Discovering Your Style | Watercolor vs. Gouache

I have a strange habit (don’t know if it's good or bad). I love to go through my old photos. Like whenever I feel down, I open my gallery and scroll over the old memories. And to keep these precious, I always run out of storage. It went so far that I have deleted some apps over these photos. I know it’s not good for my phone but I can’t help it! These things help to cheer me up, cherish the golden times!

So while roaming around the photos, I found one of my artwork from last year. This was one of my favorites! Then suddenly it comes to my mind that why shouldn’t I write a post on it? So here I am!

Back then, I was trying gouache colors for the first time and just fell in love with it! The textures, the thickness, everything was perfect! Compared to watercolor, gouache is better in every sense. Watercolor and gouache are both water-based paints, but they have distinct properties that make them suitable for different artistic effects and techniques.

Like watercolor is known for its transparency. The pigments are finely mixed with a water-soluble binder, allowing light to pass through the paint and reflect off the paper. It gives a luminous quality. On the other hand, gouache is more opaque than watercolor. It contains more pigment. What I came to know is that it has a higher concentration of binder (often including white pigment or chalk), which makes it thicker and more vibrant.

But I think for layering, water color is better than gouache. Watercolor is often used in layers or washes because of its transparency . Each layer adds depth and complexity to the painting. On the other hand, gouache can create solid, flat areas of color without the light shining through. If you are planning on making bold, graphic designs and illustrations, then gouache can be a life saver!

But both of these two have one thing in common. That is reactivation. Like watercolor, gouache can be reactivated with water, allowing for some blending and adjustments after it has dried. And it’s so relieving! Because when I am with acrylic color or plastic paint, I always have a tension back in my head that I need to be cautious with the amount of color. And if there is any excess color from my blending, I have to use it somewhere else. Because within half an hour, it will completely dry out. And I hate wasting color!

But working with gouache or watercolor, I don’t need to think about wasting. With a small amount of water, they can reactivate and work the same as before!

Now if you are a beginner, or in the learning stage then you should go with watercolor not gouache. Gouache is a little more expensive than watercolor.

Okay, now let’s explore my project!

As I am comfortable in painting nature, I thought floral painting would be the safest option. First I tapped the borders of my paper with washi tape. I chose 300 gsm paper. This is the heavenly paper for watercolor lovers. You can put tons of layers of colors and it won’t bleed! It is a big relief!

Then I try to make a light-themed background. I was planning to draw the flowers with bold shades, so the light background will help to pop the art.

As the base layers dry, I move on to the details. While painting, I found out that gouache paintings tend to be bold and vivid. With its strong, saturated colors it makes a matte finish. And as gouache remains workable for a longer time, and reactivated with water, it was allowing me more flexibility!

The ultimate pleasure was working with tiny flowers! Though I am a noob but while doing the detailing it feels like the flowers come alive. To give my flowers a little three-dimensional feel, I add highlights and shadows.

Now here is the final outcome!

Creating floral designs with gouache is more than just painting. As I was new with gouache, it didn’t come out as expected. But still it makes its place in my heart! If you’ve ever felt the urge to capture the beauty of flowers, I encourage you to dive into this process. Let your creativity blossom, and you might just find a new way to express yourself, as I have.