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.
The following is a step-by-step demonstration of an illustration from drawing to final re-inking, which took about 11 hours to complete.

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.

8. Dry the beach with textured paper towel and then paint sparingly with Perylene Maroon and Primary Blue gouache, and dry.

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.
Photo Credit: All photos by Amy A. Rudberg, unless otherwise indicated.