Two days is hardly a week, but my arbitrary posting schedule demands a post every Thursday. I thrive under schedules and deadlines, even if they’re self imposed.
There is a steep learning curve to any new medium, and gouache is no exception. While my first painting wasn’t a total flop, I over worked it and struggled in general. However, I think my main struggle was with the use of round brushes. For day two I found a flat brush to work with and the whole process went a lot smoother for me. Clearly, I have a brush preference. I almost exclusively use flats when oil painting so it makes sense to use them in gouache too.
I did the whole background in the first painting, but I think I won’t do backgrounds for the majority of these small studies. I like how clean no background looks. Less painting also means less stress too. I’m trying to do everything I can to make this as easy for myself as possible.
With ease in mind, my time commitment is much lower with these studies. Typically, for an oil painting of similar size, I spend up to three hours working on it. Three hours a day for 30 days can be exhausting, but less than an hour each day is much more manageable.
So far, so good. I sat down and painted which is the goal. Hopefully the paintings themselves will improve with more practice. Follow me on Instagram @amber.honour. There I’ll be posting a new painting each day.