Winsor & Newton Gouache. Opaque watercolors used by designers , artists, architects, airbrush, and calligraphy. 4 ml tubes, Blacks and Whites available in 37ml tube, Gold and Silver available in 30ml tubes.
Gouache is both a technique and a product. The technique, dating back to before the renaissance, refers to the use of white to achieve opacity in water based colours.
Opaque techniques were popularised by the Impressionists and Post-Impressionists, in their use of pastel, lithography and wood cuts.
Gouache, the product, was a result of this interest in both opaque and water based products.
Poster colour appeared after the first world war and this was significantly improved upon with the introduction of DesignersÆ Opaque Water Colour in the 1930Æs.
Technique vs. Product The technique of adding white is known as body colour. You can do this with acrylic or water colour. Although with some colours you will get the effect of brilliance with the addition of white, you will be severely limited in subsequent colour mixing as a result of the colours being tints.
The best gouache is not manufactured by adding white but by using an extremely high level of pigmentation. This leaves the artist free to add white themselves or colour mix as theyÆd expect in other media. Cheaper gouache colours are made opaque by the addition of white extenders and this will affect your colour mixing too.
