I’m working on a book about animals and their special powers. For this series, I created two sets of 26 illustrations–the first using gouache and the second, watercolor and gouache. Gouache (pronounced gwash) is similar to watercolor but has more pigment with added chalk, and therefore is more opaque than watercolor.
Here are the gouache (with painted frame) and watercolor-and-gouache illustrations of a crab that has power over robots. The series of gouache illustrations can be found in the Gallery under Illustrations.
Robot Power Gouache Illustration
Robot Power Watercolor and Gouache
The following is a step-by-step demonstration of an illustration from drawing to final re-inking, which took about 11 hours to complete.
1. Draw and ink the figures and horizon line.
2. Put a mask over the figures and work on the background. The mask will protect areas from paint.
3. Add specks on the beach with black and silver gel pens. Paint the ocean with Pthalo Blue gouache and dry with a hair dryer.
4. Paint the ocean with Cerulean Blue gouache and dry.
5. With a spray bottle filled with water, spray away the paint in the ocean, and dry.
6. Paint dark waves with Primary Blue gouache, and dry. The white is the paper showing through.
7. Paint the beach with Light Gray gouache, dry, and then paint with Titanium White watercolor.
8. Dry the beach with textured paper towel and then paint sparingly with Perylene Maroon and Primary Blue gouache, and dry.
9. Spray out paint on the beach and then add specks with black gel pen, and dry.
10. Paint waves on the shore with Titanium White watercolor, and dry.
11. Completed beach and ocean.
12. Paint shadows using Tint watercolor.
13. Remove the mask on the figures with an eraser.
14. Paint the crab using Winsor Yellow, Cadmium Yellow, Golden Yellow, Cadmium Orange, and Cadmium Red watercolors; Cadmium Orange gouache; and Tint watercolor for shadows. Dry between each color.
15. Paint the robots with Perylene Maroon, Cadmium Orange, and Yellow Ochre gouache; Tint watercolor; and highlight with silver gel pen. Dry between each color.
16. Re-inked crab
17. Re-inked Robot 1
18. Re-inked Robot 2
19. Re-inked Robot 3
20. Finished illustration
Photo Credit: All photos by Amy A. Rudberg, unless otherwise indicated.