“No Experiment is ever a complete failure. It can always be used as a bad example”. Paul Dickson.
watercolour/gouache – view from the Rhiwiau in the Brecon Beacons Wales 
I am always asked what is the difference between watercolour and gouache.
Watercolour is a transparent medium. Gouache is Opaque. Watercolour and Gouache are intermixable….
In this post, I will show examples of pure watercolour as well as the mix of watercolour with gouache.
Pure watercolour – Brecon Beacons Wales 
About eighteen years ago – I was in my studio in Wales going through a period of feeling blocked. Always a difficult time for a creative!
Over the years I have learned that the best thing to do when this happens is PLAY. I put out big sheets of inexpensive paper on long trestle tables. Using large brushes and anything else at hand I began to throw paint around. I found some gouache, something I had not used before and began mixing it with watercolour and voila……..I loved the results and have been playing with the mix ever since.
I noticed that the gouache was bleeding into the transparent watercolour producing some very interesting marks.
The top swatch of colour is Winsor Violet watercolour mixed with Permanent White gouache on an orange background. (more about colour grounds in a minute)
The second swatch is pure watercolour. 
The following portrait sequence of Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds.….shows in the first example, pure watercolour – where all the white you see is dry white paper.
The second example shows pure watercolour on an orange ground.
The third example shows a mix of watercolour and gouache. When painting this way, permanent white gouache needs to be applied for highlights because all the white paper has been covered. 
It’s important to note, that no one way is the right way. The whole point of being a creative is to experiment….as my opening quote points out.
When I am going outside to paint I will prepare some of the pages in my sketchbooks with a ground so that if I wish to use a watercolour/gouache mix, I am ready to do so….which was the case here. Ground colour naples yellow with a little burnt sienna. 
So what is a colour ground?
It is when we cover our paper or canvas with a colour. When using watercolour/gouache it’s important to remember that paper must be grounded at least 24 hours before using so that it is totally dry.
I often use paint left on my palette for grounding. If at the beginning of the work day I am struggling to warm up…grounding paper will often do the trick.
As you can see from this example, the paint does not have to be uniform or all one colour. I am known for my orange grounds, but often use naples yellow, burnt sienna or anything else left on the palette. You can use both watercolour and gouache separately or mixed together to make a ground. 
I hope this helps those who are interested. The key is to allow yourself to EXPERIMENT and PLAY, Remember it is only paper……
I leave you with a magical hummingbird drinking from the sweet nectar of life.…paiinted on an orange ground using a watercolour/gouache mix. 
A Bientôt.
I will be painting, writing, celebrating life and enjoying the company of dear friends during the next few weeks……
Once again I have been reminded through the untimely death of a good friend of the importance of making the very best of every moment we have.
Not to put off what we really want to do….but rather to take on life’s new adventures with a sense of excitement.
Not to wait for the perfect time to do something, because there never is a perfect time…just today.
“Follow your Bliss” – another quote from Joseph Campbell.
And so today I follow the example of the magical hummingbirds, soaring above all the madness and drinking from the sweet nectar of life……..:)
A bientôt
It’s also good to imagine the stillness of a hummingbird – a rare moment for we humans to see….but nevertheless part of this amazingly magical creature’s charm.
My Life as an Artist (2) 