Home › Forums › Explore Media › Casein, Gouache, and Egg Tempera › Difference from Gouache, Egg Tempera, Casein
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Johndk.
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October 23, 2017 at 6:04 pm #995340
I have been trying to find and reading up on other posts, so if this questions has been answered and you can lead me to that post, please do.
What is the difference from Gouache, Tempera, Egg Tempera and Casein? I understand the difference in the binders, but I am looking for the difference in characteristics and working properties.
So confused. I understand what Gouache is, as I have been learning and practicing with it and getting down the basic characteristics of this medium, but am confused about the others, as I suspect they all must have some similar properties, as they are lumped together in this forum, but they must have differences as well, as they are three distinct paint mediums. Is it that they all have the exact same paint characteristics and working properties, but since they have different binders, they are considered different painting mediums.
Sorry for all the questions, as I am new to Art, and painting and have dove head first into his wonderful world, but have so many questions. Have patience with me, lol.
October 24, 2017 at 4:23 am #1272973It is all down to the mediums. Gouache remains water soluble and can be reactivated, the other two aren’t when dry.
Doug
We must leave our mark on this worldOctober 24, 2017 at 9:27 am #1272982Thank you. I’ve been trying to experiment with different paint types, to see which one I fancy the best. I recently got into gouache, and love that it. I also played around with acrylic gouache, but it handles nothing like real gouache. I love the fact that you can go back into regular gouache, reactivate it to blend colors together. I don’t have a time constraint.
So I was trying to figure out if it was worth trying out Casein and Egg Tempera, but I’m figuring since you answered my question and they are not water soluable, they will act like the acrylic gouache I already have, so not sure if it is worth investing in a couple tubes.So why would one choose egg tempera, Casein or acrylic gouache over the other? If they all have the exact same handling properties, I am guessing one reason is because of wanting to gain a sense of nostalgia in wanting to work with historic mediums (except the acrylic gouache).
October 24, 2017 at 9:43 am #1272974Actually, some people have an aversion to gouache just because it is easily disturbed by subsequent layers. Check out the James Gurney videos, he uses both gouache and casein.
Doug
We must leave our mark on this worldOctober 25, 2017 at 6:53 am #1272980I love painting with casein tempera because of its immediacy, ability to intermingle color layers and its vibrancy. Its archival qualities are unsurpassed. And if you paint on a well-prepared-rigid surface, you can frame and exhibit your artwork like an oil on canvas. Waiting about 5 weeks for the casein to cure and then buffing the surface with a soft cotton or wool cloth, will yield a delightful and protective satin finish.
The nice thing about the paints you are comparing is they are all relatively inexpensive. You could try them all and decide for yourself which you prefer. Buying a tube of black and white won’t cost much and you can learn a lot about how the paint handles from doing some simple grisailles.
Mary
(You can see some examples of my casein paintings here: https://mary-klein.blogspot.com)
October 25, 2017 at 2:25 pm #1272976Misspris, you might find this useful, it is a link to Richesonart.com:
http://www.richesonart.com/products/paints/richesoncasein/richcaseinfaq.html
Regards,
Greg[FONT=Century Gothic]So when is this "Old enough to know better" supposed to kick in???
October 26, 2017 at 11:40 am #1272983Mary, What lovely paintings. I enjoyed looking through your work and reading some of your blog. Very inspiring. I am new to painting, I hope I will be able to produce paintings like yours one day.
Greg, Thank you for that link, I believe it answered my questions thoroughly. Exactly the clarification I needed.
I believe I might try out the Casein, since it explained it doesn’t dry as quick as egg temprea, and I’m hoping not as quickly as my acrylic gouache. Not sure if egg tempera and acrylic gouache have the same drying time. As I do like my underpainting to be permanent so subsequent layers don’t reactivate it. But since I am new and still learning, not sure if intimidated is the correct word, but I’m usually slow going, not as quick and decisive as perhaps I should be with my paintings. I’m hoping that will come with time and as I gain my experience with painting.
There is so much to learn. Thank goodness for Wetcanvas.
October 26, 2017 at 12:24 pm #1272977Misspris, this is a Journey with many twists and turns. I think it is safe to say “Enjoying the trip is as much fun as reaching the destination”. I hope you keep exploring and enjoying.
Regards,
Greg.[FONT=Century Gothic]So when is this "Old enough to know better" supposed to kick in???
