gouache. The softer texture allows fluidity with the paint and the ability to create delicate detail.
Pro Tip: Always carefully wash your brushes after painting with gouache. The “ingredient” used to make it opaque (which can vary depending on the manufacturer) can damage brushes if it dries and sets.
Painting Surface
Gouache is so versatile, it can be used on a wide variety of painting surfaces including watercolor paper, illustration board, thick drawing paper and Bristol board. It doesn’t work as well as acrylic when painted on canvas though, so you may want to avoid that if you’re a beginner.
Water
Gouache is water-soluble, so water can be used to dilute and alter its fluidity. Use less if you want a highly opaque paint, and more for a watercolor-like effect.
Small, Airtight Containers
Like acrylic paint, gouache will set if you leave it sitting on your palette. If you mix a color you don’t want to have to re-mix later, store it in a small, airtight container for future painting.
Rags or Paper Towels
Clean rags and paper towels can be used to dab excess paint from your surface, to dry your brush between dips in water, or to remove excess paint from your brush. It’s invaluable to always have some on hand.
Palette
For mixing paint, you need a palette. You can purchase one from an art supplies store, upcycle an old ceramic dinner plate or even use disposable palettes.
Palette Knife
Because gouache is thicker than watercolor, a small palette knife might be useful when mixing colors. Along with mixing more efficiently, the knife preserves the texture of your brushes so you can save ’em for actually painting.
Other Mediums
Gouache is great on its own, but even better when combined with other mediums. Use the supplies below to change up the look of any painting.
Acrylic or Watercolor
Gouache works well with acrylic or watercolor, so combining it with one (or both) of these mediums can give you a gorgeous result. For example, acrylic can be used on top of gouache to accent or make more opaque details, while watercolor can be employed to add subtle translucent shadows and dimension.
Pencil and Eraser
Best Brush For Gouache Review
You might find it helpful to sketch out your painting first. Gouache is more opaque than watercolor, so it’s able to cover up pencil marks fairly well.
Pen and Ink
Pen and ink can be used under or over gouache. Depending on the look you want in your finished piece, a waterproof pen may help add details to your work.