30 November 2011

Landscape Impressions I - Gouache painting

This is an ongoing project to extend my knowledge of gouache. I have always enjoyed ethereal watercolour paintings that suggest the information but with no detail. As I was playing around with the gouache I wondered if I could achieve that effect with gouache. Here is my first try:

 Landscape impression I  by Marion Hedger
12.5x17.5cm (5"x7") Gouache on canvas board
Purchase this unique painting HERE
I coated the canvas with a ground of dark orangy colour acrylic.  Then roughly mapped in the design with the gouache and gave it a spritz with water, turning the support now and again to let the paint run but generally letting it go where it wanted to.  I then worked back into it, ocassionally spritzing again. In the final pass I tried to recapture some of the highlights as these had sunk into the support and some areas were qute dull where the paint had run. It was difficult to know how much reworking to do and how much could be achieve with gouache. When finished I varnished it with spray acrylic gloss varnish which lifted some of the dulled colours.

I was surprised at how much I enjoyed working on the canvas as I thought it might be a little rough, but the gouache behaved well and it was stable enough to withstand the spritzing and the reworking and it had a nice feel to it while I was painting.

Not a watercolour 'ethereal' look, but I like the result. What do you think?

No comments:

Post a Comment

I am always pleased receive comments and to discuss my paintings and techniques.