Surely everyone, as a child, drew in kindergarten and in labor lessons with brushes on a white sheet, because the words “gouache” and “watercolor” are familiar to absolutely everyone, regardless of the profession acquired in the future.

But before you find out how gouache differs from watercolor, it’s worth understanding both concepts.

Who are they?

Gouache comes from Italian word guazzo and translated means It is one of the types of artificial paints, the ability of which is to be able to dissolve in water.

Watercolor means “watery” in French. It refers to adhesive (binding components - dextrin with gum arabic) paints, the solvent of which is water.

Differences

Perhaps the main difference is the following:

• gouache has a denser, matte and generally opaque layer;
• watercolor is valued for its transparency, purity, softness and thinness of the layer.

In use:

• watercolor is used only on paper;
• For gouache, the basis is not only paper, but also harder surfaces, such as fabric, cardboard or crafts made from salt dough.

Properties:

• watercolor is very practical and convenient in the work process, since due to its peculiarity you can easily correct and correct defects even with the help of a wet cotton wool;
• Gouache is much more difficult to remove due to its denser texture.

Structure:

• When drying, the gouache becomes not glossy, but, on the contrary, with a matte tint and lighter than the initial stroke. This process occurs thanks to the white contained in the composition. And this is its huge advantage: due to an error dark color can be corrected by applying paint several shades lighter.
• This process is not possible with watercolors. It will either mix both colors in itself, or cover one with the other.

• in gouache you can create many shades using white;
• in watercolor White color is missing, it is replaced with the paper itself, leaving a gap on it.

Worth knowing:

• if you are just starting to get acquainted with fine arts, then you should start with watercolor, since it is easier to manage and much easier to remove mistakes.

Acrylic

Acrylic paint contains acrylic and resins. They apply fairly evenly and dry quickly.

• Acrylic does not fade and retains its original color perfectly.
• Acrylic does not crumble after a while, either from paper or from other substrates.
• After drying, the paints darken.
• Acrylic is suitable for painting in watercolor style.

Bottom line

The choice for both beginning artists and professionals is very large.

Now you know how gouache differs from watercolor and acrylic, and with the help of which paints to bring your inspiration into the artistic light, it’s up to you to decide.

Arts and entertainment

How is gouache different from watercolor? Interesting Facts

Surely everyone, as a child, painted in kindergarten and in labor lessons with brushes on a white sheet, therefore the words “gouache” and “watercolor” are familiar to absolutely everyone, regardless of the profession acquired in the future.

But before you find out how gouache differs from watercolor, it’s worth understanding both concepts.

Who are they?

Gouache comes from the Italian word guazzo and means “water paint”. It is one of the types of artificial paints, the ability of which is to dissolve in water.

Watercolor means “watery” in French. It refers to adhesive (binding components - dextrin with gum arabic) paints, the solvent of which is water.

Differences

Perhaps the main difference is the following:

• gouache has a denser, matte and generally opaque layer;
• watercolor is valued for its transparency, purity, softness and thinness of the layer.

In use:

• watercolor is used only on paper;
• For gouache, the basis is not only paper, but also harder surfaces, such as fabric, cardboard or crafts made from salt dough.

Properties:

• watercolor is very practical and convenient in the work process, since due to its peculiarity you can easily correct and correct defects even with the help of a wet cotton wool;
• Gouache is much more difficult to remove due to its denser texture.

Structure:

• When drying, the gouache becomes not glossy, but, on the contrary, with a matte tint and lighter than the initial stroke. This process occurs thanks to the white contained in the composition. And this is its huge advantage: due to an error, a dark color can be corrected by applying paint several tones lighter.
• This process is not possible with watercolors. It will either mix both colors in itself, or cover one with the other.

• in gouache you can create many shades using white;
• In watercolors, the white color is absent; it is replaced by the paper itself, leaving a gap on it.

Worth knowing:

• If you are just starting to get acquainted with fine art, then you should start with watercolor, as it is easier to manage and much easier to remove mistakes.

Video on the topic

Acrylic

Acrylic paint contains acrylic and resins. They apply fairly evenly and dry quickly.

How is gouache different from acrylic paints?

• Acrylic does not fade and retains its original color perfectly.
• Acrylic does not crumble after a while, either from paper or from other substrates.
• After drying, the paints darken.
• Acrylic is suitable for painting in watercolor style.

Bottom line

The choice for both beginning artists and professionals is very large.

Now you know how gouache differs from watercolor and acrylic, and with the help of which paints to bring your inspiration into the artistic light, it’s up to you to decide.

If you want to place an order for Jacksons, I wrote a detailed how to do this. By registering using the links from there you will receive a 10% discount on your first order.

I would like to immediately point out that my gouache has a regular green box without streaks, I looked on ebay and there are two options there - a green box and a box with brush strokes, also green, made of thin cardboard. I tried to find out how they differ and I have suspicions that the second option is cheaper and from the amateur school series, although the colors are still the same.

Also on Ebay there is a Japanesque series with more natural colors and an original palette. This is a special edition and it differs from mine in color shades, but it is the same gouache from the same manufacturer.

The main feature of this gouache is that it is a hybrid material, something between acrylic and gouache, combining the matteness of gouache and the quick drying of acrylic.

