Also known as opaque watercolor, gouache is the most brilliant of all painting mediums, possessing the greatest degree of opacity and capable of the finest detail work. Often erroneously thought to be impermanent--and therefore used only for commercial work that is not meant to be saved--gouache in fact provides the artist with as many permanent colors as oil, watercolor, or acrylic. Not only is it the favorite medium of illustrators and graphic artists, but it is also prized by watercolor artists for adding color and special effects to their paintings. Despite this popularity, gouache has received scant attention in art instruction books. Gouache for Illustration, the first book on gouache materials and techniques, provides all the information illustrators and fine artists need to know about this rewarding medium. Among this book's special features are: Comprehensive consumer guide comparing professional paint brands Series of simple tests for evaluating paints and brushes Section on color recipes for rendering various surfaces Gallery of step-by-step demonstrations of illustrations, for which gouache is often the medium of choice In this one-of-a-kind book, Rob Howard demonstrates how fine artists and illustrators can master this dynamic medium. Rob Howard, co-owner of the Studio for Illustration in Boston, has over forty years of experience in all aspects of art and now operates his own portrait studio. He has illustrated eleven books, and he authored The Illustrator's Bible, the top-selling definitive sourcebook of illustration techniques. Over the years, his illustrations toured numerous shows and museums. His advertising client list includes major advertising agencies and dozens of high-profile business corporations.

A modern, easy-to-use, and authoritative guide to painting with gouache, including the basics on this exciting and centuries-old medium, techniques for all skill levels, and practice projects from an experienced author and illustrator. This charming and contemporary step-by-step guide to gouache (pronounced "gwash") is perfect for creative people who have dreamed of painting inspiring subjects from everyday life. Gouache is a water-based paint similar to watercolor that has the opacity and layerability of acrylic paints. It creates wonderful washes, allows for layering and texture, and dries quickly with a unique matte finish. Illustrator Emma Block presents everything you need to know about this whimsical and fun medium, including expert guidance on tools and materials and techniques that will make it easy to use. Thirty lessons cover subjects from simple, such as your morning coffee cup and bright lemons, to advanced, such as fluffy animals and portraits of your friends and family. All of this is accompanied by her workshop-honed instructions and step-by-step illustrations, which will help you build the skills and confidence to finish beautiful pieces of your own.

Take your art in a bold new direction—go gouache! In Creative Gouache, artist Ruth Wilshaw shares her step-by-step techniques for creating brilliantly vibrant effects with this easy-to-master medium, a perfect companion for transparent watercolor. In this comprehensive guide to gouache, you’ll: Get an overview of essential materials and surfaces. Learn basic handling and coloring-mixing techniques, including layering, creating blends, and adjusting opacity, plus troubleshooting tips for common challenges, such as dealing with shifts in color and value from wet to dry. Explore how to paint fun, simple motifs, flowers, butterflies, landscapes, and lettering. Discover fun gouache techniques, such as adding texture and painting gradients and blends. Learn how to incorporate other mediums with gouache, including paint pens, colored pencil, and watercolor. Use what you learn to create inspiring projects such as dimensional artwork, clay décor pieces, and cheerful banners. See what you can create with gorgeous, wall-to-wall color with Creative Gouache! Perfect for creative beginners, the books in the Art for Modern Makers series take a fun, practical approach to learning about and working with paints and other art mediums to create beautiful DIY projects and crafts.

'If you want to learn about gouache, this should keep you satisfied for a very long time.' Artbookreview.net If you love painting with watercolour and are ready to experiment with something different, then the versatile medium of gouache could be just the thing for you. Gouache is water-based, quick-drying and, can be painted light over dark as well as dark over light. Ideal for the beginner, it can be used thinly in a watercolour style, or more thickly as with oils or acrylics. This guide covers all the materials and tools required and has a comprehensive techniques section that includes overlaying colours, colour blending and troubleshooting. Experienced author Jeremy Ford takes you through three simple, step-by-step projects, each showcasing a unique style of painting with gouache. Numerous finished paintings are included to demonstrate the range of subjects, styles and techniques that you can achieve, and encourage you to develop your own style of painting using this exciting medium.

15-Minute Watercolor Masterpieces, Anna’s first book, is one of our strongest selling titles. She made watercolor approachable, fun and easier than ever—and now she’s doing the same with the latest painting trend, gouache. A marriage between acrylics and watercolor, gouache is the next big thing in the art world—it’s easier to control than watercolor and allows for richer pigments and easy fixes, making it a great option for beginners. Anna shows you just how magical gouache can be—and each of her 50 projects can be completed in just five easy-to-follow steps. Divided into chapters on beautiful landscapes, colorful flowers and plants, cute animals and more, readers will have a big variety of projects to choose from. And each step is accompanied by an image, making it even easier for readers to follow along. Anna is the founder of DearAnnArt, an online art community with hundreds of thousands of followers.

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”?!