Winsor & Newton Designers’ Gouache

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Winsor & Newton Designers’ Gouache has a full range of colors to complement their watercolor line of paints.

First introduced in 1935, this product has seen advancements in brilliance, opacity and fluidity that make it a popular choice for illustrators and commercial artists.

Fine artists also appreciate the smooth, flat and opaque nature of this paint, which works seamlessly with watercolors.

It dries very quickly and is perfect to lay out large areas of consistent color.

Although this paint is similar in composition to watercolors, gouache has additional inert pigment to give it the outstanding brilliance and characteristic opacity for which it is known.

Winsor & Newton’s Colors For Illustrators And Fine Artists

The range of colors in Winsor & Newton’s Designer Gouache line is impressive. Not only do they include a wide range of standard colors, but they also include unusual and sometimes overlooked colors as well. They have a short list of Perylene paints, such as maroon, green and violet. The Winsor & Newton Designer Gouache also features both silver and gold paints for eye-catching metallic highlights.

They offer a whole range of their Winsor line of colors, specially prepared with Winsor & Newton’s own proprietary formulations and their Brilliant line of paints as well. Old school colors still appear in the Winsor & Newton line. Sap Green and Rose Tyrien, as well as a few fugitive colors are available for those who insist on replicating colors from previous generations of artists.

Painting Tips For Working With Gouache

Unlike watercolor, gouache does not seep into the fibers of the paper. Instead, it remains on the surface to form a paint film that sits on top of the substrate. It works best on a surface that is smooth, but also has tooth. Illustration board is preferred, but panels primed with gesso or watercolor ground are also suitable. Use hot pressed watercolor paper, avoiding paper with rough texture. Stretched watercolor paper is preferable to loose sheets.

Paint should be a creamy consistency for best application. Adding too much water to the paint can cause streaking, while paint that is too thick tends to crack or flake off. Consistency varies among the colors, so experience will show just how much water should be added to the individual colors.

Adding acrylic medium to the paint makes it water resistant. This helps to avoid lifting when working in multiple layers. The paint is less water-soluble when mixed with the medium, giving it added durability and allows the artist to work the area without the colors becoming muddy.

Framing Gouache

Frame paintings under glass for conservation purposes. The surface of the work should be separated from the glass by either a mat or spacers if the painting will not be matted. This space allows air circulation to prevent condensation. The glass also foils inquisitive fingers, and the people attached to them, from touching and possibly damaging the work.

Airbrush artists find that gouache works well for them. They must add water with caution to avoid streaks and dust. Use gum Arabic and water combined to dilute the solution.

An artist can make his own gouache, using raw pigments, chalk and gum Arabic. This may be an interesting project, but the time required to produce these paints is time not spent painting. A wise artist will use his time doing what he does best and leave the paint production to professionals. Winsor & Newton Designer Gouache allows the artist to produce quality work and is available in a wide variety of colors that pleases even the fussiest of painters.

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