Gouache Cheat Sheet

Tricky to blend, quick to dry, and easily reactivated. Get familiar with gouache!

Here’s an overview of my gouache basics lesson. Using two contrasting, harmonious colors of gouache, complete the sheet seen above to become familiar with the working properties of the paint also known as opaque watercolors. Use a quarter-inch pointed round brush and a half inch or wider flat brush, and cold press watercolor paper, 12 x 9 inches.

Quick to dry, quick to reactivate

A recurring theme with gouache is that there is very little time to blend workable gouache into smooth passages. It dries quickly, and becomes reactivated and thin with only a little water. The cheat sheet includes workarounds to this challenge.

Gouache Cheat Sheet

Watery. Gouache has three main working consistencies—thin/watery, creamy/opaque, and almost dry. Make a swatch of watered-down gouache, which is good for early stages of painting when you just want to remove the white of the paper or establish dark and light shapes.

Opaque. Mix gouache using less water until it is both fluid yet opaque enough to cover your palette (like melted ice cream). Use the flat brush to make a swatch of opaque gouache. This consistency will be your “workhorse”— the majority of the painting will be done with this form of gouache.

Reactivation. In the third spot make two opaque patches of color with a hard border between them, and allow this to dry. Later use a slightly damp brush to gently soften the border. If your paint was applied too thinly, you’ll accidentally “dig a hole” through to the paper.

Wet blend. Try once more to blend the two colors, but this time while they are still wet.

Tiling. Try creating the illusion of blended color with a set of five to seven distinct bands of color.

Drybrush. The third consistency is used at the end of the painting process, very dry or very sticky gouache. This is good for drybrushing highlights, shadows, and textures.

Crosshatching. Using very small hatch marks, create a gradient from one color to the other.

Digging a hole. In watercolors, we call this process “lifting out”—removal of paint from the paper after the fact. With opaque gouache this is usually the accidental result of over-application of water. Let a patch of opaque gouache dry, then see how quickly you can “dig a hole” through to the paper with a damp brush. Usually undesirable.

In-brush gradient. Inspired by James Gurney and mid-century commercial artists. Squeeze two colors of gouache side-by-side on your palette and pull the flat brush through them until a gradient forms inside the brush. Transfer to the paper.

Light covers dark. Allow your darker gouache to fully dry, then make a decisive, opaque mark with the lighter gouache on top of it. Try again, but brush through several times. The lower layer will mix into the upper one.

Mixed media. Allow three patches of gouache to dry, then try colored pencil, chalk pastel, and graphite on top.

Blending medium. Winsor & Newton blending medium mixed into gouache allows for longer blend time, but increases transparency (tip from Lena Rivo).

Artists that inspire, and a challenge

That’s it! Check out Lena Rivo (still life, light, scenery, figures), James Gurney (townscapes, urban sketching), Squatch Gouache (Mike Hernandez—landscapes), Mary Blair (Disney concept art), Justin Donaldson (landscapes, fantasy), and Gil Robles (portraits) for some gouache inspiration.

Then try to paint a landscape scene using what you learned from the cheat sheet. Start thin; transition to using opaque mixtures and different blending strategies, and finish with drybrushing and accents from pencils and chalks.