The Artist - UK (2020-03)

26 artistMarch 2020 http://www.painters-online.co.uk

GOUACHE

t STAGE TWO

I used a ¾in synthetic brush for all dark

shapes. These were very watered down to

remain transparent and simplied variations

of French ultramarine blue and alizarin

crimson. All dark shapes, whether in the

background, mid- or foreground were

connected, albeit with slight variations in

tone. I then washed in the sky and harbour

water, allowing the white paper to glow

through so that the cobalt blue boat and

water remained transparent

ultramarine blue, alizarin crimson,
raw umber, sap green (Caran D’Ache);
cadmium red, cadmium yellow deep,
cadmium yellow light, cerulean blue
(ShinHan Pass). I seldom use more
than four or five colours per painting.
Perhaps a few eccentric highlights.

Getting started

Gouache reactivates when rewet. I don’t
much like this feature as it can give
nasty surprises when a complementary
colour is applied over its opposite
number. To overcome this I use Lascaux
acrylic white in liquid form rather than
gouache white; I buy it in 1-litre bottles
and transfer it to a tiny squeegee

bottle. I’m constantly squeezing out tiny

portions of white on my palette but it is

used up quickly, so doesn’t dry out. And

the acrylic white is much cheaper than

gouache white.

Finally I apply the lights. This is a

very satisfying stage. Assuming the

work is dry, the opaque lights have

a very dramatic covering power by

allowing them to contrast with the semi-

transparent darks. I squeeze out small

quantities of fresh, light colours rather

than allow a generous dollop to dry. My

tip is to colour your tube caps to match

the paint contents, otherwise you will

waste a lot of time on site turning tubes

over to find the right colour but don’t

use gouache to do this as it will re-wet

on your fingers. Use an equivalent

acrylic.

When using watercolour I seek out

colourful subjects; with gouache I

prioritise tonal compositions and I

become a tonalist. That’s because

white has such a dramatic effect on

the body colours. Blending of gouache

is possible when colours are still wet.

But that’s a fleeting moment. The

norm is to apply opaque over tonally

disparate dry paint. This is a very

different application to other media and

needs practice and flexibility to accept

staccato marks as opposed to blended

marks.

Colour mixing

My goal on site is to complete a

painting within an hour. I’m there to

gather information, not to create a

masterpiece. To that end I leave lots

of the pencil and ink marks visible in

the final piece, aiming for a ‘working

 STAGE ONE
I began with a block of 811in Clairefontaine
textured paper cut from an A3 pad and edged
with ¾in low-tack masking tape. I made a ten-
minute pencil sketch with a 2B mechanical
pencil. As the sketch would wash away if I put
a gouache wash over the top, I went over it
with a permanent ink marker

DEMONSTRATION

Fishing Boat, Bangor Quay