All children and many adults love to draw. Before you start the creative process, you should understand what gouache is. Firstly, this word refers to the paint itself. The second answer to the question of what gouache is would be: these are the drawings made by her. Use this paint began in the Middle Ages. However, the term itself appeared in France only in the XVIII century.
What is gouache: composition
These paints are water soluble. Unlike watercolors, they have a thick base.
Gouache paints consist of ground pigments and white. Due to this, they get some muffled colors. Also, the drawings after drying become lighter - bleached. But they become gentle velvety and dull.
Additionally, they include binders, such as dextrin, gum arabic, starch. Some include acrylic, oil, honey, glycerin, fruit gum.
Types of gouache
This paint is widely used today. However, professional artists rarely write serious works with her, since she has a tendency to crack (i.e., short-lived) and burn out.
Professional is considered artistic gouache. These are sets of 36 colors. As part of such a paint, gum arabic is present, thanks to which it receives a high hiding power, differs in velvety and dullness.
Poster gouache is used for decorative purposes. She draws posters, decorations, stands. Thanks to kaolin, which replaces ordinary whitewash, gouache dries faster, brighter, less prone to fading and exposure to humidity. They work with paint on cardboard, wood, canvas, plywood. The second name for poster gouache is for children. This is the type most often used by novice artists.
What is fluorescent gouache, many know. It glows when it hits the UV pattern. This is due to the presence of special pigments in the composition. Usually these are phosphors based on organic resins. In addition, it contains antiseptics, PVA glue and plasticizers.
A variety of fluorescent gouache are neon colors. They have a unique ability to glow even in the dark.
Acrylic gouache is less common than other varieties. It consists of acrylates, which enhance the brightness of paints, seizing ability and resistance to damage. Works practically do not fade in the sun and are not washed out when moisture gets on them.
Gouache properties
It has significant advantages when comparing it with other types of paints:
- Due to its denser consistency, the paint does not spread over the surface of materials. It also reduces the absorption of gouache. Therefore, drawings can be applied to a variety of surfaces. These may be paper, the human body, fabrics, glass, ceramics, wood, metal, stones, walls, ceilings and so on.
- Gouache dissolves in water. Therefore, it is easy to recover after drying. It is easy to wash off paint from smooth surfaces with ordinary water without the use of chemicals. It is thanks to this property that a special design is used during the holidays, such as drawing pictures on windows or ceramic tiles. At the end of the event, the paint is washed off.
- Gouache has a good hiding power. Because of this, it is quite easy to correct errors in the works by simply painting over the error. Even light gouache remarkably paints over any inaccuracies, including completely dark ones.
- The paint is odorless.
- Gouache paintings dry quickly.
- If it gets on your body or clothes, it is easy to wash and wash.
- Gouache is harmless to the body if it does not get into the eyes. Of course, it is not recommended to eat it.
- The price of this material is low, so it is available to almost all people.
Restoring dried gouache
Often the paint becomes hard as a stone. Naturally, it is impossible to draw with it. But do not immediately throw away the jar of dried gouache.
To restore the properties of the paint, you need to use hot water. A little boiling water is poured into gouache and trying to stir the contents. You can work with a knife, gently cutting the paint into pieces, crushing them.
You can put a closed jar near the heating battery for some time if it is hot. Then the contents are again thoroughly stirred. If necessary, add hot water.
When the composition becomes homogeneous, resembling sour cream in consistency, it is ready for use.
Ways to improve the properties of gouache
It is known that this paint is not so bright than others. To increase color saturation and reduce haze, you can use sugar water.
No need to pour sweet syrup immediately into a jar of paint. Sugar will set in time. To restore such a composition will be impossible. It is better to prepare sweet water separately and before dipping the brush in the paint, dip it in syrup.
So that the colors in the picture have a greater brightness and are shiny, rather than matte, two tablespoons of granulated sugar are dissolved in half a glass of water.
When working on wood or plywood, it is necessary to reduce the absorption of paint into the surface. Then glue add PVA glue or paste. This makes her stronger, she does not leave marks on her hands. This paint is smooth to the touch and glistens.
