Gouache: Your Questions Answered by James Gurney
James Gurney・32 minutes read
The painter created a video to answer questions while painting a scene, focusing on composition, color palette, and techniques like gouache and watercolor. Emphasizing simplicity and quick decision-making, the painter demonstrated painting palm trees on location, utilizing various brushes and techniques to capture the essence of the scene in a sketchbook.
Insights
- The painter faced cognitive challenges while simultaneously painting and answering questions, leading to the creation of a video where they paint, pause to respond, and then resume painting, enhancing the viewer's understanding and the artist's workflow.
- Victor Soros stresses the importance of knowing when to stop detailing a painting, simplifying intricate elements like palm fronds with elegant strokes, emphasizing overall composition and feeling over intricate textures, showcasing the significance of restraint and artistic decision-making in the creative process.
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Recent questions
How does the painter handle answering questions while painting?
By creating a video where they paint, pause, and answer.
What influenced the painter's choice of scene for painting?
Shade and seating next to the Royal Palm in California.
How does the painter create depth in their compositions?
By incorporating a sky, middle ground, and cropped cars.
What colors are used in the sky painting technique?
Ultramarine, cerulean, white, and cadmium orange.
How does the painter simplify complex subjects like palm trees?
By focusing on big color movements and some detail.
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Summary
00:00
"Outdoor Painting Process: Creating Depth and Color"
- The painter was approached by a man while painting outdoors on the sidewalk who asked to watch and then questioned the choice of brush, colors, and painting process.
- Due to the cognitive load of painting and answering questions simultaneously, the painter decided to create a video where they paint, pause to answer questions, and then continue painting.
- The scene being painted was a simple apartment building storefront next to the Royal Palm in Morgan Hill, California, chosen for shade and seating due to a wedding visit.
- The painter aims for compositions beyond the obvious, creating depth in the scene with a sky, middle ground, and cropped cars at the edge.
- The sky was painted with a gradation using ultramarine, cerulean, white, and cadmium orange, applied thinly to maintain paper tooth.
- To block rehydration in gouache, a thin layer of watercolor can be used as a base instead of acrylic or gesso.
- The painter demonstrated using casein or acrylic wash for priming, showing two methods of painting a tower with a blue sky underpainting or a warm underpainting.
- Perspective in the painting was achieved by determining eye level, measuring slopes, and visualizing vanishing points for verticals and planes.
- The color palette for the painting, influenced by the California environment, included Prussian blue, white, yellow ochre, transparent red oxide, and pure ol red for brake lights.
- The painter randomized colors at times to explore their potential, mixing colors like Prussian blue and transparent red oxide for darks and Prussian blue and yellow ochre for greens.
18:37
Mastering Palm Tree Painting Techniques
- Victor Soros emphasizes the importance of knowing when to stop detailing a painting, simplifying complex palm fronds with elegant strokes.
- Painting on location forces quick decision-making and simplification of complicated subjects like palm trees.
- The essential color movement of palm trees starts with greens at the top and transitions to tan colors below, surrounded by the blue sky.
- Using a flat three-quarter inch brush, big color movements are set up first, followed by painting in the dark areas with a cheap brush from a craft store.
- By simplifying the palm tree to capture the big color movement and some detail, the focus is on the overall feeling rather than intricate textures.
- Splitting the brush allows for multiple lines at once, useful for painting hair and certain foliage details.
- After establishing the big shapes of buildings, sky, and palm trees, details like windows and signs are painted with dark values first, followed by lighter colors.
- Gouache allows for painting light over dark or dark over light, with quick drying layers enabling easy corrections without muddiness.
- Various brushes like flat synthetic, round, long rigger, and cat's tongue are used for different painting effects, such as foliage and fine lines.
- Simplifying complex scenes involves a limited palette, squinting to see main tonal relationships, and focusing on the main elements of interest while omitting excessive details due to time constraints.
36:47
"Portable sketchbook painting combines memories and elements"
- Painting in sketchbooks is favored for its portability and ability to combine various elements like paintings, written notes, and sketches in one bound book, preserving memories and creating a cohesive document.
- Watercolors and white gouache can be combined to create opaque paint, with the Windsor Newton company confirming their compatibility. Gouache and watercolor are similar products, with gouache historically known as designer colors, now prioritizing opacity and lightfastness.
- Various brands like M gram, utrecht, Daler Rowney, Holbein, Shinhan PWC, and Windsor Newton offer watercolors and gouache, with recommendations to store tube colors in glass jars to prevent drying out and extend their lifespan. Joining the sketch easel builders Facebook group can provide tips on building easels, while experimentation with new techniques and media is encouraged for artistic growth.
