I have been meaning to write a post about this for some time but now seems perfect as a lot of you are in self isolation and you maybe have a bit of time on your hands. If you have always wanted to have a go at this then now is the time. There are some fantastic resources to help you too.
I brought two fabulous books “Get Up & Gouache” by Jessica Smith and another one “Gouache – An artist’s guide to painting with gouache on the go!” by Agathe Singer. Have a look at Jessica’s artwork on Instagram and she also does some IGTV tutorials @jessica_smith_illustration. I have also listed below a couple more books that I used to help me draw every day.
To start you need some gouache paints. I use Windsor and Newton and some paper that is at least 200gsm thick. You can use watercolour brushes for gouache as its water based. To help you to know what to paint I tend to find everyday objects to draw, and I collect colour schemes and items from magazines. Pinterest is great for creating collections of things. Go have a look at my Pinterest @lomondpaperco for some ideas. Once you have collected some items and colour schemes it’s just about having the confidence to give things a go. This is the BIG thing don’t worry about how it looks just have a go and don’t worry about it.
To find your style I suggest just practicing and following artists that you admire and having a go at different styles and it will evolve over time. I also suggest copying and tracing over people’s work it helps you understand how to paint. As long as you don’t use the work commercially it’s fine to copy. It’s how you learn.
I must admit I work digitally a lot now. I use my iPad Pro and Procreate to create most of my designs. I have a gouache set of brushes which I downloaded on creative market. These do take some practice though and yet again it’s just playing around with them.
The main thing is though that you have fun and enjoy it. Happy painting x
List of books you may find useful for helping you draw and paint:
- “Draw Ever Little Thing" - Flora Waycott
- “Fearless Drawing – Illustrated Adventures for Overcoming Adversity” by Kerry Lemon
- “Get Up & Gouache” by Jessica Smith
- “Gouache – An artist’s guide to painting with gouache on the go!” by Agathe Singer