Gouache is a medium that I've always wanted to try out but have never quite known how to begin. I mean, even spelling it is an adventure. But I feel comfortable using watercolor, and I figured that gouache was like watercolor with the ability to go opaque. Yesterday afternoon I got to play with some colors (thanks, Marsha!), and it was a little weird. I kept expecting it to do watercolor-y things like create nice color bleeds when put on damp areas (it mostly stayed where I put it, and I had to drag a wet brush through to mix the color on the page), or dry lighter (it dries darker). It's also very easy to start out super thick, and get loads of opaque texture, which can be cool if you're expecting it. One really nice thing is how easy it is the thin out/lift dried color on the page (much easier than traditional watercolor). I'm just realizing how watercolor-geek this is sounding...Below are some close-ups from my sketchbook (actually just a 10"X7" piece of hot press paper, on which I crammed way too much). The primary blue/marigold orange are looking a little harsh this morning, but they seemed like a good combo at the time.
