Gouache Or Poster Paint?…

What do we know about Gouache as a paint and is there any difference between this and poster paints? As a paint, this is used to make cards and to copy materials. It is possibe to be able to scan this medium and to then go on and make printed articles from it. It is also an opaque type of paint. Are these really poster paints?

It appears to be the general consensus that people think they are. In fact they are not. Poster paints really are a paint consisting of a lot of egg mix and proteins, so they are very cheap.

This creates a different type of surface and it is highly likely that you will end up with your paper wrinkling. You will find that it is very cheap, so maybe this is why it is used so much for craft projects.

However, this paint is in great demand for use with children. After all, it is one of the safest paints around, so it is very useful in schools etc. Also being an ideal choice, being that it is inexpensive. The only downside is, that it is not particularly durable and it can flake.

Gouache may appear similar to poster paints, this is not so, as this medium has a water base. The colour finish obtained, is much improved in comparison to poster paints. Gouache is packaged in tubes and poster paints are in bottles, so they are easily distinguished.

The finish this paint achieves is a matt surface. It can be quite puzzling to use, at first, because, when it dries, it is not perhaps what you expect. If you are using light shades, they dry darker and vice versa with dark shades.

This type of paint has, and can, be used on many surfaces and different types of papers. It is also ideal for collages and decoupage. Personally, I think, this is a good medium to use when doing landscapes on a cold pressed paper 140lb.

Gouache has gum arabic added to its pigment which makes a nice consistency, similar to cream, and therefore produces a good flow when you use it. It can vary however, as not all paints have a similar amount of chalk added to the pigment. You will notice too, they may be labelled as permanent or semi permanent.

A sable, or synthetic style of sable brush, should be used for this and these are ideal for laying your first paint wash and you can always add thicker layers before you finish your painting. It can be fairly easy to make minor adjustments with errors and then repaint.

This can crack as the paint is quite thick, so I would not recommend painting too many layers, but whatever you may do, refrain from diluting this too much with water. You can put these in a glass frame, but you would need a passe partout mat to stop them touching the glass.

Henri Matisse is one painter of notability that employed this medium, but today this is used to create designs for illustrations, posters and advertising in the commercial sector.