Vintage Rose Painting Tutorial & How to Adapt Tutorials to YOUR Favorite Media!

Hi friends! We all have our favorite type of paint to use right? I get asked a lot to make acrylic painting tutorials and I do occasionally but honestly I like to use acrylics to base-coat things or for more crafty purposes rather than doing a full on painting with them. If I am going to paint a picture I am more likely to use watercolors, oils, pastels or (what I am going to demo today) gouache!

That might leave someone kinda bummed out waiting for their favorite medium to be used but don’t fret, you can adapt a tutorial to fit your needs. Let’s say you loved today’s tutorial and you think it would be pretty on a planter. Gouache would not be durable enough for exterior use nor would it be good in a moist environment such as a clay pot but you can totally use acrylics for this. You can use oils too, even pastel. I consider materials like that to be layering mediums. Those are paints (or pastels) that can be built up in opaque layers following the same steps. If you are an acrylic painter and you feel your paint is drying too quickly you can use a slow-dry or retarding medium to keep your paints wetter longer to make blends possible. That is a great medium to have because it makes it possible to do all of the oil painting tutorials out there. Go ahead, grab those acrylics and follow along with Bob Ross oil painting tutorials! One thing I have realized over the years is that I make better tutorials when I enjoy the products I am using. We all have different favorites because we all have different personalities. The important thing to realize is that you should use your favorite brand and your favorite medium and not feel pressured to use what I do. I have had acrylic painters say that they feel “snubbed” by my tutorials focusing on other media and I never intended anyone to feel that way. If you prefer acrylics you can paint with them when I do a gouache or oil tutorial, mediums were created so you can use the paint you love to get different effects. The most important thing is that we create with the materials we love to use, I think we can all agree to that!

Video Tutorial!

I am so happy I rediscovered Gouache! I have the convenience of laying my paint in a palette and if I don’t use it all up I can let it dry and spritz it with water and use it again. If you are purchasing gouache and you want to be able to rewet it as I did avoid “Acrylic Gouache” which is a matte, opaque acrylic paint. I actually like acrylic gouache but I make sure not to put out more than I can use up. That is a durable paint though so you could use it on any surface that you would use regular acrylic paint on but it does not rewet.

Supplies:

• Small synthetic brushes (flats, filberts, rounds)
• Gouache (I am using the LUKAS brand set of 12 I got at Jerry’s Artarama for $6.99 and I use red and yellow M Gram Gouache but use whatever paint you like, even watercolor crayons will work well)
• Surface: I am using a scrap of mat board (left over from picture framing) but stiff paper will work too

Tips:

• Unused paint can be reused, simply spray your palette about 10 minutes before you start painting and it will work great!
• You can rework an area even after the paint is dry, simply use a clean damp flat brush to smooth and blend an area.
• Gouache can be used over watercolor paintings to correct mistakes or add dimension.

The other thing I like about traditional designers gouache is that it is a great bridge for watercolor painters wanting to branch out as regular gouache is simply an opaque watercolor.  I love that I can squeeze it on my palette and keep using it until it is gone, or as Ron Ronco would say “set it and forget it!” LOL  🙂 We all have quirks and roadblocks when we create, I hate waste and fiddling with tubes. Once I am in the zone I don’t want to stop and squeeze out more paint. My friend Kathy laughs at me because I remove lids and latches from drawers can caddys because I want super quick access to all of my supplies. You might like everything neat and tidy and out of sight and enjoy putting out fresh paint every time you sit down to create and that is totally fine and valid too. I think the path to creating regularly is identifying these traits and working with our personalities and not against them. That is why we have so many choices when it comes to art making, it’s not so we become overwhelmed, it is so we can find just the right fit for us. Use what you have and use what you like, that’s what I’m gonna do and I hope you do too:) Happy crafting!