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Oh My Gouache!: The Beginner's Guide to Painting with Opaque Watercolour
Welcome to the wonderful world of painting with gouache, with the creative guidance of popular artist and illustrator Zoe Ingram .
In this comprehensive beginner's guide, Zoe shares everything she possibly can about getting started with gouache painting. Why gouache? Because this exciting paint medium creates opaque effects making it more vibrant and graphic than traditional watercolours, meaning you can layer it, paint on dark backgrounds and much more.
Gouache is one of the easiest of paint mediums to use. It’s very forgiving and fun to use and is also versatile. Gouache paint can mimic watercolour and can give the opacity of oil paint if used with less water. You can use it to paint large, smooth, flat blocks of background colour and the finest lines and details. Gouache paint also dries quickly too, which is a big bonus!
Starting at the very start, Zoe takes you through the basics and explains what tools and materials you’ll need, then explores a wide range of techniques and finally, there are a host of fun and vibrant step-by-step projects that you can follow along with or use as a springboard for your own ideas.
Zoe Ingram’s distinctive art makes this book a visual treat, as she shows you how she paints a variety of subjects, from birds and bugs, to flowers and foliage, to abstract collages, hand lettering and patterns. Along the way you’ll learn about colour theory, colour mixing, sketching, washes, mark making, line work, overlaying, working on dark backgrounds, how to get crisp edges, how to add details, different approaches to collage and even how to digitise your work so that you can create repeat patterns and custom prints.
In the projects section you can follow along step-by-step as Zoe paints a very handsome pheasant, a funky beetle pattern, a trendy houseplant, colourful caterpillars, bright butterflies, jumbled geometric patterns, a striking owl, pretty florals, creative lettering, a curious cat and a free-flow abstract floral piece – after which there will be no stopping you!
Beautifully illustrated, expertly explained and a riot of colour, this book will kickstart your love affair with gouache, so all that's left is deciding how to pronounce it... “gooash”...“gwash”...“goo-uhsh”?!
In this comprehensive beginner's guide, Zoe shares everything she possibly can about getting started with gouache painting. Why gouache? Because this exciting paint medium creates opaque effects making it more vibrant and graphic than traditional watercolours, meaning you can layer it, paint on dark backgrounds and much more.
Gouache is one of the easiest of paint mediums to use. It’s very forgiving and fun to use and is also versatile. Gouache paint can mimic watercolour and can give the opacity of oil paint if used with less water. You can use it to paint large, smooth, flat blocks of background colour and the finest lines and details. Gouache paint also dries quickly too, which is a big bonus!
Starting at the very start, Zoe takes you through the basics and explains what tools and materials you’ll need, then explores a wide range of techniques and finally, there are a host of fun and vibrant step-by-step projects that you can follow along with or use as a springboard for your own ideas.
Zoe Ingram’s distinctive art makes this book a visual treat, as she shows you how she paints a variety of subjects, from birds and bugs, to flowers and foliage, to abstract collages, hand lettering and patterns. Along the way you’ll learn about colour theory, colour mixing, sketching, washes, mark making, line work, overlaying, working on dark backgrounds, how to get crisp edges, how to add details, different approaches to collage and even how to digitise your work so that you can create repeat patterns and custom prints.
In the projects section you can follow along step-by-step as Zoe paints a very handsome pheasant, a funky beetle pattern, a trendy houseplant, colourful caterpillars, bright butterflies, jumbled geometric patterns, a striking owl, pretty florals, creative lettering, a curious cat and a free-flow abstract floral piece – after which there will be no stopping you!
Beautifully illustrated, expertly explained and a riot of colour, this book will kickstart your love affair with gouache, so all that's left is deciding how to pronounce it... “gooash”...“gwash”...“goo-uhsh”?!
- GenresArtNonfiction
123 pages, Kindle Edition
Published March 9, 2021
89 people are currently reading
58 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
August 24, 2025
Nice book for beginners!
