Welcome to the wonderful world of painting with gouache, with the creative guidance of popular artist and illustrator Zoe Ingram.
In this comprehensive beginner's guide, Zoe shares everything she possibly can about getting started with gouache painting. Why gouache? Because this exciting paint medium creates opaque effects making it more vibrant and graphic than traditional watercolours, meaning you can layer it, paint on dark backgrounds and much more.
Gouache is one of the easiest of paint mediums to use. It's very forgiving and fun to use and is also versatile. Gouache paint can mimic watercolour and can give the opacity of oil paint if used with less water. You can use it to paint large, smooth, flat blocks of background colour and the finest lines and details. Gouache paint also dries quickly too, which is a big bonus!
Starting at the very start, Zoe takes you through the basics and explains what tools and materials you'll need, then explores a wide range of techniques and finally, there are a host of fun and vibrant step-by-step projects that you can follow along with or use as a springboard for your own ideas.
Zoe Ingram's distinctive art makes this book a visual treat, as she shows you how she paints a variety of subjects, from birds and bugs, to flowers and foliage, to abstract collages, hand lettering and patterns. Along the way you'll learn about colour theory, colour mixing, sketching, washes, mark making, line work, overlaying, working on dark backgrounds, how to get crisp edges, how to add details, different approaches to collage and even how to digitise your work so that you can create repeat patterns and custom prints.
In the projects section you can follow along step-by-step as Zoe paints a very handsome pheasant, a funky beetle pattern, a trendy houseplant, colourful caterpillars, bright butterflies, jumbled geometric patterns, a striking owl, pretty florals, creative lettering, a curious cat and a free-flow abstract floral piece - after which there will be no stopping you!
Beautifully illustrated, expertly explained and a riot of colour, this book will kickstart your love affair with gouache, so all that's left is deciding how to pronounce it... "gooash"..."gwash"..."goo-uhsh"?!
I’ve wanted to learn how to use gouache for years now. I don’t have a background in painting, though, so it seemed so daunting (online tutorials always assume you’re coming in from watercolor or acrylic). This book was in my library system when I finally got the bright idea of looking for print books, and I’m not sure there could be a better introduction to gouache.
The author, Zoë Ingram, talks about materials needed, briefly covers color theory, and then gets into the main two categories: the techniques she personally uses (which are all incredibly helpful; for example, I’ve seen the end result of using masking fluid but didn’t actually know what masking fluid was) and projects, in which she takes you step by step through several of her own works, taking time to explain each part. She also talks about making collages, using gouache with other mediums, and digitizing your work.
The illustrations are lovely, the explanations concise but understandable, and the book overall makes the process of painting with gouache so much less intimidating. The only criticism I could make is that the text is rather small on some of the pages, especially compared to the blank space around it. A very minor criticism. Some of her projects and techniques and styles aren’t my thing, but that’s to be expected in art; the author even says to take what you want or need from her processes and discard the rest. I look forward to trying out her exercises and seeing what comes of it!