Making gouache at home
This material for creativity in the store is not very expensive. Therefore, to produce it at home is not always a wise decision. But sometimes you need to urgently draw something in gouache, and the store is already closed. For example, your baby suddenly really wanted to create a picture. Then it will take knowledge of how to make gouache with your own hands.
There is a variant of chalk paint. She will need ordinary chalk, water and coloring pigment.
- Chalk finely pounded.
- The powder is poured into a jar.
- Add pigment.
- Dilute the mixture with water.
The second way is simpler. Instead of chalk, they take white toothpaste. Pigment is added to it and stirred.
You can add PVA glue to make the paint brighter.
The third method is identical to the second, but the toothpaste is replaced with shaving foam.
The fourth recipe uses flour (half a kilo), salt (2 tablespoons), vegetable oil (2 tablespoons) and water. All this is mixed with a mixer. Water is added a little, until the mixture acquires the desired consistency.
The base is poured into jars. They already add pigment. Then homemade gouache is thoroughly mixed.
As a pigment, you can use food colors, poster ink, ink for the printer, ink. Powdered watercolor is also suitable.
The first experiments of drawing
It is advisable for babies to offer water-soluble paints as they are harmless. However, there are nuances that can cause inconvenience. These are dirty tables, spilled water, the merging of parts due to too much fluid on the brush.
It’s easier for beginners to work as gouache. Children can draw with such paints already in 2-3 years. Before starting work, you should explain to the baby that the gouache must dry, otherwise it may flow from one part to another and change color. Therefore, you should not paint with a different color next to the still wet part.
Usually, the first work of babies is painting objects on contours printed on paper. But it is permissible to paint according to the plan immediately with brushes.
Life hacks when working with gouache
Not all parents are happy when their kids express a desire to paint. This is easy to understand. Gouache spilled on a table or clothes can spoil the mood of mom and a young artist for a long time. To prevent this from happening, it is enough to dilute the paint in advance with water to the desired consistency. The jars themselves can be glued to a small plywood. Then they will not tip over and spill.
Often the baby spoils the paint, mixing colors with insufficient washing of the brushes. This will not happen if you select different brushes for each color, marking them with markers. Then the child will no longer need water, which means that he will not be able to pour it on the floor, table and clothes.
All these life hacks will help to avoid troubles while painting with paints.
Gouache: work on a colored background
This option is great for drawings depicting the underwater world, the sky with clouds and birds flying over it. Winter is the easiest way to paint with gouache. To do this, snowflakes, Christmas trees and other objects are applied to blue or blue cardboard. You can use several colors during drawing or just one.
To complete the winter landscape, you only need white gouache. She is depicted by snow, clouds, trees. Do not achieve full uniform shading of objects with white color. Some poorly stained places add realism to the picture. They play the role of shadows.
Master class drawing with a toothbrush and a wooden skewer
Here we will describe the process of gouache painting of an autumn landscape. The master class is quite simple, it is suitable for children 5-7 years old.
For work you will need:
- Gouache.
- Album sheet for drawing.
- Brush
- Wooden skewer (can be replaced with a match).
- Toothbrush (an old one that is no longer used for its intended purpose will do).
First, the crown area on the sheet is painted with light yellowish tones.
When working, you can use only gouache. Then the paint should be well diluted with water.
But you can use watercolor at this stage. This will be a variant of the mixed drawing technique.
After the crown (base) has dried, a toothbrush is taken and dipped in gouache of the desired color. You can use brown, yellow, orange, red. The bristles of the brush lightly touch the base (crown), leaving marks on it.
The same action is repeated at the bottom of the picture. It will be foliage falling to the ground.
The thick end of a wooden skewer or match put dots - single leaves. They are placed both on the crown and around, simulating falling leaves.
After the paint has dried, proceed to the next stage of work. Brown gouache with a brush depicts a tree trunk and branches.
You can consider the picture finished. But if you wish, there is an option to add flocks of flying birds, a bench under a tree, a forgotten toy, an umbrella, clouds.