Home › Forums › Explore Media › Casein, Gouache, and Egg Tempera › Getting flat, consistent, opaque color out of Gouache?
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Michael.
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July 24, 2019 at 10:34 am #476024
So in the pre-computer days you saw a lot of artwork with extremely flat, consistent color– no brush strokes. It looks like it was done on a computer. Particularly in animation cels, just blocks of color. I know that they used gouache for a lot of this type of work, but I often have trouble achieving the effect.
I’ve been trying to narrow down whether it comes down to technique, materials or a combination. I use holbein artists gouache and hot press paper, and I think what color you use is a big factor– certain colors, in my case ‘permanent yellow deep’ just don’t seem to lay down evenly. The appearance is vaguely splotchy. Not mixing paints thoroughly is also a recipe for this.
If anyone else has tried this style of painting, what tips have you found?
July 24, 2019 at 11:04 am #858199I have no expertise in this. I have noticed that even a small amount of white will lead to smoother wash. Gary
"Painting is a verb"
July 25, 2019 at 11:25 am #858196Use fresh paint and a large brush. Check out recent Youtube videos by Sandra Ruberto.
Doug
We must leave our mark on this worldJuly 26, 2019 at 10:36 am #858200Thanks, I checked out one of her videos and she had some decent tips. The main thing seems to be that some colors just aren’t opaque, I don’t know why I presumed that they are… I just associated gouache with being flat. Unfortunately Holbein doesn’t seem to list opacity information, I guess this is why people do swatches.
July 29, 2019 at 10:58 am #858198Thanks, I checked out one of her videos and she had some decent tips. The main thing seems to be that some colors just aren’t opaque, I don’t know why I presumed that they are… I just associated gouache with being flat. Unfortunately Holbein doesn’t seem to list opacity information, I guess this is why people do swatches.
check the pigment listed here http://www.artiscreation.com/Color_index_names.html#.XT8JxPx7kUE
What makes something opaque or not is the pigment used, and the pigment will be listed.
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August 4, 2019 at 8:30 am #858197The Holbein yellow you are using, Permanent Yellow Deep, consists of the pigment PY1, Hansa Yellow G which is a transparent yellow. If you want an opaque yellow, try Holbein’s Cadmium Yellow or Cadmium Yellow Lemon which use PY35 an opaque yellow. Their Cadmium Yellow Orange surprisingly lists the composition as being PY108, which is Cadmium Red, another opaque pigment.
Since, Holbein does not list the opaqueness of their gouaches, you have to use another source.
I use the Dick Blick website when I want to learn about the pigment composition of the paints. On their Holbein Artists’ Gouache web page you can click on the magnifying glass icon to the left of each color to view a color swatch, and more importantly the pigment information. Upon reading about each pigment there will be a mention of whether it is transparent or opaque.
You can also see if any color you like, is a single pigment or a mixture of several pigments.
Good look with your gouache painting! -
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