As most of you know I paint mostly with oils. Well, from time to time, and depending on the circumstances. I love to paint in gouache. It has its place in my spectrum. Here are some of the reasons I like to tickle the gouache once in a while. Gouache is pronounced GWASH, not Goo-Ash, or Goo-ah-chee, in case you’re interested!

1 - It doesn’t take up a lot of space.

The fact that you can pack light makes this medium very desirable. You're good to go with a few brushes, a pre-prepped palette, and a pad of paper. More on that later.  I like to use gouache for something I call ‘truck painting’. My truck is smaller these days and is a tight environment. It can be -20º outside and I can be joyfully listening to the radio and painting a winter scene from the comfort and warmth of my truck. It’s so good that it almost feels like I’m cheating. This leads me to number two…

2 - Gouache is great for plein air.

Gouache is portable and easy to travel with. It’s also allowed on planes, in your carry-on (in the wee ziplock bag with 50mls or less wet things), and inside the cabin with you, so you can paint during the flight! I have several portraits of crying babies for sale…

Gouache is perfect for painting travel memories when you’re on a trip. It’s also fantastic for use in a hotel during downtime. You can store the paint in an airtight palette and paint in a sketchbook. You can take a break from your studio and quickly take gouache with you for a little plein air painting. 

It’s also great for use in smaller environments. It’s much easier to clean up than traditional paints and doesn’t need special equipment like canvas, stretcher or solvent pots. Just think how great that will be for urban sketching!

3 - It's water-soluble.

Even when the paint dries it can be re-worked, re-wet and re-used. Unlike acrylic, which once it’s dry, it's DRY. The gouache in your palette can be spritzed, allowing it to open up and be used again. Gouache is workable and reworkable, unlike any other paint. Because it is water-soluble, a wet brush can go back into your painting to soften edges or lift colour even after the paint dries.

4 - It's easy to clean.

After your painting session, you can let your palette dry and it will be easy to clean - days, or even weeks after. Just place it under tap water, rub it a bit with a sponge, and you’re ready to go. For brushes, I simply wet them, rub them gently on a regular soap, and rinse well. Let the brushes dry horizontally, so you don’t have the brush tips getting all bendy.

5 - Gouache can be transparent and opaque.

This crazy versatile medium can be used transparently or opaquely.  With the right amount of water, you can adjust the opacity like oils.  With lots of water, gouache will take on a watercolour feel. Lessen the water and you can go from a washy feel to more of an impasto, thick, layered approach and anything in between.

6 - It’s great on a variety of supports.

You can use paper, mat board scraps and sketchbooks. There’s no need for bulky canvas. Gouache is thick and dries quickly. I usually carry several sizes and types of travel journals or sketchbooks. I also like to use off-cuts of watercolour paper, mat board scraps and even leftover pieces of foam board.

7 - Gouache dries fast.

Gouache is thick and dries quickly; this sounds like a paradox but is absolutely true. The paper dries fast and you spend less time waiting to add the next layer or to turn the page to make a new painting. It’s not like acrylic which has a slight tack even when dry, gouache will not stick to itself when you close the pages of your travel journal.

8 - Easy to fix mistakes.

Gouache is a forgiving medium. If you make a mistake, it’s easy to fix with water alone or another gouache colour.

• Erasing a mistake: you can remove a drop of paint by rubbing gently with a clean brush and water. When you’ve removed most of the pigment, you can paint on top of it with another layer of gouache. Use gouache in a ‘creamy’ consistency to cover it.

• Changing a colour: once dry, you may want to change colour. Use another layer of the correct colour of paint on top of the old using a creamy consistency. Don’t rub, just apply with a single brushstroke, and you won’t lift the colour below. 

9 - Gouache is non-toxic.

Gouache paint is essentially non-toxic. Because it's just pigment and tree sap, you could put it on your morning bagel. (I caution you here not to do this with Pthalo green…) but due to safety regulations, I must caution you not to eat it anyway!

10 - It goes a long way because of the density of the pigments.

Gouache is made with highly concentrated pigments in the paint, so you can use just a little bit of paint to get the same effect as other mediums. Because of this, gouache is excellent for people who want to create large amounts of art with minimal expense. Even if the price per tube may seem high, you can paint a significant quantity of art with one of those small tubes. 

Go Gouache or go home…

Keep those brushes swinging!

Your friend in art, 

Doug.