Wednesday, April 28, 2010

Stormy Sunset -- Opaque Watercolor/Gouache



This one I did a while back. I have only painted in gouache a couple of times. Most of my watercolor work up to now has been using watercolor pencil. Gouache is interesting to use. You can use it like regular watercolor when you use a lot of water, or it is a lot like painting with acrylics with a dry/dryer brush. Gouache allows you to paint light over dark (with a dryer brush), which is the opposite of regular transparent watercolor. The colors can be much brighter than transparent watercolor. This painting was done in the watercolor mode - lots of water.  I put the dry watercolor paper on a pliable plastic cutting board (Walmart sells them - or you can use a plastic table mat), and soaked it with brush and water. As the paper becomes wet and stretches, it may try to buckle. Just lift it up and lay it down flat again. The paper when totally soaked will lay flat and hug the plastic board. Then you can have fun with lots of paint (wet on wet). I deliberately added extra paint and water to make the paint to "bloom" or move around on the paper. I did have a deliberate picture of a sunset in mind as I worked on this. It came out better than I expected. It was a fun learning experience. (My gouache hydrangea picture below was painted wet on dry. I used regular amounts of wet paint on dry paper. I blotted the sky and green hill to soften them. The hydrangeas have three layers of paint, getting darker and darker. The hydrangea white highlights were done with a totally dry brush.)

20 comments:

  1. beautiful Ramona...like I keep saying...talent galore!

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  2. I feel a storm coming on! Love this - the colors, the blending, the emotion of it.

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  3. That is something else. I feel a purchase coming on. LOL

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  4. Very nice painting, and the trick of "sticking" your paper down on plastic is a great idea! nancy

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  5. The colors are amazing! And the process of doing it sounds so much fun! =) I am too greedy when it comes to wanting to try just about everything eventhough I know very well that I can't right now. I just gotta stick to my motto, live with what I have now, make the best out of it and stop complaining until everything gets better. ^^
    Thanks for your comment and my wrist has stopped healing, I need to put less work on it and try to rest it a lot more. Thanks for your concern.

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  6. The colors are so vivid! You're obviously getting the hang of the technique.

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  7. Wowzeeee. Awesome painting!
    I'm always impressed by the fact that with so few colors and so relatively simple shapes one can produce such amazing pictures, like this breathtakingly delightful sunset! You're great!
    Just thinking "wet-on-wet" makes me want to try this! It sounds like so much fun.

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  8. This image is a real eye catcher, mostly through your use of the bold colors. Its also in my favorite medium!

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  9. What a neat painting with a fabulously interesting stormy sky. Well done, Ramona!

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  10. Interesting medium, beautiful result! I never tried it. Read your informations with great interest.

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  11. Thanks for the info, never tried gouche. This turned out so beautiful, the colors are really lovely!

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  12. I love this! It's a beautiful painting!

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  13. This is a lovely study - I really love the colours. I have been introducing gouache into my watercolours, I used to use it a lot years ago. I use it opaque over watercolour washes. One of the things I have found tricky to get the hang of again is that when you use it opaque, it always dries a lot darker than it is when you apply it. So you have to judge it carefully and build it up in layers. All good stuff to keep you on your toes!! Thank you for sharing!

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  14. Beautiful stormy sunset, very atmospheric. Love the colours, great work Ramona

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  15. I love the colors you've used on this! Maybe because I'm partial to turbulent skies, but I simply love it! I have a cheap set of gouache that I have a hate relationship with--when I go to add a second layer of paint, the first layer breaks up. I know quality makes a difference, but I'm afraid to invest the money on them now. Loved your idea of the plastic!

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  16. That's interesting! And the effect is beautiful.
    Love the colors and the way the light plays in the clouds and sky. Great painting!

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  17. Beautiful Ramona! I love the colors. And your painting of Hydrangeas was beautiful too.
    My old blog URL is down right now- I'm not currently blogging but I'll let you know when I resume. Finally- I am rejoining everyone's blog! Great to see your work again.

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