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I’m sure a few of us are reading this thread, even though it’s old. I think gouache’s habit of re-wetting and lifting is its most challenging aspect, but also the strength of the medium once you learn how to handle it. I would encourage you to put aside the desire to make it behave in ways it really isn’t designed to, and embrace this characteristic, if you can. Your Talens brand is a good one, I think, and I don’t know the W&N will behave any differently in this aspect. Underlying layers will lift and mix just as much, I expect, so I wouldn’t suggest spending money if that’s the reason for investing.
I’ve watched people fight the medium, desperately trying to isolate layers, and I suppose it can be done to some degree using a good layer of fixative sprayed on it or mediums mixed into the colors, as you mentioned. But if you let gouache do what it does well, and use that to your advantage, it can be remarkable. For instance, make some experimental charts where you lay down colors and let them dry thoroughly, then try using different colors over the top to see how the colors blend. How dry the layer beneath is (or not), and how wet (or not) the top layer is, can affect the mix. It’s perfectly possible to use a dry brush over a dry area and have little or no resulting lift. One thing you can achieve in gouache is a perfectly re-blended area, and although it can be overworked and become a muddy color, with some sensitivity to the mix the colors may remain crisp and clear. A little advance planning helps.
Over in the Watercolor Studio there’s a thread this month (Gouache Corner) where we’re showing our work in progress (WIPs), so you can see some of the steps involved. Please take a look, if you haven’t already. However, in last month’s thread I posted this:
Here are two layers to show you a little about how I made the color.
[IMG]http://s3.amazonaws.com/wetcanvas-hdc/Community/images/27-Mar-2012/23609-2_steps_sm.jpg[/IMG]
I wanted that watermelon glow of the Sandia range at sunset, but it was too brown and orange in that first pass. I had a hunch that layering the pinks and purples back over the mountain would work–and I think it did. It’s a gorgeous color that’s hard to capture sometimes. I also sweetened the colors of the greens, making them a little more blue, and changed the sky to a pink, lavender and pale blue combo that reads better in real life than here.
My usual little size, 2.5″ x 3.5″, on Bristol paper.
Maybe that’s instructive. I hope so. But do come over to the Gouache Corner and take a look, and show us your work. There’s a lot going on there, and you can also ask questions.
Deborah
"All glory to Him, who alone is God our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord."
Landscape Painting in Pastels (free online book)
Gouache BlogDo the M. Grahams really attract insects or is that a joke? What about after they’re dry? Could a painting on a wall or store away attract pests like food left lying around?
I hope you don’t mind if I reply to this also. I was swarmed by bees last fall when doing this gouache painting out on my lawn with some of the M. Grahams on my palette. I’m going to reserve the ones I have for use in the studio. I’d just gotten a few tubes to test drive and it was my first (and last) time using them outdoors.
7.5×11, on Stonehenge
Jamie
Hudson Valley Painter[/url]
Hudson Valley Sketches -- Reviews/Lightfastness Tests/Art Materials [/url]
One year from now, you'll wish you had started today.Does the M.Graham gouache dry any slower (especially on the palette) than other brands because of the honey ingredient?
I also use M Graham gouache which I am really enjoying. Where I live there is more humidity, and it does dry a little slower on my palette than the 2 DaVinci gouaches I recently added to try out some different colors! That is the only other brand I have on my palette so I hope this helps answer your question a little!
I have also noticed that the M Graham gouache seems to cover more opaquely than the DaVinci, so I end up using less paint.
[FONT=Arial]Debra
[FONT=Arial]"The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams." - Eleanor Roosevelt
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