Taking the medium further

In his final article aimed at newcomers to gouache, Robert Brindley explains that the medium is not only suitable for plein-air sketching, but also for mixed media with acrylic

In his final article aimed at newcomers to gouache, Robert Brindley explains that the medium is not only suitable for plein-air sketching, but also for mixed media, as he demonstrates here

Gouache is ideally suited for small plein-air works or sketches. Like watercolour, the equipment required is minimal and extremely portable: a sketch pad, four or five colours, two or three brushes and water are all that is needed. In hot conditions it is advisable to paint small as the drying time is almost immediate; however, unlike acrylics, any paint left on the palette can still be used by rewetting it at a later date.

I painted one of my first plein-air gouache paintings almost 25 years ago on a warm, early summer day and, as with all my plein-air work, I remember the day perfectly. The painting, Windbreaks, Sandsend Beach 1 (above), was done directly onto the paper, with no tinted ground.

Before you accept any of your paintings are finished, I advise you to consider the following points:

• Does the composition work? A successful painting should have a visual path through the painting, leading to the focal point.

• Does the tonal sequence work? Tone is all important, therefore it is prudent to carry out a few small, tonal studies before starting to paint.

• Does the colour harmony work? After tone it is important to ensure that the colour harmony works. Never have too many strident colours opposing each other in your paintings.

• Do the edges work? Too many hard edges scattered around the painting will destroy the balance and lead-in.

In general, eliminate most of the harder edges around the outer areas of your painting. It may help to squint your eyes to identify the worst offenders. By softening a few edges and retaining some of the harder ones, you will be able to move the emphasis and strengthen the focal point.

Windbreaks, Sandsend Beach 1, gouache on Not watercolour paper 140lb (300gsm), 31/2391/2in (9325cm). The background darks were painted very quickly and, when dry, the hints of detail were overlaid carefully with lighter tones. The foreground was painted by using three or four variations of colour applied almost wetinto-wet. When dry, small flecks of light were added to suggest texture. The windbreaks were added last, using very simple, almost crude, blocks of colour

Autumn Field Near Malton, North Yorkshire, gouache on Arches Not paper, 7371/2in (18319cm). After applying a light coat of texture paste to the paper I began by introducing red and yellow washes over the entire surface. When dry the details were added using progressively thicker mixes of gouache. Finally, a little spatter was used to texture the foreground