Oh My Gouache! | Bible Journaling with Gouache

Hello Friends! I hope I find you well! I’m really excited to bring you a post about Bible Journaling with gouache. Now, you may be asking yourself “What is gouache?” or more likely “how do you pronounce gouache?” Well that’s what I’m here for today! While I don’t claim to be an expert, I’ve recently discovered this medium and have been having a fun time testing it out and experimenting with it so I could share with you all.

First of all, it’s pronounced “gwash.” I figure if you’re going to keep reading the word, you might like to know how to pronounce it in your head. When I’ve seen it in the past, I always thought it sounded more french, like “gosh” with a long o. But that’s not the way of it. “Gwash” it is. Now do you get my title? I was feeling proud of that pun so I needed to point it out in case anyone missed it.

What is gouache?

So, what is gouache you ask? Well, it’s a type of paint that could be simply explained as a hybrid of watercolor and acrylic. I’m sure there is a fancier way of explaining it, but for me that works well. Gouache works well when watered down like watercolors, but has higher pigmentation than watercolor, therefore you can get a more acrylic look if desired. Depending on the amount of water you use, you can achieve a more watercolor or acrylic look. It has a matte, almost chalky texture. However, unlike some of my cheaper watercolors that get chalky when dry, it doesn’t chip away or come off when you touch it.

A couple other things that separate it from watercolor or acrylic: You aren’t locked into the working from light to dark as you would be with watercolor. You can add lighter details on top of darker colors if you want. It also dries fairly quickly, so you can add lighter details without much wait time, whereas acrylic takes a bit longer to dry. You can also re-wet it after it has dried on your palette and use it- you can’t do that with acrylic. It’s nice to know you can get your money’s worth, since it does come in smaller tubes and it costs a little more than some paints you can get at your craft store.

What I’ve tried…

I’ve been trying the Reeves brand. So far I’m enjoying them, but I’ve never used another brand so I can’t really say much as far as comparisons go. They were $14 at my local Michael’s store and I used a 50% off coupon, so I actually ended up with a pretty great deal. Which reminds me, if you’re always on the hunt for a good deal when supply shopping, check out my post from last month: Bible Journaling on a Budget.

All the pictures posted today are pages I have used gouache on. You can definitely see how it could be confused for either watercolor in some and acrylic in others! They definitely still give a wrinkled page effect, like watercolor would, but I’ve learned to not be bothered by that.

*Spoiler Alert* (But really you want this spoiler…)

I’ve also had a chance to use it for some other projects like this beautiful floral alphabet. *Spoiler Alert* This alphabet will be available for purchase as a printable or physical cutouts in the shop on Monday. I’ll also throw in a picture of the watercolor “He is Risen” I did in my Bible that was the inspiration for these alphas. I actually ended up preferring the gouache alphabet to the original ones I did with watercolor. I was able to add more detail and get more precise lines. What do you think?

Overall, I am loving these paints and will definitely continue to make use of them. I hope you enjoyed learning all about gouache. Have you ever used gouache? Comment below and let us know your favorite way to use it. Also, please be sure to share any creations you have made with gouache and tag us on social media so we can see @faithheirlooms #faithhierlooms