If you are a beginner artist or you simply love drawing and art in general, you must have heard about watercolor and watercolor paintings. But what about gouache (pronounced /ɡuˈɑːʃ or ɡwɑːʃ/ – you are welcome:))? Are these two techniques similar? How does the material differ in these two art mediums? We will dive into the subject immediately, so lets start! Based on the experience of many artists out there, here are some answers to your questions:
It is all about the chemistry
Even though most people who are not experts or artists mix the two, these two mediums are actually completely different. Starting with the paint types, watercolor and gouache have different ingredients, which will greatly influence your work with these paints. Some of you might even be misled by the similar way of application, as both watercolor and gouache paints will be mostly applied using wet on dry or wet on wet technique. However, once you start applying the paints you will clearly see the difference.
Wet on Dry vs Wet on Wet techniques
We all love watercolor for the amazing washed effect it has, caused by the flow of fluid paints across the working surface. Even when we use wet on dry technique, watercolors tend to be applied more easily due to their runny structure. The result, even after several layers, are pictures with visible brush strokes and washed out colors which are not as bold as with gouache. Another thing that is typical for watercolors is slow drying. Paintings painted with watercolors will dry much slower than the ones done with gouache paints.On the other hand, once you start applying gouache with wet on dry technique, you will notice that colors are bold and opaque, brush strokes are not visible as the colors are much more pigmented and it has a rather matte finish once the paint dries.
Let us move on to wet on wet application method. This is when the translucency of the watercolors comes to its peak. The layered wash produced by this technique is what makes watercolor paintings so special. That is why, one should have a lot of experience, precision and patience when working with these paints which are spreading on surface very rapidly and fluidly. Once again, you will have to wait quite a bit time for the paint to dry completely in order for you to move on with another area or another layer. Even with water, gouache colors will remain opaque and bold. The application and the spread of paint will be slightly easier but the it will dry fast anyways.
With both techniques the finish will remain the same: matte for gouache and satin for watercolors. However, the main difference in the appearance will certainly be the opacity and translucency of colors.
Now that you know a little bit more about both of these techniques, go ahead and push the boundaries in your mixed media work or simply opt for your preferred technique and start mastering it! Anyways, ahead of you is a colorful and fun journey seasoned with plenty of creativity!