I tested acrylic gouache. They are similar to regular gouache, and even watercolour, except that they dry much quicker and once they’re dry they can’t mix anymore.
It’s both an advantage and a challenge! An advantage because you can layer other colours without any smearing. A challenge because the error margin is much narrower: if you don’t get it right the first time your mistake has to be worked around.
This is a river scene with two persons using long poles to maneuver their boats, and passing next to patches of grass where trees like willows are growing. It must be the start of autumn because the trees are bare but there is still grass. A few huts are visible on the horizon. There is a big orange setting sun, and grey and orange clouds.
Framed in black, 10×15 cm (4×6 in.) [and since then sent to my friend Isabelle for whom I painted it.]
Rough pencil sketch
Transparent blue, grey, and orange.
This looks and feels just like watercolour.
A bit more colours in small areas: specks of grey and blue-grey to add vegetation in the background, and yellow for the huts, boats and the hats.
The green is now added to the meadow and another darker layer for shading. Brown and black for the trees, boats, men and their poles.
I realised this was going to lack a lot of contrast. The colours are much paler than I thought.
I added many thin black lines in ink to try to make up for the lack of contrast.
Stamped, dated and signed.
