Early Morning Vineyards, Tuscany. 30cm x 40cm Gouache. Copyright, Theresa Evans
I'm really enjoying working with gouache again. I especially liked how I can layer so many hues in the darks without spoiling the colours or the paper.
I laid in some loose washes first, to establish some tones, then went in with the gouache paints. I've found that by diluting the paint to thin washes and building these up in layers, the effect is less harsh and more like watercolour.
Detail showing how it's possible to overlay colourful pools of paint with gouache. Fun!!
21 comments:
Just love the first one, so rich and warm. I really like gouache too, but have not used it for a few months.
Maggie
I hear the birds in the trees, when looking at it. No, I am not crazy, just the painting is so breathing.
Hi Theresa! I am glad that I found your blog. WOW! I loved looking at your paintings of Tuscany and Great Britain. I find it amazing how you mange to travel with ease between mediums. I will be back soon!
Maggie, thanks. I'm torn between watercolour, gouache and oil pastel. I love them all! I noticed you sometimes use gouache to great effect :)
Irina, no, you are definitely not crazy - unless I am too!!! I often try to imagine the sounds of a place when I'm visualising it and trying to recapture 'being there'.
Thankyou for your nice comment.
Loriann, thanks so much for stopping by and for your comments - I'm pleased you enjoy my paintings. Sometimes I wish I could setle for one medium but I enjoy the different effects of several :)
You've created a beautiful luminosity with gouache, a tough medium for transparency! The slanting light across the hilltops and the long shadows of the trees tell the time of day without the hint of your subject title. So nice to have you visit my blog, too. Thank you for your comments.
Thanks for stopping by Katherine and for your comment. much appreciated :)
Ditto to Katherine's comments but ultimately for me it is the sense of distance and space--nice push/pull and your sense of light is really evocative-
"Evocative" I like! Thankyou very much, Jan :) Pleased you enjoyed this painting.
Light is something I love to try and capture in my paintings. I don't always succeed but keep trying.... For me, the effects of light on colour and texture bring the landscape to life.
Brilliantly evocative of those long Italian vistas, rolling hills, beautiful. You obviously enjoy exploring different media and approaches. This is fantastic Theresa.
Thanks Sheila. Yes, I do like to dabble with different media and continually experiment. Yet to strike on something which says "I'm the one! Stay with me!" LOL
Hi Theresa your blog is just wonderful, your paintings are simply beautiful. My brother lives in Tuscany so what a delight to see your paintings of this area you bring the countryside to life!
Thanks for such a lovely comment, Caroline. I adore Tuscany and thoroughly immerse myself in painting these Tuscan landscapes. It transports me back there for a short while.
We try to visit each year. Your brother is sooo lucky to live there! Hope you get to stay with him often :)
Absolutely beautiful colors. I hope to one day get to tuscany to paint!
Pam, thankyou for stopping by and for your comment - it's much appreciated.
Yes, Tuscany is definitely a paradise for artists -literally a painting round every corner!
I hope one day, I will go and paint Tuscany, just like you Theresa ! Bises.
It's definitely a painter's paradise. Be careful though - you'll get bitten by the bug. Once is never enough!
Hi Theresa.
This painting is amazingly beautiful.
Watercolour eh? well, I am trying to get back to Watercolour again but keep avoiding it. Theresa, I think I have made a mistake and posted a comment on Maggie latham`s
blog for your Blackbird painting, sorry. I basically said that it is a brilliant painting. All the best Theresa.
Vic.
Hi Vic.
thanks for stopping by and for your kind comments :) Watercolour is such a wonderful medium and such fun to use but, as I found myself, it's easy to forget how to handle it! LOL I had a long break (I mean years) from it but I'm glad i put the time in to get used to it's idiosyncrasies again :)
Don't avoid it .. just dive in!
PS. I join in Maggie's '100 Washes' site too so you didn't make a mistake :)
This one made me look twice, I thought it was oils, I was really surprised to see it was gouache.I love these rich colours and tones.The highlights on the foreground foliage make a lovely contrast.
How do you layer gouache without having all the layers move? I've only ever managed mud - and not nice mud at that. I admire the skill this has taken.
Hi lisa, thanks :)
I know exactly what you mean about the uderneath layers wanting to move! I have found that, just as in transparent watercolour, you have to wait until a layer is completely dry before you add more paint on top and then apply with a light touch of simple daubs and strokes to build up layers. If you paint 'back and forth' the paint underneath will move but, of course, this is useful if you want it to do that to blend an area, for example in a sky.
I've also found that transparent watercolour washes can be 'floated' on top of dry gouache as a veil of colour to provide a glaze or alter tone. I think the main thing is to put the paint down and leave it!
The nice thing about gouache, though, is that you can paint over or easily lift out areas you aren't happy with - but always wait until they have dried and lift gently with a brush and tisue.
Hope that is of some use :)
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