Gouache paints come in many colors and are usually mixed with water to achieve the desired working properties and to control the opacity when dry.

Gouache (from the Italian guazzo, "water paint, splash") or bodycolor (the term preferred by art historians) is a type of paint consisting of pigment suspended in water. Italian ( or lingua italiana) is a Romance language spoken by about 63 million people as a First language, primarily in Italy. Art history is the Academic study of objects of Art in their Historical development and stylistic contexts i Paint is any Liquid, liquifiable or mastic composition which after application to a substrate in a thin layer is converted to an opaque Solid For the drug referred to as "pigment" see Black tar heroin. Water is a common Chemical substance that is essential for the survival of all known forms of Life. Gouache differs from watercolor in that the particles are larger, the ratio of pigment to water is much higher, and an additional, inert, white pigment such as chalk is also present. Watercolor ( US) or Watercolour ( UK) (and "aquarelle" in French is a Painting method Chalk (ʧɔːk is a soft white porous Sedimentary rock, a form of Limestone composed of the Mineral Calcite. (Gum Arabic is also present as a binding agent just like in water colour. Gum arabic, a Natural gum also called gum acacia, and chaar gund or char goond (in India is the hardened Sap taken from two species ) This makes gouache heavier and more opaque, with greater reflective qualities. ^[1]

History

A premiere, Anders Zorn

"Guazzo" was originally a term applied to the early 16th century practice of applying oil paint over a tempera base. Anders Leonard Zorn ( February 18, 1860 – August 22, 1920) was a Swedish painter sculptor and Printmaker in Etching Oil paint is a type of slow-drying Paint consisting of small Pigment particles suspended in a Drying oil. Tempera (also known as egg tempera) is a type of artist's Paint and associated art techniques that were known from the classical world where it appears ^[2] The term was applied to the watermedia in the 18th century in France, although the technique is considerably older. The 18th century lasted from 1701 to 1800 in the Gregorian calendar, in accordance with the Anno Domini / Common Era numbering system This article is about the country For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic France topics. It was used as early as the 14th century in Europe.

Application

Self-portrait, Friedrich Schwinge

Gouache generally dries to a different value than it appears when wet (lighter tones generally dry darker, while darker tones tend to dry lighter), which can make it difficult to match colors over multiple painting sessions. This, combined with its quick coverage and total hiding power, mean that gouache lends itself to more immediate techniques than watercolour. ^[3] "En plein air" paintings take advantage of this, as do works by J.M.W. Turner. En plein air is a French expression which means "in the open air" and is particularly used to describe the act of Painting outdoors Joseph Mallord William Turner (23 April 1775 &ndash 19 December 1851 was an English Romantic landscape painter, Watercolourist and It is used most consistently by commercial artists for works such as posters, illustrations, comics, and for other design work. For example, comics illustrators like Alex Ross use mostly gouache for their work. Nelson Alexander "Alex" Ross (born January 22, 1970) is an American Comic book painter, Illustrator and Industrial Designer and Visual Futurist Syd Mead also works primarily in gouache. Sydney Jay Mead, commonly Syd Mead, (born July 18, 1933 in St Most 20th Century animations used it to create an opaque color on a cel with watercolor paint used for backgrounds, and gouache as "poster paint" is desirable for its speed and durability. The bouncing ball animation (below consists of these 6 frames A cel, short for Celluloid, is a transparent sheet on which objects are drawn or painted for traditional hand-drawn animation. Watercolor ( US) or Watercolour ( UK) (and "aquarelle" in French is a Painting method

One variation of the medium is gouaches découpées created by Henri Matisse, cut paper collages. Henri Matisse (31 December 1869 – 3 November 1954 was a French Artist, known for his use of Colour and his fluid brilliant and original draughtsmanship A collage (From the coller to glue is a work of formal art primarily in the Visual arts, made from an assemblage of different forms thus creating a new whole His Blue Nudes series is a good example of the technique.

See also

• Decalcomania
• Aquapasto

References

1. ^ Marjorie B. Decalcomania, from the French décalcomanie, is a decorative technique by which engravings and prints may be transferred to pottery or other materials Aquapasto is a thickening medium for use with Watercolour and Gouache. Cohn, Wash and Gouache, Fogg Museum, 1977.
2. ^ Mayer, Ralph. The Artist's Handbook of Materials and Techniques, Viking Adult; 5th revised and updated edition, 1991. ISBN 0-670-83701-6
3. ^ Adolf Dehn, Water Color, Gouache Studio Publishing 1955. ISBN 0-670-75110-3

External links

• Examples of Matisse Blue Nude gouache decoupes collage
• Gouache from the Tate
• Demo of technique
• Painting gouache illustration
• Info & history