Got Gouache?

INSTRUCTOR

Rachel Grossman

DESCRIPTION

Join instructor Rachel Grossman as she guides you on a brief introductory tour of the beauties and quirks of gouache.

Urban sketchers often use watercolor to add color to their sketches. Rachel tried, but never got fully comfortable with watercolors. Gouache, on the other hand, felt much more intuitive: you could work from dark to light, with no need to “reserve the white,” and the colors stayed where you put them instead of floating off to other parts of the paper behind your back.  Since diving into gouache, Rachel has experimented with materials (substrates, brushes, and palettes), found ways to make gouache portable, adjusted to its quirks, and reveled in its rich colors and distinctive matte finish.  In this workshop, she will pass along her insights into this unusual medium for urban sketching.  A perfect workshop for the gouache-curious.

LEARNING GOALS

In this workshop, participants will:

• gain an understanding of the advantages and disadvantages of gouache as a medium
• learn to control the critical paint-to-water ratio
• learn to approach a scene thinking about shapes instead of lines

SUPPLY LIST

• Large sketchbook (8” x 10” or larger) with heavy paper (300 lb)
• Paper towels or terry cloth rags
• Low-tack art tape
• Support board:  clipboard, coroplast
• Low-tack art tape
• Water container
• Small water spray bottle
• 1/2 inch flat synthetic brush and small round synthetic brush
• Empty plastic or metal palette
• Tubes of gouache: lemon yellow, ultramarine blue, burnt sienna, and white

WALKING DISTANCE

This location is approximately 4 minutes’ walking distance from Palette & Chisel.