Gouache Paintings

My favorite hobby

Gouache (/ɡuˈɑːʃ, ɡwɑːʃ/; French: [ɡwaʃ]) is similar to watercolor in that it can be rewetted and dried to a matte finish, and the paint can become infused into its paper support. It is similar to acrylic or oil paints in that it is normally used in an opaque painting style and it can form a superficial layer. Many manufacturers of watercolor paints also produce gouache, and the two can easily be used together. Gouache is designed to be opaque. Gouache has a long history, having been used for at least twelve centuries. It is used most consistently by commercial artists for posters, illustrations, comics, and other design work. A form of gouache, with honey or tragacanth gum as a binder, was used in Ancient Egyptian painting. It was also used in European illuminated manuscripts, as well as Persian miniatures. Although they are often described as "watercolor", Persian miniatures and Mughal miniatures are predominantly examples of gouache. The term gouache, derived from the Italian guazzo, also refers to paintings using this opaque method. "Guazzo", Italian for "mud", was originally a term applied to the early 16th-century practice of applying oil paint over a tempera base, which could give a matted effect. In the 18th century in France, the term gouache was applied to opaque watermedia.