The first impression is wonderful, although the box is cardboard, it is very convenient, dense and weighty, made of pleasant materials. Inside there are large plastic tubes of 20 ml each and here I also have no complaints, on the contrary, I wish that all manufacturers take note. The tube conveniently shows the name of the color, the included pigments and an approximate swatch (well, of course, on plastic it will not correspond to the real color). A very convenient lid, this is exactly the sore spot of many tubes. Western comrades say that plastic is bad, air gets into the tube and the gouache dries, but I can’t say anything about this yet, because it takes time and comparison with a metal tube. By the way, I found a picture with tubes on the Internet different sizes from the largest to the smallest, but I myself have not encountered such diversity.

The colors are amazing, perfect for illustrations. The paints are declared rather as decorative; they can be used to paint on almost any surface, having previously degreased it - glass, metal, plastic, canvas, paper, and so on. Once dry, gouache is waterproof and allows you to reapply without smearing the bottom layer, which is what makes it so cool, unlike regular gouache.

This gouache differs from acrylic in its matte surface and more even opaque coating. Here is an excellent photo demonstrating the difference between acrylic gouache, regular gouache and acrylic; as you can see, acrylic still shines through more when glazed.

And just like acrylic, this gouache dries very quickly, literally within a few minutes, which is convenient for drawing and not very convenient when squeezing paint onto the palette. A wet palette, like for acrylic, saves the situation a little.

My coloring is white, the last square is correspondingly white. It's a shame that Opera Red looks so dull, it's actually a fluorescent crazy pink. You can also clearly see what happens when you try to blur the colors - a layer that dries too quickly appears as a sloppy edge under the transparent fill.

My first experiment, I deliberately upload a large picture so that all the mistakes that may arise can be seen, for example, what translucent layers look like compared to regular ones. The picture has approximately 3-4 layers on top of each other.

So, according to tradition, the advantages:

• Delightful texture, matte, not erased and not crumbling after drying, suitable for further development with anything, including pencils. Gouache itself can be combined with watercolors and acrylics, possibly tempera, although there is a recommendation on the packaging not to mix paints inconsistently with other types of paints and with oil.
• Excellent bright palette, the presence of fluorescent, pearlescent, pastel lines, as many as 221 colors.
• The colors mix well with each other.
• Quick drying and even coverage.
• Suitable for different surfaces.
• Quite economical, and the tubes big size.
• Suitable for any, more or less thick paper.
• Doesn't damage brushes and can be washed off warm water with soap, although I couldn’t wash it off the plastic palette, no matter how hard I tried.

• This is studio material - the box is not suitable for carrying around, the way of working requires time, palette and space.
• Quick drying of paint on the palette.
• When squeezing out, a slight menthol-like odor is felt, I don’t think this is very critical, but you need to report it, after the paint dries, the smell completely disappears.
• This gouache looks best in a pasty, opaque technique; when adding too much water, unsightly stains appear and the previous layer has dried instantly.
• Some paints are multi-pigment, for example all blue composite.
• No instructions on light fastness and full dyeing of all colors - only for a fee in Jacksons.
• In Russian stores it is very expensive (4-5 thousand rubles) and in general is not available everywhere.
• The palette is too vigorous for naturalistic work - the solution is to buy tubes separately for yourself, or constantly mix everything with everything.

Surely everyone, as a child, painted in kindergarten and in labor lessons with brushes on a white sheet, therefore the words “gouache” and “watercolor” are familiar to absolutely everyone, regardless of the profession acquired in the future.

But before you find out how gouache differs from watercolor, it’s worth understanding both concepts.

Who are they?

Gouache comes from the Italian word guazzo and means “water paint”. It is one of the types of artificial paints, the ability of which is to dissolve in water.

Watercolor means “watery” in French. It refers to adhesive (binding components - dextrin with gum arabic) paints, the solvent of which is water.

Differences

Perhaps the main difference is the following:

• gouache has a denser, matte and generally opaque layer;
• watercolor is valued for its transparency, purity, softness and thinness of the layer.

In use:

• watercolor is used only on paper;
• For gouache, the basis is not only paper, but also harder surfaces, such as fabric, cardboard or crafts made from salt dough.

Properties:

• watercolor is very practical and convenient in the work process, since due to its peculiarity you can easily correct and correct defects even with the help of a wet cotton wool;
• Gouache is much more difficult to remove due to its denser texture.

Structure:

• When drying, the gouache becomes not glossy, but, on the contrary, with a matte tint and lighter than the initial stroke. This process occurs thanks to the white contained in the composition. And this is its huge advantage: due to an error, a dark color can be corrected by applying paint several tones lighter.
• This process is not possible with watercolors. It will either mix both colors in itself, or cover one with the other.

• in gouache you can create many shades using white;
• In watercolors, the white color is absent; it is replaced by the paper itself, leaving a gap on it.

Worth knowing:

• If you are just starting to get acquainted with fine art, then you should start with watercolor, as it is easier to manage and much easier to remove mistakes.

Acrylic

Acrylic paint contains acrylic and resins. They apply fairly evenly and dry quickly.

How is gouache different from acrylic paints?

• Acrylic does not fade and retains its original color perfectly.
• Acrylic does not crumble after a while, either from paper or from other substrates.
• After drying, the paints darken.
• Acrylic is suitable for painting in watercolor style.

Bottom line

The choice for both beginning artists and professionals is very large.

Now you know how gouache differs from watercolor and acrylic, and with the help of which paints to bring your inspiration into the artistic light, it’s up to you to decide.