42 artistApril 2021 http://www.painters-online.co.ukGOUACHE
G
ouache is ideally suited
for small plein-air works or
sketches. Like watercolour,
the equipment required is
minimal and extremely portable: a
sketch pad, four or five colours, two
or three brushes and water are all
that is needed. In hot conditions it is
advisable to paint small as the drying
time is almost immediate; however,
unlike acrylics, any paint left on the
palette can still be used by rewetting it
at a later date.
I painted one of my first plein-air
gouache paintings almost 25 years ago
on a warm, early summer day and, as
with all my plein-air work, I remember
the day perfectly. The painting,
Windbreaks, Sandsend Beach 1 (above), was
done directly onto the paper, with no
tinted ground.Taking the
medium further
In his final article aimed at newcomers to gouache,
Robert Brindley explains that the medium is not
only suitable for plein-air sketching, but also for
mixed media, as he demonstrates here
Before you accept any of your
paintings are finished, I advise you to
consider the following points:- Does the composition work? A
successful painting should have a visual
path through the painting, leading to
the focal point. - Does the tonal sequence work? Tone
is all important, therefore it is prudent
to carry out a few small, tonal studies
before starting to paint. - Does the colour harmony work? After
tone it is important to ensure that the
colour harmony works. Never have too
many strident colours opposing each
other in your paintings. - Do the edges work? Too many hard
edges scattered around the painting
will destroy the balance and lead-in.
In general, eliminate most of the
harder edges around the outer areas of
p Windbreaks, Sandsend Beach 1, gouache
on Not watercolour paper 140lb (300gsm),
31/2 3 91/2in (9 3 25cm).
The background darks were painted very
quickly and, when dry, the hints of detail
were overlaid carefully with lighter tones. The
foreground was painted by using three or
four variations of colour applied almost wet-
into-wet. When dry, small flecks of light were
added to suggest texture. The windbreaks
were added last, using very simple, almost
crude, blocks of colouryour painting. It may help to squint your
eyes to identify the worst offenders.
By softening a few edges and retaining
some of the harder ones, you will
be able to move the emphasis and
strengthen the focal point.p Autumn Field Near Malton, North Yorkshire,
gouache on Arches Not paper, 7 3 71/2in
(18 3 19cm).
After applying a light coat of texture paste
to the paper I began by introducing red and
yellow washes over the entire surface. When
dry the details were added using progressively
thicker mixes of gouache. Finally, a little spatter
was used to texture the foreground