10 URBAN SKETCHING Tips! | GOUACHE Plein Air Cityscape

[@lewisartuk]

Great video Danny. I have never tried gouache. How does it compare to oils? I really like your commentary and the tips was a nice touch too. Thank you for your inspiration and likewise for your support on my channel. You are truly an artist I enjoy and respect in the KZbin art community.

[@DannySabraArt]

Thanks Robin! You might really like gouache. It’s a little different from oils because they dry rather quickly. But this is not too bad because you can always rewet them and blend later if you need too. The benefit of the drying is that you can do layers and build up texture. I also like this because it lets me easily correct mistakes. You also get some of the benefit of watercolor in that you can use it transparently too. So it’s very versatile. Other benefits of gouache is that it’s easy to photograph (and film) because it’s matte there’s no glare. But really I just enjoy the simplicity of it compared to oils. And I find one strengthens the other. I still pint dark to light and all the things I would normally do in oils. Check out Heather Ihn Martin. She plein air paints with oils and gouache and I usually can’t tell the difference so you really can get similar results. Another medium that’s like gouache but more like oils in consistency is Casein. I’ve been toying with dabbling with it more. Some people use casein to underpainting before coming over the top with oils in the studio. I appreciate your kind words! Your channel is really cool and I feel like you’re showing people that it’s not too hard to get a start with plein air. That’s so valuable. I always thought I couldn’t do art because I wasn’t talented enough till someone made me realize anyone can do it with a little practice. I think you’re really offering that message to people and it’s very valuable. So keep up the great work!

[@EvieVermont]

Yea, I liked the tip about doing the larger stuff first then doing the smaller stuff to detail it in

[@DannySabraArt]

Thanks Evie! 🙏

[@marywilliamson2559]

Loved the finished painting, just the overall effect of the light and small details like the flowers. Thanks for sharing

[@DannySabraArt]

Wow. Thank you Mary for your kind words! Happy sketching!

[@bobbytirlea]

A vibrant and pleasing piece of art!

[@DannySabraArt]

Thank you so much Bobby! 🙏

[@tali_vanderkat]

I love your process videos! This is such a complicated scene, you did a great job painting it!

[@DannySabraArt]

Thank you! I should be getting another process video out this weekend!

[@stargazingrainstorms]

Love these tips! I'll be traveling soon and hope to have lots of urban sketching opportunities!

[@DannySabraArt]

Awesome! Take advantage and have fun! Some of my favorite paintings were travel sketches. Great way to capture and make memories!

[@lefthandstory1280]

Love it😃awesome friend😃❤️....😃👍.❤️..

[@DannySabraArt]

Thank you!

[@seanwhener4279]

Loved this! Great video!

[@DannySabraArt]

Thanks Sean!

[@b3n3d1ct10n]

Great job Danny - beautiful fresh painting!

[@DannySabraArt]

Thanks so much Fiona! I enjoyed this one!

[@GMammanoArt]

Love your video you really explain everything very good

[@DannySabraArt]

Thanks man! I appreciate it!

[@veronicagreen6180]

Great video!,, love it!,,

[@DannySabraArt]

Thank you!

[@clevepage]

Great job Danny. It's beautiful and those are some great tips as well.

[@DannySabraArt]

Thanks Cleve!!

[@JaredCullum]

Turned out fantastic! Enjoyed the video :)

[@DannySabraArt]

Thanks Jared! I appreciate it!

[@jeroen9637]

That is nice work! About applying the wrong colour. Gouache is reasonably forgiving. If this happens with just water colour you're screwed. I use a similar pallet as you have and I have a piece of cardboard with WC paper around it taped to the top half tot test every newly mixed colour :)

[@DannySabraArt]

That’s a really great point. I could’ve elaborated a bit for other mediums. I do think there’s something to be said on not giving up if you do make a mistake. I’ve done that a lot when doing ink and wash. Sometimes my hand slips or something. But you can try to incorporate it or just accept the imperfection. It’s all about the experience you know? Maybe I’ll have to talk about that in another video. Your tip on having a scrap paper is a great idea though. I could see that really working well for any painting medium to check your colors. Takes more time but you get more accurate results.

[@DannySabraArt]

That’s a really great point. I could’ve elaborated a bit for other mediums. I do think there’s something to be said on not giving up if you do make a mistake. I’ve done that a lot when doing ink and wash. Sometimes my hand slips or something. But you can try to incorporate it or just accept the imperfection. It’s all about the experience you know? Maybe I’ll have to talk about that in another video. Your tip on having a scrap paper is a great idea though. I could see that really working well for any painting medium to check your colors. Takes more time but you get more accurate results.

