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All about Gouache

The time has come to tell you all about Gouache. I’ve included everything you need to know in this blog post, including what’s the difference between gouache and watercolor, what paper to use with gouache, how do you pronounce gouache, acryla gouache vs. traditional gouache, and much much more!

What is the difference between watercolor and gouache?

Gouache is a more opaque, or solid looking paint, and watercolor is a more transparent or “see through” paint. Gouache has a very velvety matte appearance when dry which is an advantage when shooting or scanning for reproduction. This post could very easily be called: Gouache Paint vs. Watercolor Paint vs. Acrylic Paint vs. Acryla Gouache. It all sounds confusing, but keep reading for lots more examples.

How do you pronounce Gouache?

Gouache is pronounced: “ɡwäSH” like “wash” with a G in front of it.

What is the difference between gouache and acrylic gouache?

Traditional gouache is water based and able to be reactivated, and acrylic gouache I compare to a matte acrylic paint. Both have distinct advantages and disadvantages. Acrylic Gouache is great for underlaying colors and then using Traditional Gouache over the top. Acrylic or “Acryla” gouache is basically permanent and waterproof when dry. Traditional gouache can still be reworked after it’s completely dry.

What paper do you use for gouache?

BUY. GOOD. PAPER. I would probably scream that at you if I could. I almost always use Hot press Watercolor paper, but I also love using BFK Rives as well. I’ve linked below my most often used papers. In my YouTube video I go over each one and show you the paper texture as well. But let’s talk about them a little here as well:

Hahnemühle Cézanne: I’ve used this Hot and Cold Press. I love the Hahnemüle Hot press especially well for my final illustration work. Can’t go wrong with their Cold press either if you want lovely texture in your painting.
Hahnumühle Leonardo: Amazingly thick and lovely. It’s basically what all my dreams are made of. If I could paint on this and nothing but this all day long I would.

Hahnemühle Harmony: Lovely spiral bound pad of great quality paper. I love that it’s more like a sketch book style so you can keep your work together

Arches Cold Press: These come in pads and blocks. I buy the pads to save money unless I know I’m going to use a lot of paint or water and then I use my block. Having multiple blocks is nice so you can work on several paintings at a time. I sometimes make my own blocks from their pads. LMK if you’d like to see a post/video on that in the comments below. Cold press has more texture than Hot press.

Arches Rough: I love the texture of this paper. It’s got a deeper “tooth” than the traditional Cold press which makes it really fun to dry brush on with gouache.

Arches Hot Press:For smooth edges and silky paper texture you can’t lose with this paper.

Canson XL: A great budget friendly paper! Has a nicely uniform but organic texture not found in many papers of its price point.

Can you use gouache paint on watercolor paper?

Yes, watercolor paper is great for gouache paint. I prefer hot pressed watercolor paper if I’m painting something that need crisp lines or a lot of detail, and cold pressed paper if I want more brushy texture to show.

Why is gouache so expensive?

Gouache has larger particles as well as more pigment mixed in with the binder. The extra pigment and longer mulling time add to its cost. More expensive brands of gouache are less streaky, and yield better coverage than the cheaper brands.

Is gouache better than acrylic?

Gouache can be less frustrating and more forgiving than acrylic if you’re just starting out. Acrylic can dry super fast and be frustrating to beginners. I always used my acrylics watered down like watercolors, and it let me build soft and pretty layers but it took a lot of practice to be able to paint that way. Traditional gouache is loved by illustrators for its ability to make changes even after it’s dry. I love and hate this about it. Since I learned to paint with acrylics before I learned to paint with gouache, sometimes I just want my gouache to stay put! I mainly work in illustration and surface design and longevity of my artwork is not generally a problem so I’ve been known to spray matte crystal clear on a gouache painting to allow me to add more layers. Not sure I’d recommend that without testing it first.

Is Gouache good for beginners?

Gouache is an excellent medium for beginners. I have a full post on what paints I’d recommend here. I think traditional gouache is especially good because you don’t need to worry so much about the paint drying as you work because it is able to be reactivated.

Can I use gouache on canvas?

If you’ve properly primed your canvas with gesso, you should be able to use Acryla Gouache on canvas. Traditional gouache (that you can reactivate) will not stick well to canvas.

I always use a Masterson Sta Wet Palette and sheets when I’m painting with Acrylic gouache to make my paint stay a nice consistency while I’m working. It’s a nice affordable system and I can’t recommend it highly enough. Be sure to read the directions though because I’ve used it for over 16 years and just barely stopped long enough to see how to actually set up my palette the best way.

Can gouache be reactivated?

Yes, traditional gouache can be easily reactivated. Acryla or Acrylic gouache cannot. I love to mix my own colors together with my palette knife on a piece of glass and then put them into pans and half pans to use in my metal palette. The top swatch shown here is Watercolor, the middle one is Traditional Gouache, and the bottom Acryla Gouache.

What is the best gouache paint?

I prefer professional brands of gouache paint. The pigments mix better, they aren’t as watery, and they make a more opaque uniform wash. Most of the paints I currently own are Winsor and Newton traditional gouache, Holbein Acrylic gouache, and a few Holbein traditional gouache colors. I’ve been very happy with all the brands listed here with the exception of a set of Turner Japanesque colors that I own which are super gritty and grainy, and I imagine they were frozen at some point along their journey. The colors are amazing but the uneven texture is super awful for my style of painting.

My Top Picks for Paint:

Winsor & Newton Gouache
Holbein Aritsts Gouache
Holbein Acryla Gouache
Masterson Small Sta Wet Palette
Metal Watercolor Box
Empty Watercolor Full Pans
Empty Watercolor Half Pans

To find an easy to shop list of the products listed in this post check out the link below:

All about Gouache Supply List

Can I use acrylic and gouache together?

Yes, I prefer to use acrylics as an underpainting on the bottom and more traditional gouache on top. That way my colors stay in place.

Does it fade in sunlight?

Most brands have a guide on their website that will tell you the lightfastness of each individual color. For example Winsor & Newton has a Composition & Permanence table where you can look up each color of Designer Gouache and find out lots of details:

They also have a key which explains the Permanence, as well as their other category ratings.

AA – Extremely Permanent

A – Permanent

B – Moderately Durable

C – Fugitive

Is gouache easier than watercolor?

Gouache is more forgiving than watercolor if you make a mistake. Watercolor has a few things you can do to correct mistakes, but gouache can be lifted and painted over much more easily than watercolors. The opaqueness of the paint makes it easier to correct any changes since they don’t need to be transparent to “work” with the rest of the painting.

Can you rewet gouache?

Traditional gouache can be poured into pans and rewet. With tradtional gouache I prefer to mist my palette a few minutes before I start using my paints to make them softer on my brushes. Acryla gouache cannot be rewet once dried however. This makes Acryla gouache advantageous as an underpainting though because it will stay in place and not tint your later layers.

Can you mix with watercolor?

I personally love mixing watercolor with gouache and do it all the time now. I keep all of my paint swatches in a jar, and have the tube names coded on the back so when I want to start painting a piece of artwork, I figure out my color scheme in advance with my little swatches and lay out all my paint tubes instead of guessing my at my color composition all the way through my work.

I keep my paints in two metal palettes; one for watercolor and one for gouache.

You can see in the photo above that the gouache palette is brighter because of the solid white pigment mixed in to make the paint more opaque. In contrast the paint in the watercolor palette appears darker until it is mixed with water and painted onto white paper.