Hanging Pothos Plant | Gouache Sketchbook Practice

Welcome back to my gouache sketchbook practice series!

Okay, so tube gouache. Total game changer.

For this painting I decided to skip the pan palette and go straight for the tubes, and honestly it made such a huge difference. Previously I was constantly fussing with water ratios trying to rewet dried paint. This time the color went down opaque and smooth right away. I don't know why it took me this long to just squeeze paint directly onto my palette like a normal person. 😄

This painting is a hanging pothos plant which one of my favorite houseplants!

Now, about that background. Yes, it's very yellow. VERY yellow. I had planned on mixing it to be a nice pale shade but I ran out of white gouache. And my light green? Dried out in the tube. So I just rolled with what I had. I kind of love how bold and vibrant it turned out.

Brush-wise, I learned that my round brush is really not my friend for painting leaves. I guess I don’t know how to use it. I don’t even use a round brush when I oil paint. A small flat and angle brush worked way better for those shapes. And my liner brush absolutely saved the detail work at the end.

This is my third gouache painting and I feel like i’m getting more comfortable with this medium. That's really all I'm going for, just small paintings, slow progress, and enjoying the process. It’s really just an opportunity to paint more.

And speaking of progress, I've been eyeing a new set of gouache. 👀 No spoilers yet, but I'm this close to pulling the trigger. Stay tuned!

Thanks for following along!

Materials used:

  • Artist's Loft 5x7 Watercolor Sketchbook

  • Princeton Aqua Elite brushes

  • Holbein Tube Gouache: Permanent Yellow, Titanium White, Turquoise Blue, Lemon Yellow, Viridian

If you’d like to see my previous gouache sketchbook practice examples you can find them here:

Trying Gouache Again - Tiny Strawberry Painting

Learning Gouache - Study Session



paintingapril bernart, gouacheComment