2025 Author: Leah Sherlock | [email protected]. Last modified: 2025-01-10 14:38
Surely everyone, as a child, painted in kindergarten and at labor lessons with brushes on a white sheet, because the words "gouache" and "watercolor" are familiar to absolutely everyone, regardless of the profession acquired in the future.
But before you know how gouache differs from watercolor, you should understand both concepts.
Who are they?
Gouache comes from the Italian word guazzo and means "water paint". It is a type of artificial paint whose ability lies in the ability to dissolve in water.
Watercolor means "watery" in French. It refers to adhesive (binding components - dextrin with gum arabic) paints, the solvent of which is water.
Differences
Perhaps the main difference is this:
- gouache has a denser, matte and overall opaque layer;
- Watercolor is valued for transparency, purity, softness and subtlety of the layer.
Bapplication:
- watercolour only used on paper;
- For gouache, the basis is not only paper, but also harder surfaces, such as fabric, cardboard or s alt dough crafts.
Properties:
- watercolor is very practical and convenient in the workflow, because due to its peculiarity, you can easily fix and correct flaws even with a wet fleece;
- gouache is much more difficult to remove due to the denser texture.
Structure:
- When dry, the gouache does not become glossy, but on the contrary, with a matte tint and lighter than with the initial stroke. This process occurs due to the white included in the composition. And this is its huge plus: due to an error, a dark color can be corrected by applying paint a few tones lighter.
- With watercolor, this process is not possible. She will either mix both colors in herself, or overlap one with the other.
Color:
- in gouache with the help of white, you can create many shades;
- there is no white color in watercolor, it is replaced by the paper itself, leaving a gap on it.
Worth knowing:
if you are just starting to get acquainted with the fine arts, then you should start with watercolor, as it is easier to manage and much easier to clean up mistakes
Acrylic
Acrylic paint contains acrylic and resins. They apply fairly evenly and dry quickly.
How is gouache different from acrylics?
- Acrylic nothas the properties of fading and perfectly retains the original color.
- Acrylic does not crumble after a while, neither from paper nor from other bases.
- After drying, the paint darkens.
- Acrylic is suitable for painting in watercolor style.
Result
The choice for both beginners and professionals is very large.
Now you know how gouache differs from watercolors with acrylic, and with what paints to bring your inspiration into artistic light, it's up to you to decide.