Get Started with Gouache: A Colorful Guide to Painting the World Around You - Softcover

Emma Block

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1984857304 ISBN 13: 9781984857309

Publisher: Watson-Guptill, 2020

Synopsis

A Colourful Guide to Painting the World Around You

A modern, easy-to-use and authoritative guide to painting with gouache, including the basics on this exciting and centuries-old medium, techniques for all skill levels and projects to practise from an experienced author and illustrator. This charming and contemporary step-by-step guide to gouache (pronounced 'gwash') is perfect for creative people who have dreamed of painting inspiring subjects from everyday life. Gouache is a water-based paint similar to watercolour that has the opacity and layerability of acrylic paints. It creates wonderful washes, allows for layering and texture, and dries quickly with a unique matte finish. Illustrator Emma Block presents everything you need to know about this whimsical and fun medium, including:

• expert guidance on tools
• best choices of materials
• easy to use techniques

 

Thirty lessons cover subjects from simple (such as your morning coffee cup and bright lemons) to advanced (such as fluffy animals and portraits of your friends and family).

All of this is accompanied by her workshop-honed instructions and step-by-step illustrations, which will help you build the skills and confidence to finish beautiful pieces of your own.

About this title

About the Author

Emma Block is an artist, professional illustrator and author of The Joy of Watercolor. She has done illustration work for clients like Reuters, Stylist, Bloomsbury, HarperCollins, Hodder & Stoughton, teNeues, Hardie Grant, Hearst, Uniqlo, Orla Kiely, Anthropologie, Hand in Hand Soap, Mollie Makes, Time Out and Trader Joe's. She lives and teaches gouache and watercolour workshops in London.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

Introduction

Gouache is a fantastic medium that has been under the radar for too long. What is it? How do you use it? How do you pronounce it? 

First, it’s pronounced either “gwash” or “goo-ash,” depending on whom you ask, and it is the love child of watercolor and acrylic paint. Gouache has the rewettable, water-soluble nature of water-colors, with the opaque layering capabilities of acrylic. However, unlike acrylic, gouache dries to a flat matte finish rather than a shiny, plasticlike one. There is something irresistible about the rich colors, velvety matte finish, and beautiful textures produced with gouache. It can be used to create paintings with fine, intricate details, as well as work with bolder, expressive brushstrokes. It also lends itself to a mixed-media approach because it combines well with colored pencils, watercolors, collage, and India ink.

While painting with gouache might seem daunting at the beginning, there are actually many reasons why this is a great paint for amateurs and professionals alike. Gouache dries very quickly, which means you can complete a painting in one sitting, so you don’t have wet paintings sitting around drying. Its water-soluble nature makes it easy to clean and look after brushes and palettes. While the paints are opaque (meaning they are not transparent), they can be used like watercolors (which have more clarity) if sufficient water is added to them, making a great all-around paint.

In this book we will uncover the many ways you can use gouache. It’s such a versatile paint, and it can be used to create everything from dry, rough texture to subtle and watery washes. By exploring how to use this paint with a variety of techniques, you will build up your skills and confidence. By the end of the book, you may have started to develop your own gouache painting style.

I think the best way to learn is by doing, so with each project you complete you will be learning new skills. There is a mixture of beginner and intermediate projects, meaning this book is appropriate for total beginners, but there are still plenty of projects to engage more experienced artists and to keep you busy as your skills progress. The most important thing is to just have a go and not worry too much about the final result looking perfect. Every time you paint, you learn something, so enjoy the process and keep experimenting.

Edition details

• Publisher: Watson-Guptill
• Publication date: 2020
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1984857304
• ISBN 13: 9781984857309
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 192