Gouache Paints

Gouaches bring your canvas to life in a unique, vibrant way. They could be a novice's initial brush stroke or an expert's go-to medium for detailed artworks. Often compared with watercolours as both paints can be thinned, mixed, and reactivated with liquid; but gouache paints offer you more opacity due to the higher pigment content. This makes them great for covering darker areas or achieving bright colours. You can use brushes, sponges, or even fingers to apply, and it dries quickly to a matte finish.

Explore our wide range of art and craft supplies from the best brands, trusted and respected around the world, including Art Spectrum, Liquitex, Pebeo, Winsor & Newton and more.

What is the difference between gouache paints, watercolours and acrylics?

Gouache stands out with its unique opaque and matte finish, often favoured for illustrations requiring vibrant colours and distinct lines. While watercolours share its water-based nature, they lean towards fluidity, rendering soft gradients and washes. And acrylics tend to dry faster, making them a favourite for layering from thin to thick without affecting previous coats. So, while each paint type has its perks, gouache paint sits somewhere between the light touch of watercolours and the layer-friendly nature of acrylics.

What surfaces can you use gouache paint on?

You’re free to experiment, but it’s best suited to watercolour paper, canvas or boards. Whether you're exploring the fluidity of wet-on-wet, mastering the crispness of dry-brush, or tracing elegant calligraphy lines, the surface you choose can transform its application; making it a medium that truly invites experimentation and creative play.

Is gouache paint good for beginners?

Yes, it’s easy to use and very forgiving, meaning you can make mistakes and discover new expressions of art at any level. 

Start your painting journey with these supplies:

Brushes: A range from round to flat and fine to broad will give you versatility in your strokes.

Water container: For clean brushes and the balancing the right dilution.

Mixing palette: Or any place to blend and discover new colour mixes.

Watercolour pads: Find paper that can handle the moisture without warping.

Spray bottle: Comes in handy when your palette goes dry.

Gouache paint sets: The best way to start painting or grow your collection.

Tips for using gouache paints

Less is More: It’s a very pigmented medium, so a little goes a long way.

Layer Gradually: Apply layers slowly for added depth and a vibrant finish.

Blend with Care: Use a moistened brush for seamlessly merging colours.

Embrace versatility: Experiment with detailed illustrations and loose, expressive paintings.

Create freely: Remember, art is a realm of boundless possibilities. Let your imagination run wild.

Gouache Paints - What is it?

Eckersleys Category Description

Gouache paint is quite a versatile medium and can be used to achieve fine detailed bold work or watercolour effects. Designers enjoy gouache paint for opaque illustrations and artists enjoy using it with other media such as pastels and inks. Gouache is also a popular choice in many classrooms and universities throughout Australia. At Eckersley's you will find quality gouache paint from brands like Winsor & Newton and Art Spectrum, as well as a variety of products designed to suit your gouache painting needs. With stores throughout Australia and operating since 1965, Eckersley's is your destination for art and craft supplies, including easels, presentation and studio supples, brushes and storage solutions. Shop online for fast delivery throughout Australia and New Zealand or visit us in store today!

Wiki Description:

Gouache (/ɡuˈɑːʃ, ɡwɑːʃ/; French: [ɡwaʃ]), body color,[a] or opaque watercolor is a water-medium paint consisting of natural pigment, water, a binding agent (usually gum arabic or dextrin),[1] and sometimes additional inert material. Gouache is designed to be opaque. Gouache has a long history, having been used for at least twelve centuries. It is used most consistently by commercial artists for posters, illustrations, comics, and other design work.

Gouache is similar to watercolor in that it can be rewetted and dried to a matte finish, and the paint can become infused into its paper support. It is similar to acrylic or oil paints in that it is normally used in an opaque painting style and it can form a superficial layer. Many manufacturers of watercolor paints also produce gouache, and the two can easily be used together.

Artshedonline

Gouache is a pigment that looks like the middle ground between watercolour and acrylic paint, with an opaque, matte finish. For this reason, it is often also called “opaque watercolour”, though it boasts significant differences to watercolour paint, which we will discuss later in greater detail.

Gouache is made from a mix of synthetic or natural pigments and binding agents such as gum arabic or yellow dextrin, with chalk sometimes added to give the paint more body. Gouache is perfect for both large washes of colour as well as finer details and can be reactivated with water, even years after initial application.

It is also easy to photograph due to its matte finish with no light reflection and is water-soluble so it won’t cake onto your brushes and is easy to clean up. Gouache can be used in a multitude of ways and with various techniques, making it great for both those new to painting as well as seasoned artists. 

Watercolour VS Gouache

Skillshare: Gouache vs Watercolor: When and How to Use Each Medium

What is gouache? The gouache definition is simply a technique of painting with opaque watercolors. Gouache is known as opaque watercolor paint because it’s typically mixed with water in the same way the watercolors are, but it provides a flat, matte wash of bold color. 

Gouache is a versatile paint, so there’s really no one standard recommendation for when to use it, but in general, it’s ideal for creating large, bold areas of color. For example, you might use it to paint lettering or fill in drawings. It’s often used by illustrators because those large, flat areas of color are easy to photograph and scan in to create digital illustrations. 

• Has some pros and cons on gouache
• Comparison to watercolour 
• What it is 

Gouache and Acrylic

Gouache is quick-drying and is perfect for expressive, experimental or gestural works on paper, and unlike other paints such as acrylics, it can be reactivated with a damp brush. It cannot be watered down to be more translucent like watercolour however, and also dries faster and darker than watercolour. It’s heavier texture also makes it more suitable for canvas as well as paper. 

Skillshare: 7 Differences Between Gouache and Acrylic

Why use Gouache?

Water-based,  resoluble, and solvent-free

Speaking of safe – there is no need for solvents with gouache because it is water-soluble. It means it is resoluble and thinned with water. Gum Arabic is used as a binder for many other types of paints too; like watercolours inks, photography and printing materials. Paints made with gum Arabic may be squeezed out onto a palette to be used wet, then left to dry, and used again by reworking with a wet brush so there is no wasted paint; just add more water and use the paint again.

Infinite blending and working time

Gouache is workable and reworkable, unlike any other paint. Because it is water-soluble, a wet brush can go back to soften edges or lift colour even after the paint dries.

Fast-drying paint

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. Unlike acrylic which has a slight tack even when dry, gouache will not stick to itself when you close the pages of your travel journal.

https://paintspot.ca/top-10-reasons-to-love-gouache-painting/ 

• It is a water-based paint made with a natural binder and meet the CE conformity standards (except for the Caran d’Ache fluorescent colours).
• Ready to use and dilutable
• Relatively resistant to colour fading
• Can be transparent or opaque depending on how much water is used to paint.
• It is reusable by simply adding water (a painting can be reworked if it hasn’t been varnished).
• It comes in different sizes suited to all budgets (tablet, tube, bottle).
• It adheres to any non-oily surface (paper and dyed paper, wood, plastic, canvas, cardboard).