Gouache Painting

This is a more rendered version of the study below. Typically when I use gouache, I will treat it like water colour in the begining of a painting. In fact, I often use the two mediums interchangably. I usually start of painting very light and use a lot of water. I am somewhat reckless in applying paint in the begining, however I try to be careful in preserving the white of the paper for my brightest highlights. While the pools begin to dry, I try to pay attention to the edges, to make sure that they dry the way I want them to. In this early stage I try not to blend too much with my brush. I like to tilt my board to allow the pools colors to run into each other. By allowing the colors to mix together, rather than blending them with a brush, I can preserve the intensity of the colors. As I get further into a painting I will tend to paint more opague (with more pure pigment) and with less water.
In this painting, I actually rendered it tighter and more opaque than I usually do. I find it a really fun challenge to try and find new ways to handle the medium.