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Gouache paint is a crossover between watercolor and acrylic paint. Traditionally, it is known as Opaque watercolor due to its density and matte finish.
With its vibrant colors and opacity, Gouache is a brilliant medium to work with because not only does it dries quickly, it can be applied to any surface, can be used with other art mediums, and is resolvable.
The most admirable quality of Gouache paint is that it is a high-quality pigment and is ideal for creative, artistic, and impressionistic ways which makes it a perfect choice for both beginners and commercial artists.
1. How is Gouache Paint Made?
Gouache paint is an ancient medium that is derived from synthetic or natural pigments with a water-based binding agent (gum arabic). It is also mixed with chalk to provide a more solid structure. Gouache paints have been used by artists worldwide for ages to produce amazing pieces of aesthetic paintings, artwork, and illustrations.
2. Quick History
Gouache was used in ancient Egypt and Greece, typically with honey and egg yolk as a binder. Earlier, it was used by artists on illuminated manuscripts. It was used to enhance or substitute oil paints and as a base layer throughout the Renaissance period.
However, it was in the 18th century in France that we received the term ‘Gouache’, (pronounced as goo-ash/gwahshh). The versatility of this medium made it popular among landscape artists during the eighteenth-nineteenth centuries.
Subsequently, it became even more popular in the twentieth century. One of the classic examples of art Gouache painting is the blue nudes series by Henri Matisse.
3. A Guide to Work with Gouache at Any Age

3.1. How to Start?
If you have never tried painting with gouache, here is a simple guide for you. The basic tools needed for paint are tube gouache paints, a palette, brushes, two glasses of clean water, and any paper support.
The procedure might seem scary at first but it is rather easy. The essential gouache strategy is to take paint from a tube and put it on a palette.
Then blend it with water to provide it with a more fluid surface, use it neatly or combine it with another shade to make a new shade, or utilize it without water for an opaque painting style.
Knowing the correct structure of the paint needs an adequate amount of time and consistent practice. Get to know the brushes and learn to work with your hand in a flowing motion like an artist.
3.2. Simplicity with Gouache Paints
A simple tip is to create a sketch using a pencil and then move ahead with gouache paint. You may start painting from light to dark and dark to light since the gouache will always dry to a matte, flat color finish.
So you can add white gouache on top of black gouache. This paint will not cake into your brushes and is quite simple to clean.
Gouache artwork photographs magnificently since there is no reflection on the surface. Also, it is more forgiving of mistakes as you can anyway paint an area opaquely to a certain extent. With gouache, you can also add layers since it dries quickly.
Since gouache is water soluble, a wet brush can soften edges or enhance color even after the paint has dried. It does not bleed through the pages even with layers. It also won’t wrinkle your pages too much.
Another difficult aspect of gouache is that it dries to a different color. Light colors dry darker, whereas darker colors dry lighter.
3.4 Perfection with Gouache Painting
There are some quality beginner-friendly gouache kits available online for your perfect start with gouache. You can check the pigment information of a particular type of gouache set.
- Winsor & Newton designers gouache set
- HIMI gouache paint set
- Brustro artists gouache set
4. The Good and Bad About Gouache Paint- Dissimilarity with Others
In terms of quality and composition, gouache is somewhat similar to acrylic and watercolors but there are several visible differences. The variations are explained clearly below:
4.1 Watercolor
Watercolour is a water-soluble art medium that is also translucent. While gouache has more vivid colors and a highly opaque texture. Gouache comes in tube or pan sets.
Watercolors differ as they come in many shapes such as pans, tubes, and so on, and the colors must be activated with water.
The lighter and darker colors become translucent depending on the amount of water. Although watercolors are affordable and easier to clean up it is not the most flexible paint due to slow drying time.
The colors dry lighter than they were when applied. They also require a dense surface or watercolor paper which is approximately 300 gsm of pape
4.2 How Water Color and Gouache Paints Are Different?
While gouache paint sets come in tubes or pans and may be applied thinly like water but it cannot be watered down like watercolor. It will still retain the consistency of a thick watercolor.
The color can be activated with water even after the painting has finished. The pigments of both gouache and watercolors are non-toxic.
It is flexible with any surface, you can use watercolor paper, illustration board, drawing book, regular acrylic canvas, etc. It is highly pigmented. Once painted, it dries faster, is opaque, and creates a gorgeous velvet matte finish.
The pigments of gouache art dry with a lighter shade, this indicates a subtle similarity with watercolors. The key difference between the two is that while watercolor pigment leaves a transparent finish, Gouache paints are not only quick drying but also leave a flat color finish.
4.3 Acrylic paint

Acrylic paints are made from plastic polymers. They are opaque and semi-opaque and require thicker paper or canvas. They are often excellent for adding texture and dimension to a surface by applying thick paint.
Generally used by professional artists, acrylic paint has the benefits of both oil and watercolor without the drawbacks. Layering is straightforward since once painted, it dries and the color does not get picked up by a superficial layer.
Acrylic paints once dried become waterproof. Gouache, on the other hand, is resoluble and not water resistant. It is thick like watercolor. The difference will be visible on the surface- Gouache paint is flat or matte, whereas acrylic paint is glossy and thicker. However, the varnish is required with both.
4.4 Oil Paint
Oil paint is produced from mostly linseed oil. These are rich in pigments and dry to a kind of glossy finish. They have a slow drying speed as compared to others. Oil paint is typically toxic.
A thorough understanding is essential to create high-quality pieces with them. While with gouache you can get started anytime. However oil paintings last a long period, and they are more resistant to damage.
5. Traditional Gouache vs Acrylic Gouache
There is a significant difference between acrylic gouache and traditional gouache paint.
5.1 Traditional Gouache
Traditional gouaches have a water-based binder. These are great for creating textures. The limitation of this medium is that it becomes delicate when dry, which is not the case with acrylic.
5.2 Acrylic Gouache
Acrylic gouaches have an acrylic-based binder and are water resistant and opaque in quality and provide better coverage but are not as stiff as traditional acrylic paint.
It becomes waterproof due to the presence of an acrylic binder. Both traditional and acrylic are good for beginners.
6. Why Should You Try Gouache?

The versatility of gouache painting makes it a great choice for artists and students, as it offers a variety of positives. It combines the strongest aspects of different mediums such as oil paint and acrylics and also enhances the dimension as well as aesthetic style of a painting.
It is made of high-quality pigments and is used for various decorative work, comic books, posters, and other design work. It is opaque and blendable and dries faster.
It is popular among artists because it can be reactivated years after the first application. However, too many layers might cause paint to spread underneath.
6.1 Ease of Use
This medium goes along with other mediums like pencils, markers, etc. Gouache being a highly concentrated pigment is often compared with oil paint due to its vivid colors.
The Gouache palette is easy to clean after use, unlike oil or acrylics. There is rarely any waste because it can be stored and re-wetted again.
Moreover, unlike acrylics, it does not require any solvents or varnishes. This makes it the best choice for novices because it requires few resources.
Conclusion
To summarize, Gouache is a kind of new art medium. It is considered a type of paint that stands between watercolor and acrylic, with features of both and its distinct style.
Gouache paintings are lightweight and inexpensive as they require nominal materials. While others require a sizable amount of resources.
Artists who generally work on drawings and paintings appreciate the ease of use and cleaning after everything is done.
So it can be layered beautifully to enhance the effect. While working with gouache it is easier to correct mistakes as it can be reactivated with water.
Having said that, what’s your final decision on gouache? Personally, if you want to get started with painting and like vibrant colors and opacity, gouache paint is the best option for you.
Last Updated on by Himani Rawat