What is Gouache?
Gouache (gwash – rhymes with squash), also called opaque watercolor, is paint that is heavier than traditional transparent watercolors. Its use is centuries old. From the Italian “guazzo”, meaning “water paint”, it appears to go back some 800 years, used originally to illuminate manuscripts. Early European painters used it as an outdoor sketching medium, and it was used extensively during the golden age of magazine illustration because of its fast-drying characteristics. It continues to be used today by artists and designers in the film industry. It was used only rarely for finished paintings, and declined in popularity for many years, but in recent years there has been a resurgence in interest.
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Ralph Parker, Artist 
hey ralph…. i loved ur wrk… its totally amazin… im seriously in luv wid ol ov em!…. hi m shine a young artist 4m india… jus wntd to knw sumthin…. i hvnt tried gouache painting before, so i hv no clue about what material to be used… i wntd to knw wot paper do u use for it? is it a handmade sheet or cartridge? and cn it be done with the normal artist camel water colours? plz kindly help me…. waiting fo a rply! 🙂
Shine, any watercolor paper would work. Cartridge paper would buckle too much, I think. And yes, you could start out using watercolor brushes.
thnx alot… would get back to u soon… thumbs up!
I love painting in Gouache and have done a number of paintings of boats, landscape, flowers, and buildings over the years. I like the way that I can paint light on top of dark, and achieve different textural effects. The only drawback perhaps is the way that the paint within the tubes dries up, if not used regularly.
Sylvia, you must go a long time between uses. I’ve had caps dry on the tubes, but never had the paint dry in the tubes.
Hi ralph very happy to found ur website i bought this type of color as trainee before start to paint witb iil paintaing the question is can use my oil &acrilic brushes for those type ..thanx alot
Lolo, yes you can, but I wouldn’t. Gouache has a tendency to wear brushes down. Buy some cheap student brushes and experiment with it before using more expensive brushes.
Thank u cery much for ur replying ..yes thats wthat i did …special thanx ralph
hey Ralph, wandered in here looking at Ohio barns..i started painting with just straight watercolor paint, no water..would that be like gouache?..do you thin down gouache at all?…
Tim, read my Painting With Gouache section. I use gouache in all kinds of consistencies, but I do use water, even if it’s just a tiny bit at times.
what a great read…seems almost how i have been using watercolor..just a tad of water and make a paste..but i dab it on. mostly..and i get to the “dont screw it up ” stage… enjoyed the setup,seems to afford to getting at the painting quick…i like the sof6 edges you get..
According to the French Wikipedia, “guazzo” means mud or muddy water in old italian.
I have searched right now “gouache” in italian and it seems that they use the word “guazzo” for “gouache”
Me again: according to German Wiki they call the gouache “Leimfarbe”. But in my opinion, the Italian Wiki and the German Wiki make a certain mistake: the use of some whitish addition to the mixture of pigment and gum arabic. Winsor & Newton website says that there is no need for the use of any addition of other elements except a little glicerine to avoid too fast drying in the tube -Bruce McEvoy, Handprint.com.
Correction: “Leimfarbe” means any paint made with glue, but in Germany it seems they use “gouache” also. Beg you to forgive me.
WE LEARN A LOT FROM YOUR MR.PARKER. IT IS GOOD TO GLEAN KNOWLEDGE ABOUT GUACHE OR LIGHT WATER COLOUR USED FOR THE LAST 800 HUNDRED YEARS OR SO. GUACHE ENRICHES STODK OF ARTISTIC PAINTINGS. ALL PAINTERS SHOULD GET CLUES FROM RALPH PARKER, THE LASTER PAINTER WITH GUACHE PAINTINGS.
PRADIP BISWAS,
FILM SCHOLAR, AUTHOR, CRITIC
JURY MEMBER INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVALS OF THE WORLD.CURATOR INT FILM FEST.
Glowing words, Pradip. Thank you!
PRADIP BISWAS, FILM SCHOLAR, ART CRITIC. INDIA
RALPH PARKER BRINGS A COLOSSAL EVOLUTION IN GUACHE PAINTINGS ALL OVET THE GLOBE. GUACHE USE IS OVER 8 HUNDRED YEARS ON. IT IS STILL MAIN COMPONENT FOR CHALLENGING WORKS IN GUACHE. ALL GENUINE ARTISTS SHOULD BE OBLIGED TO MR.PARKER
is gouache the same as Chinese watercolors? I used to paint with watercolors but now use Chinese chips for my paints, colors are more intense and more opaque.
Rachelle, I honestly can’t answer your question definitively, but I would venture to say no, they aren’t the same. It sounds like Chinese watercolors are going to be more transparent or translucent than gouache. Gouache generally comes in a tube, and while it is usually thinned with water, it can be used straight from the tube without adding any water.
where r the pic??
“What Is Gouache?” is just a brief explanation. Go to the “Painting With Gouache” page, which is more extensive and has images. Thanks!