[@tarias_sketchy_adventures]

Awesome painting Danny! I really want to try more plein-air with gouache....do you have any tips for keeping the paint moist? Mine seems to dry out quite quick....it's a pretty dry/warm climate here, maybe that's why...?

[@DannySabraArt]

Thanks so much Taria! I know what you mean about it drying out. Sometimes I get a little lazy about it. There’s a couple things you can do. The biggest one that helps if you’re ok squeezing fresh paint out each time is to wet a strip of paper towel or a rag and put your paint dabs on there. That will pretty much keep them moist for your whole painting session. The downside is that you may waste some paint but it depends. Another option is to spritz your paint throughout the session, this is what I do now since I have a palette that seals and keeps the paint wet and fresh for extended periods. Even so sometimes it will still dry because different pigments dry at different speeds. Worst case you can reactivate it with water. It seems only truly difficult if the paint has completely dried. Then it can be a little tough although still doable. Just not as nice. I once did a painting in the summer in Montana and the climate was so dry the pigment would dry on the brush before I could get it on the page! Adding more water to your mixes helps if it’s that dry.

[@omnesilere]

Just wanted to let you know that the Robert Simmons synthetic white sable brushes are brilliant for gouache :) Keep up the good work buddy. Thanks for sharing.

[@DannySabraArt]

I will have to check those out! I’ve been really into Princeton brushes lately. They’re a little pricier but the quality seems ridiculously good. I like how they hold water and how springy they are.

[@phisquared6187]

Thanks once again Danny. Your plein air videos are so motivating! Can I ask what is the metal panel holder you,ve got there on top of the tripod? It seems very steady even at extented height. I could do with an upgrade from my more wobbly setup!

[@DannySabraArt]

Thank you! The panel holder I have is made by guerrilla painter (the flex panel holder no. 17) it’s very overpriced and it’s not worth what they charge for it but I found that out after I bought it and used it. I think what makes this less wobbly is my new tripod also not cheap but not too bad. It’s made by Dolica and was around $70. That’s a lot less wobbly than my older setup with a $20 tripod from Amazon. I’m actually wanting to upgrade to a lightweight system so I can backpack and paint. I’ve heard good things about U.Go Pochade boxes although they limit the size you can paint (may not be a big issue) also I’ve ordered a Daytripper Easel from Prolific Painter but it’s taken a long time (almost two months now) and I haven’t gotten it yet so I may end up canceling that order. Not sure. I know people who have their easels really like them though. Ultimately you’re probably best off building your own like seen here. The only thing keeping me from doing that is I have no tools so if I invested in them I’d be out the same amount of money anyways as just buying one. kzbin.info/www/bejne/iJqydmCkrrd0ncU hope that helps!

[@phisquared6187]

@@DannySabraArt I think there should be a size of profile aluminium that can be adapted to do this and still not weigh too much. Can't be box/rectangular section because the clamp threads would crush it when tightening to lock the panel support. Possibly balsa wood with fibreglass wrapped around it and a crushresistant hard wood plug where the bolts go through. I will make a palette (for oils) something like that link and do a DIY job out of it. Should be a fun project. Thx for your reply.

[@DannySabraArt]

@@phisquared6187 absolutely. If you’re set up with tools I think it’s much more economical to build your own. Good luck!

[@Vladimok]

Thank you for this video. What is the format of your notebook ?

[@DannySabraArt]

This is a watercolor block of Windsor and Newton watercolor paper size 7x10”. I review that paper in depth in this video here if you’re interested kzbin.info/www/bejne/jKrTqJtoitKfmpY

[@Vladimok]

@@DannySabraArt Thank you

[@DannySabraArt]

@@Vladimok absolutely.

[@sujanithtottempudi2991]

Can we use linseed oil inside brush pen instead of water and use oil paints? Comment please

[@DannySabraArt]

@@sujanithtottempudi2991 possibly, but I’d have to try it. I think it would be difficult to control the flow of oil. When I paint I don’t need very much oil. Also I also need a brush that is more stiff than the average water brush. But you could always experiment and find out!

[@Vladimok]

As gouache dries quickly, what is the ideal paper size?

[@DannySabraArt]

It’s true gouache can dry quickly but it can also be reactivated with water so in truth you can paint on any size surface you’d like. I’ve heard others before have a great concern about paper size and I’m not sure who is going around warning people about size but there is no technical consideration on this point that I’m aware of. So if you want to decide how big to paint it’s more of a practical consideration. How long do you want to spend painting? What size brushes do you have? I’ve seen other painter paint quite large with gouache however I tend to paint 8x10”, and 5x7” and occasionally smaller because I want to do only a quick sketch and because if I sell a piece it’s easier to sell a smaller painting for less money than a large painting. My advice is think about what size you’d like to do from a practical standpoint and go from there. Good luck!