October 29, 2017 at 4:08 pm #1272979They are all quite different:
Egg tempera is usually painted in small strokes – it can be tricky to handle otherwise (paint will often lift off etc.). It does not shift a lot in color when drying if you ask me. I still find egg tempera tricky to use (I would love to try it more though).
Gouache is opaque watercolor. It dries a bit higher in key than egg tempera (again, personal observation). The color shift when drying can taking some getting used to. I find that gouache reacts strongly to the addition of water. It becomes runny and less opaque the moment you add a drop too much. This can sometimes be an advantage though. Gouache also never becomes water resistant, so you can blend it or lift it off at any time after drying, but layering is tricky.
Casein is usually considerably thicker than the other two. It is quite opaque, and does not get as runny as gouache (it retains a bit more of the creamy consistency even when thinned with water). Most colors dry to a VERY high key, so the finished works may look even more pastel matte than a gouache. Ultramarine blue looks more like cobalt blue when dry. This can be surprising and hard to adjust to, but it can also look very nice. Casein eventually dries completely waterproof. I sometimes paint on a ground made from normal casein colors (e.g. white), and if it has dried for a week or more, the ground will not lift off at any point. If it dried just a few hours ago, you must be a bit more careful, but you can still paint over it more easily than gouache.
November 13, 2017 at 8:34 am #1272978Actually, some people have an aversion to gouache just because it is easily disturbed by subsequent layers. Check out the James Gurney videos, he uses both gouache and casein.
Doug
I am not onto gouache , so bear with me if the question is a bit dull; but .. isn’t gouache opaque? then why would one layer gouache over gouache frequently enough to get bothered by that perturbation?
"no no! You are doing it all wrong, in the internet we are supposed to be stubborn, inflexible and arrogant. One cannot simply be suddenly reasonable and reflexive in the internet, that breaks years of internet tradition as a medium of anger, arrogance, bigotry and self entitlement. Damm these internet newcomers being nice to to others!!!"
"If brute force does not solve your problem, then you are not using enough!"
November 15, 2017 at 7:29 pm #1272984If I understand your question correctly, bear in mind, I am very new to gouache. Yes it is opaque when used to it’s highest concentration. But it can also be used more transparently (like watercolors) by adding more water to it, and you can build up your layers leading to full opaqueness. But when you are layering two different colors and adding another layer on top of the previous one (especially if your bottom layer is thicker or you have several layers already established), you can pick up the underlying layer of paint, and it can mix into and blend with your top layer. I love that I am easily able to blend my colors this way, but it can be tricky, pick up to much of the underlying layer, and well now maybe your shadows have turned into your mid tones, or vis versa or you’ve inadvertently created a brand new shade of yuck.
November 15, 2017 at 9:03 pm #1272985I just checked out your site. Lovely paintings. My son just turned 2, and I just put him to bed and read Goodnight Moon, and then jumped on and looked at your site and saw your little green room project, and your cute little paintings from the book. I feel in love with those little paintings! Adorable. I have been wanting to start miniature paintings, already done 1 or 2. Also being new to gouache I thought it would help to not over intimidate me.
November 16, 2017 at 5:54 pm #1272981I’m glad you liked the little paintings, Misspris!
Miniatures are a lot of fun. These were especially enjoyable because of their whimsy – and the fact that children are the intended audience. You really can’t go wrong!
– Mary
November 20, 2017 at 10:30 am #1272975One extra feature I would add to the list of differences is varnishing the finished painting. There are some gouache painters that use a spray varnish on their work, but I don’t recommend it. I’ve seen it cause some colors to alter their value and in some cases completely disappear. With casein or tempera, once the paint has cured after several weeks, you can apply an acrylic isolation medium, and then varnish the painting with an acrylic varnish. The isolation coat will allow the varnish to be safely removed, if necessary, without disturbing the paint underneath.
Most tempera painters, however, don’t bother varnishing, or they may just use a wax finish. A gouache painting, since it has no protection coat of varnish, should be displayed under glass or acrylic glazing. A varnished casein won’t need that.
Also, regarding layering gouache: it’s not the binder that determines opacity, but the pigment. Most pigments are fairly transparent right out of the tube which allows them to be layered to glaze tonal ranges of color without mixing the colors together. Although gouache is easily disturbed by adding another layer, it’s still possible to glaze to some degree if you’re careful. I recommend a light touch with soft long-haired brushes. Be careful also to not build up your paint too thick.
David Blaine Clemons
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