7 Steps to Paint a Costumed Character in Gouache - Watts Weekly

Follow along with Jeff as he demonstrates how he’d work through painting of a costumed character in gouache. Here he paints an old cow hand he knew.
VIDEO CHAPTERS:
[00:26] - 1. Sketch a line drawing in pencil (H, HB, F)
[00:58] - 2. Wet the board. Add in diluted color stains.
[03:48] - 3. Lay the groundwork for some color harmonies.
[05:19] - 4. Develop the shadow pattern, what's lit/unlit.
[07:27] - 5. Establish the figure ground relationship.
[09:17] - 6. Add opacity to the core shadows. Develop tiles.
[13:18] - 7. Use water blending to finesse the edges.
Supplies:
Paints:
Winsor & Newton Gouache
Ivory Black
Titanium White
Ultramarine Blue
Cobalt Blue
Burnt Sienna
Yellow Ochre
Cadmium Yellow
Cadmium Yellow Light
Cadmium Orange
Flame Red
Cadmium Red
Pthalo Green
Olive Green
Brushes:
Robert Simmons Synthetic Sables
Rounds: 1,3,5
Flats: 1,3,5
Surface:
Crescent Illustration Board - Cold Pressed
Happy painting!
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Do you want to improve your figure drawing? Anatomy? Portraits? We would appreciate you stopping by the Watts Atelier website to see all the teaching that we offer. From courses on the Reilly Method, Figure Drawing, Bridgman Anatomy and Structural Drawing to portrait and figure painting we have you covered. Our Online school provides students of all levels with a solid curriculum to follow that will take you from a beginner artist to a highly proficient and if you have the dedication, a professional. Learn from illustrators and artists Jeff Watts, Erik Gist, Lucas Graciano, Ben M. Young, Meadow Gist, Robert Watts and more. We cover a wide variety of materials, mediums and techniques that you can use to help your learning. We hope to see you there!
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[@KennyGsca]

I hit “Like” so fast and hard I cracked my iPhone screen. A Watts video drop....”you just made my whole Month Jeff”

[@scottfitzgerald5352]

Im the only one who wants to see him doing those fricking pencil sketches? They are damn good.

[@jbyrd117]

I always tell students to draw what they see mixed with what they know. But now I am adding what they wish they saw! Great video

[@billsinclair313]

Jeff is one of the greatest artists of our time. He is right with Nicolas Fechin on my list!

[@valasafantastic1055]

You can also adjust the photo reference in an art program before viewing/ printing to work from. Lighten the shadows and even digitally paint in a bit. You can also photobash/collage/matte paint references together. Or view several and use your mind to take what you need from each. I often prefer multiple references. But it depends on what your doing. In the case of a study you can also focus on tonal value and use different colours! Gouache has become my favourite medium (tied with digital). I highly recommend people use mixed with watercolour and also get and use dollar store makeup brushes they are amazing you can do cool and very soft effect/blending!

[@tthomas184]

That's a great mini tutorial in its own right. Thanks!

[@roathripper]

love that dash of blue on the guys chest. great choices!

[@annabelablue]

“Part what you see, part what you know and part what you wish you saw.” Words of wisdom…!

[@TheRodmanu]

Wow, would love to see more gouache tutorials like this! Thank you I learned a lot.👍

[@user-ug9gw8lf1q]

Merci

[@Laoren69]

I cant say how grateful i am for this free content and my work has so immensely improved. To be honest, i feel guilty for not paying. I hope some day i can take the course and pay, as you already deserve the tuition for the free content. You are a real champion.

[@bryanmartin9420]

Excellent work Jeff,you are one hell of a illustrator!

[@omegaredtooth5104]

Really cool stuff! And I can totally see how this would conceptually crossover into the digital painting realm. Thanks for putting out all this good material!

[@phillipstroll7385]

With Hollywood going down the drain won't be much call for that. Thank God. Cgi is part of the reason why people stopped going to the movies.

[@INCWorks]

This is one of the most enlightening videos I've seen on painting technique. Kudos and thank you!

[@SebastianTinajero]

Again thank you so much for sharing this rich knowledge Jeff! Always a pleasure to watch. I love painting in gouache

[@deancampbell8856]

Thanks. This is just what I needed, Just in time, as I am illustrating my first Children's Book.

[@kimchee_9352]

I hope there will be a second part with tiat lady on the right side ^^

[@dotbase3PF]

The nostalgia on the music intro audio 🥂

[@aegresen]

Great tutorial as always! Wonder if Robert Watts would be willing to do a video, his gouache pieces are such an inspiration.

[@BlancaVarguesArt]

Amazing video, very nice and beautiful painting!!😍

[@wizardinstaller]

wow i love this video. i would love to see a video on how you mix and choose/match colours with gouache! i always struggle with matching references

[@ryanwurmser7231]

Awesome buddy! :)

[@louisianalevy7484]

What a wonderful informative video! I feel fired up to paint now ❤️❤️❤️

[@homosapien3132]

Thank you Jeff! Great video

[@Racheedean]

Amazing

[@esseetshay3996]

Thank you master ❤

[@DavidWoodArtist]

Amazing skill... thanks so much for sharing.

[@sidneikovacs5499]

Perfect. Wonderfull🙏🏿🙏🏿🙏🏿🙏🏿🙏🏿🙏🏿🙏🏿🙏🏿🙏🏿🙏🏿🙏🏿🏆🏆🏆

[@jakedenault3355]

Thanks Jeff!

[@freeloaderinmiyazaki]

Really great video! This is going to help me in a huge way on my path to using gouache for my primary medium in my comic book work. Thank you for this.