This book covers a lot of the techniques (as well as materials, etc) for using gouache! It is expressed in simple terms which greatly eliminates any nervousness on starting a new art medium. After giving a thorough itemization and illustrations, it goes into several step by step projects. Gouache seems to be used as a more whimsical approach which is evidenced in the projects. They are all very cute and would look wonderful on greeting cards, hanging art or a multitude of other objects!
This book covers a lot of the techniques (as well as materials, etc) for using gouache! It is expressed in simple terms which greatly eliminates any nervousness on starting a new art medium. After giving a thorough itemization and illustrations, it goes into several step by step projects. Gouache seems to be used as a more whimsical approach which is evidenced in the projects. They are all very cute and would look wonderful on greeting cards, hanging art or a multitude of other objects!
January 25, 2022
I’ve wanted to learn how to use gouache for years now. I don’t have a background in painting, though, so it seemed so daunting (online tutorials always assume you’re coming in from watercolor or acrylic). This book was in my library system when I finally got the bright idea of looking for print books, and I’m not sure there could be a better introduction to gouache.
The author, Zoë Ingram, talks about materials needed, briefly covers color theory, and then gets into the main two categories: the techniques she personally uses (which are all incredibly helpful; for example, I’ve seen the end result of using masking fluid but didn’t actually know what masking fluid was) and projects, in which she takes you step by step through several of her own works, taking time to explain each part. She also talks about making collages, using gouache with other mediums, and digitizing your work.
The illustrations are lovely, the explanations concise but understandable, and the book overall makes the process of painting with gouache so much less intimidating. The only criticism I could make is that the text is rather small on some of the pages, especially compared to the blank space around it. A very minor criticism. Some of her projects and techniques and styles aren’t my thing, but that’s to be expected in art; the author even says to take what you want or need from her processes and discard the rest. I look forward to trying out her exercises and seeing what comes of it!
The author, Zoë Ingram, talks about materials needed, briefly covers color theory, and then gets into the main two categories: the techniques she personally uses (which are all incredibly helpful; for example, I’ve seen the end result of using masking fluid but didn’t actually know what masking fluid was) and projects, in which she takes you step by step through several of her own works, taking time to explain each part. She also talks about making collages, using gouache with other mediums, and digitizing your work.
The illustrations are lovely, the explanations concise but understandable, and the book overall makes the process of painting with gouache so much less intimidating. The only criticism I could make is that the text is rather small on some of the pages, especially compared to the blank space around it. A very minor criticism. Some of her projects and techniques and styles aren’t my thing, but that’s to be expected in art; the author even says to take what you want or need from her processes and discard the rest. I look forward to trying out her exercises and seeing what comes of it!
August 8, 2024
"Oh My Gouache!: The Beginner's Guide to Painting with Opaque Watercolour" by Zoe Ingram is a visually stunning and highly instructive guide for anyone interested in exploring gouache painting. The book is filled with vibrant illustrations and detailed step-by-step projects that cater to beginners. However, I found myself needing more basic instructions on achieving fine details, as my brushwork did not match the book's examples. The projects are diverse and enjoyable, though an organization by difficulty level would have been helpful. Overall, it's a fantastic resource for novice artists wanting to delve into gouache.
May 1, 2024
Oh My Gouache! Penned by Zoe Ingram is a beginner’s guide to a technique of painting with opaque watercolors. This book serves as a great introduction to this style of painting. The illustrations and the explanations allow a beginner to garner the confidence to experiment and practice in this style.
November 2, 2021
It was nice to learn the basics of gouache. The book is beautiful and colourful and a great introduction.
May 22, 2022
Great book! Love the lessons, they’re easy to follow and they’re fun to paint! This is my first time using gauche and it really taught me about the medium and how yo get started. Highly recommend!
February 21, 2022
Loved this. Perfect for beginners, with a few great beginner projects.
October 9, 2022
harumph
This is a disappointingly general approach to painting with gouache. My main complaint is that the instruction found in this book could easily apply to almost any paint medium. i’d really hoped this would be more specific to gouache.
This is a disappointingly general approach to painting with gouache. My main complaint is that the instruction found in this book could easily apply to almost any paint medium. i’d really hoped this would be more specific to gouache.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews