What is gouache? The meaning of gouache paint, and how to use it

Gouache is an opaque, water-soluble paint, a method of painting with it, and a picture painted that way. The word comes through French from the Italian guazzo, literally a puddle, and is pronounced “gwahsh”.

Merriam-Webster defines gouache as a method of painting with opaque watercolours, a picture painted that way, and the pigment used. It gives the pronunciation as one syllable, “gwahsh”, and traces the word to the Italian guazzo, literally a puddle (Merriam-Webster (opens in a new tab)).

The term gouache was first used in France in the 18th century, for a paint made like watercolour, from pigments bound in a water-soluble gum, with a white pigment added to make it opaque (Tate (opens in a new tab)).

In English, thick watercolour was traditionally called bodycolour. The French word gouache only caught on in English in the early 20th century (V&A (opens in a new tab)).

Gouache is made of pigment bound in a water-soluble gum, usually gum arabic, the same binder watercolour uses. It is opaque because it holds more pigment and often a white filler such as chalk.

Schmincke, a German paint maker, states that its artists’ watercolour and gouache are both bound with gum arabic (Schmincke (opens in a new tab)).

Winsor & Newton attributes the opacity and matte finish of its Designers Gouache to the high level of pigment in it (Winsor & Newton (opens in a new tab)).

The Getty’s Art & Architecture Thesaurus says gouache differs from watercolour mainly through added white fillers, such as chalk or baryte, which make it more opaque and matte (Getty (opens in a new tab)). Not every maker adds them: Holbein states that it adds no whitening agents to its gouache to increase opacity (Holbein (opens in a new tab)).

Gouache is an opaque watercolour, not an acrylic. Like watercolour, it stays soluble in water after it dries, while acrylic paint dries waterproof.

Schmincke defines gouache as an opaque watercolour, and states that both watercolour and gouache remain soluble in water after drying (Schmincke (opens in a new tab)). Unlike watercolour, gouache is opaque, so the white of the paper does not show through (Tate (opens in a new tab)).

Acrylic paint dries to a waterproof finish, which leaves less freedom for the layers painted over it (Winsor & Newton (opens in a new tab)).

Acrylic gouache is a separate paint, with an acrylic binder. Liquitex contrasts gum arabic gouache, which can be re-wetted when dry, with its Acrylic Gouache, which will not re-wet once dry (Liquitex (opens in a new tab)).

Elena Ant’s students paint with gouache, not watercolour, and with oil.

Gouache vs watercolour vs acrylic, compared

Use gouache straight from the tube or thinned with water, on paper or card, and build it up in layers, light colours over dark if you like. Too little water lets thick paint crack; too much leaves loose pigment.

Gouache can be used straight from the tube or diluted with water, though its main purpose is opaque painting (Schmincke (opens in a new tab)).

If too little water is used, the thicker film may crack as it dries (Winsor & Newton (opens in a new tab)). If too much is used, only pigment is left on the surface, without enough binder to hold it, which Winsor & Newton calls dusting off (Winsor & Newton (opens in a new tab)).

Watercolour painting usually goes from light to dark. Gouache also lets you add highlights and light colours on top afterwards (Schmincke (opens in a new tab)).

A later layer can crack if the layer beneath absorbs binder from the wet paint (Winsor & Newton (opens in a new tab)). Dried gouache remains soluble in water, so a wet brush can loosen it again (Schmincke (opens in a new tab)).

Schmincke recommends a surface with some roughness: paper, cardboard, boards, or absorbent primed canvas (Schmincke (opens in a new tab)).

Yes, on canvas primed to absorb it. Schmincke lists absorbent primed canvas among suitable surfaces, and Winsor & Newton says its Designers Gouache can be used over acrylic gesso primer.

Schmincke advises treating raw linen with size or a pre-primer before painting on it with gouache (Schmincke (opens in a new tab)).

Winsor & Newton states that acrylic gesso primer gives its Designers Gouache the absorbency and film stability expected for permanent works of art (Winsor & Newton (opens in a new tab)).

Gouache is used by illustrators and designers, in fine art, and for highlights in watercolours. Henri Matisse’s paper cut-outs were cut from paper painted with gouache.

Winsor & Newton describes its Designers Gouache as popular among designers, illustrators and commercial artists (Winsor & Newton (opens in a new tab)).

Gouache is often used to create highlights in watercolours (Tate (opens in a new tab)).

For Henri Matisse’s cut-outs, his studio assistants painted paper with gouache, which Matisse then cut into shapes (MoMA (opens in a new tab)).

The Met’s collection holds a background painting for Disney’s Cinderella, from 1950, in gouache on paper (The Met (opens in a new tab)).