[@Vladimok]

@@DannySabraArt Thank you

[@DannySabraArt]

@@Vladimok no problem

[@Vladimok]

What brand of gouache do you use ?

[@DannySabraArt]

I use Windsor and Newton. Some people don’t like it but there’s plenty of professionals who like using it like Tiffany Mang and Heather Inh Martin. I think it has professional quality pigment and it’s not overly expensive. I like it a lot.

[@n.b1913]

✌🏻👍

[@DannySabraArt]

Thanks!

[@Vladimok]

What brand of gouache do you use? What do you think is the most interesting medium between watercolour, gouache and acrylic that can replace oil that I have to stop using because of an allergy? I have tried watercolour, gouache and acrylics and I can't decide which one to use. ----- Quelle marque de gouache utilisez-vous ? Quel est selon vous le médium plus intéressant entre l'aquarelle, la gouache et l'acrylique qui peu remplacer l'huile que je dois arrêter à cause d'une allergie ? J'ai testé l'aquarelle, la gouache et l'acrylique je n'arrive pas à faire mon choix.

[@DannySabraArt]

Well there are a couple directions you can go with that. Gouche can be good because you can paint opaquely but also keep the paint open since it reactivates with water. You can also blend unlike watercolor. However if you want that transparent look that watercolors achieve you can also get that with gouche. So I really like it. Look into the art of Heather Ihn Martin. She paints in oils and in gouache and I can hardly tell the difference between her gouache paintings and her oil paintings. So you can get the oil look with gouache to an extent. Acrylics can also be a good alternative to oils especially if you want the long blending time oils give. There’s a brand of acrylics called Open Acrylics by Golden. They stay open for several hours so you can paint plein air with them and get many of the blending options that you can get with oils. You can also get Open Medium or Retarder to add to normal acrylic paint and make it stay wet and open for hours as well that way. Lastly you might look into Casein. It’s like a combination between acrylic and gouache. It is milk based and has a similar consistency as oils but it dries similar to acrylic. Depending on what your allergy is you could still make oil painting work as well. If you’re allergic to the solvents you can absolutely paint without solvents by just using oil to clean with. They also make water soluble oil paints and I know many people who prefer this to acrylic because of its long open time. Lastly if your allergy is indeed to the oil itself like linseed oil, there are some brands that make paint with other oils like walnut which you may be fine with. Look into water soluble oil paints. I’d hate for you to have to give up something you’re passionate about. But also check into the other mediums. I do like water color but it is dramatically different from painting in oils and I find it not as forgiving. You may end up like me and enjoy them all for their own merits. Let me know how you turn out and if any of these work for you.

[@Vladimok]

@@DannySabraArt Thank you for your detailed answer. I have used water soluble oils as well. There are other types that you mention that I didn't know about. In addition to the allergic problem, there is also the problem of the drying time, which has become too long for me, and which causes me a space problem. It is that watercolour does not allow mistakes, like gouache, which allows repeats. I would like to move on to smaller and faster formats. ----- Merci pour votre réponse détaillé. Les huiles soluble à l'eau je l'ai utilise également. Il y a d'autres types que vous citez que je ne connaissais pas. je vais voir cela. En plus du problème allergique, il y a aussi le problème du temps de séchage, qui est devenu trop long pour moi, et qui me pause un problème de place. Il est que l'aquarelle ne permet pas les erreurs, comme la gouache, qui permet les reprises. Je souhaite passé maintenant sur des formats plus petit et rapide de réalisation.

[@DannySabraArt]

@@Vladimok it’s my pleasure. If you want a quicker drying time then you might enjoy acrylics! To me it’s just that they sometimes seem to dry TOO fast. With regards to watercolor, yes there are ways to make corrections but it’s not as forgiving as gouache and there aren’t do overs in the same way that you can just paint over what you painted. With the drying time with oils if you’re allergic to solvents Gamblin makes a Solven Free Gel which does speed up drying time however it has no solvents and is used by many who have allergies. I have started using it as an alternative to Liquin (which does have solvent) I haven’t had problems with liquin outdoors and it speeds drying times dramatically which is nice for plein air, but the odor is strong indoors and I don’t want to develop and allergy. Plus I feel that if you can smell the odor that’s probably a bad sign when it comes to toxicity. So in the end there are options for you my friend! I’d say maybe buy a black and white in any paint medium you want to try. That way if you don’t like it it won’t be too great of an expense. But If you do like it, you will use those colors anyway and black and white is great for tonal studies. I started out in watercolor, then acrylic, then oil, then gouache and finally casein. I think my favorite right now is gouache and oil but I still experiment with casein and acrylic and I did a lot of sketches with watercolor because it is so easy to set up and clean up and great for travel sketching and urban sketching. So there are benefits to each one.