[@leemiller9486]

Great stuff! I learned so much! Good music!

[@silverbleed2284]

Loved this!

[@samankucher5117]

:0 excellent. and so much detail in a small drawing

[@hendrikbode933]

Wonderful work :)

[@rosatioilportraits3561]

I just discovered your channel! I am definitely subscribing with alerts! Great content, thank you!

[@IHS333]

Great educator !

[@priyajoshi2323]

so helpful, absolutely brilliant!

[@therealcapitanchile]

great!!

[@summerlakephotog8239]

Great instruction. They’re called “woolies” and they’re made from Angora Goats.

[@teodorivan9843]

Another great Vid!

[@alkorngrigA41]

Thank you for the lesson!

[@genreartwithjb5095]

The blue grass puts you in the headspace. Yes-haw!

[@mikelover8825]

How can I imagine the heat on the eggs, well, the drawing is really excellent.

[@tperi9116]

super !

[@petrstranik1770]

Hi guys! Stoked about the new video. However the music is distracting. I have always preferred your videos over Stan's because of the high tempo music. It's hard to chill while watching it. But at the end of the day this will be a lot about a personal preference and it will be hard for you to please everybody. For me though - without music - better.

[@vllad74]

Thank you!

[@DanCastelli78]

Nice!!

[@CARBONATED_SO-DA]

Great video 😔✨

[@josefmacichek99]

To make nice pale purple you take 2/3 dioxazine purple and mix in with 1/3 zinc white. Beutiful. Another very nice purple is Old Holland cad yellow middle PY35 and pthalo blue PB15. Oh what a nice bright purple that is... Snap out of it, huh?

[@tthomas184]

Great tips.

[@Andromeister27]

damn masterful!!!!!

[@samankucher5117]

awesome :)

[@vishtem33]

"H or F.. so you don't score the surface too much" I know some people have that problem, but I usually don't score the paper even with 6H, AFAICS. Is there something I'm missing here? Normally I only go hard if I want to flatten the grain of the paper. Nice to know about softer grades being more soluble, I'll have to experiment with that.

[@jbyrd117]

Sounds like you have a very light touch!

[@queenofscots839]

If you spray add a drop of dish soap will prevent beading

[@springthyme501]

Is Jeff resting his hand on the surface? I'm just starting to do phase 1 gouache and my arm fatigues rather quickly when I float my hand in the air. I'd like to know if that's okay or if I should learn to push through.

[@HajraMeeks]

You can rest your hand on the paper in areas that are dried or mostly dry with watercolor or gouache. They dry a lot faster than oils so floating your hand the whole time or a mahl stick aren't necessary with gouache. You can also use a drawing bridge if you need it, but I've found gouache dries fast enough that I can rest my hand on the paper often. Good luck!

[@tthomas184]

@@HajraMeeks I've heard oil or perspiration from the hand can interfere with paint adhesion, it probably differs according to the person. In addition to your suggestions, some people use a glove like that used in digital painting.

[@xsepticangelx]

What is that music in your intro? Great stuff on the painting

[@tiagodagostini]

The initial washes, could I use watercolor and only use Gouache for the opaque layer?

[@amritpalhh9836]

Amazing can you Do one on hands?

[@DPhasely]

What kind of board are you painting on?

[@Steelfingers]

Great video. You dont need to put music on top though.

[@necipdemirbuga7024]

Am I the only one who thinks that Jeff Watts and Peter Han speak the same way ?

[@barbaralevasseur2384]

hi Jeff, Great painting! What mat or paper are you using?

[@arcuda2001]

i believe he said it's illustration board 👍

[@barbaralevasseur2384]

@@arcuda2001 ok, thanks! that makes sense.

[@rashone2879]

Very nice demo on technique. Sorry, but music is too loud and competes with your voice.

[@ianvrhyn]

The background music is distracting especially for an hard of hearing person 😶

[@bozomahoney]

Music is distracting. Have to keep rewinding to listen to your voice

[@trudiatherton1633]

Hate the music over the top- too distracting, this is not a music video.

[@billfrater1948]

Nice work, Could well do without that annoying din though.

[@sujanithtottempudi2991]

Gouache should be dark to light isn't it? Why struggle light to dark like watercolour when you could do opposite easily.example....that jacket could be done dark first and then light highlights on it

[@carlkligerman1981]

I think the point of the technique is to build up to the darks. The lighter washes underneath will do more than is apparent on film to ‘unify’ your palette. As far as technicians go this guy is probably the best and most knowledgeable outside of the Russian academies so I don’t know, I would just more or less watch and learn.

[@sujanithtottempudi2991]

@@carlkligerman1981 True...he is exceptional..but wanted to keep it simple

[@HajraMeeks]

Gouache can be Additive (both dark to light and light to dark) and not just Subtractive (like transparent watercolor usually, and even watercolor can be tweaked to go both directions). Jeff is a pro with tons of experience, he can do both Additive and Subtractive with ease.

[@tthomas184]

I tend to agree. Imo, that jacket is needlessly busy , same with arm bands.. But that's his call, to each their own.

[@donovanfisher6945]

Stilted, motionless, small American. The more you watch people like this the further you will get from art. So small

[@tthomas184]

This is commercial illustration, not fine art with a capital A. Plus it's just a quick study. Your comment is petty.

[@riccia888]

Thanks for scamming us with your online class!

[@rottenpizza8800]

What? How?

[@riccia888]

@@rottenpizza8800 theres already a lot of discussions about that in the past videos. You just have to research about that.