Subject: illustration: re: ox gall
I bought the stuff, following R. Howards' advice (at the store I told the guy to give me EXACTLY the brushes he used, EXACTLY the materials) and surprise surprise, my goauche paintings took a big giant step Up as in IMPROVEMENT...The ox gall, adding to my bottled water via eye-dropper, seems to stop the problem of beading up that would happen from occasionally getting finger grease on the work, or crumbs from lunch or who knows what else.
I say 'try it'. Reminds me of an old product I have in my watercolor kit, called 'No-Crawl'. Think a few drops of liquid soap might do the same thing..
And BTW, the ox gall liquid DOES smell a little funny.
Take care
Layne
--
In my days as a textile designer, I used a lot of gouache as it was the medium of choice for textile and surface design - the Winsor Newton series 7 brushes was what was used by all designers. These brushes last very well with gouache if one follows the principle of good brush use such as not painting with the point but stroking and keeping the brushes stored pointed when finished.
Recently I found using synthetic brushes were good too - the ones I use is a German brush - Da Vinci Cosmos or consider trying the Winsor Newton line of Sceptre brushes which are part sable and synthetic.
Lula
--
My favorite brushes for gouache are Loew-Cornell 795--they are white synthetic and are about $1.50-$3.50 depending on the size--I work small so the largest I use is 2 down to 18/0--These brushes really do take a beating
--
I use a lot of acrylics for my current work but I've been a gouache user for years having done textile desiging and other painting. Gouache is a water based medium similar to watercolors that can be used in a similar way as watercolors except gouache has more pigment creating an opaque look.
Gouache paints up into nice smooth flat (matte) finishes that can be blended with water at the edges to create smooth transistion of colors and shapes. Obviously these techniques depend on your personal art style and what you are painting for.
Depending on the bleed through factor of the gouache pigments you are using you can paint over other colors gouache. Many gouache painters use a designer's bleed proof white to mask out areas of color so they can paint over in case of mistakes or for effect.
One can water down gouache and get a watercolor effect too to add an extra touch to one's paintings - many people do use gouache and watercolors together for different effects.
Like all art mediums - one needs to practice and experiment to find the best effects of using gouache for their own personal styles of painting. Try it, you may like it very much.
Lula
--
I like gouche for creating flat areas which are not streaky or uneven in tone. Yes, it's water soluable. You have to work at the right consistency, or it will streak.
-Karen Pondfolk
--
Date: Wed, 03 Feb 1999 16:35:27 +0000
From: Lula
Subject: Re: illustration: Gouache
I've tried a few different brands of gouaches and so far my favorite ones are the Holbein brand - I find the colors to be bright and clear. I was told Holbein (Japanese company) uses very high pigment levels and refined manufacturing processes.
They also have a wonderful selection (set) of antique oriental colors, just like the colors you see on those old Kimonos! The gouaches mix very well and have a very smooth texture. Wonderful stuff!
Have you considered the Holbein Acryla gouaches? Excellent colors and perfectly smooth results - I use these a lot too and I wonder if these colors aren't more permanent than the traditional gouaches. They have lightfastness ratings on these too - I'll have to compare them later.
Winsor & Newton is the good old standard - just a different color pallette which I supplement my Holbein colors with.
--
I've tried the acryla gouache and really like them - they dry tougher than a regular gouache but not as plasticy as an acrylic. I bought a set of them (from Peter!) but I don't know where you can buy them in open stock.
Theresa
--
Back to the Library directory.