Gouache for Illustration (Paperback)

~ (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

Gouache is one of the most ancient and versatile of painting mediums. Not only is gouache relied on by watercolour artists to add colour and highlights to their paintings, it is also the primary painting medium of designers, illustrators, and graphic artists. Rob Howard's "Gouache for Illustration" shows artists all the basic tools and techniques needed for handling this medium. The book also includes advanced illustrating techniques, including methods for achieving the special effects and textures that gouache is noted for, such as glass and silver. Step-by-step demonstrations are provided for all the major art and design disciplines where gouache is commonly used as the medium of choice. These range from scientific, automotive, and children's illustration to hyper-realistic fantasy art and photorealistic fine art.

Product Details

• Paperback: 144 pages
• Publisher: Watson-Guptill (August 1, 1993)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0823021653
• ISBN-13: 978-0823021659
• Product Dimensions: 9.9 x 7.1 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #783,200 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

34 of 34 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Sound technical advice, and not just for illustrators., September 5, 1999

By A Customer

This book is an excellent introduction to the best techniques for painting in gouache, also known as opaque watercolor. Gouache has been a standard medium for illustrators for generations, yet it is not often taught in American art schools. It also has been used by fine artists for centuries. Gouache is remarkably easy to use, has low toxicity and is easy to clean up. Considering all that, it is amzing how little information about is available for professional artists.

Howard's book goes a long way toward correcting the problem. He explains how to select the right type of paint for your project, reviews several different brands of paint, and gives sound advice on color mixing. Even if you don't want to use opaque watercolor, the book is worth buying just for Howard's chapter on "Color Theories That Don't Work."

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent!, November 28, 2006

By	Bettaman "hulabetta" (Colorado Springs, CO USA) - See all my reviews

This is almost the only book you'll need to get started with gouache. As the medium of such outstanding artists as the late Bob Peak and industrial design master Syd Mead, gouache has so many possibilities IF you can learn how to use it and this book will tell you exactly how to get started! Be sure to do the exercises, get some decent sable brushes, and use one of the quality gouaches listed. Winsor Newton is pricey but Holbein's Acryla gouache is incredible once you figure out their color names (not standard like W&N or Holbeins standard gouache). His basic color palletes are a great start & his recommendation of the Quiller color wheel is right on. There is a new Quiller wheel out but the one in the book will not lead you astray. Study(!) the sections on color and color mixing and you will soon have a leg up on every other "beginner" and start seeing "what" makes some art professional as opposed to "straight out of the tube" amateur attempts. This book is great and I recommend it highly to anyone who wants to paint in gouache.

2.0 out of 5 stars Better than the "Bible", but still full of fluff, November 12, 2009

By	Burton Houck (East Coast) - See all my reviews

I have to wonder who is giving such glowing reviews to this book and the author's other illustration text. Beginning students, perhaps? This book definitely has more useful information than the author's other book, which was abysmal. But again, it is merely a collection of tips and tricks, and nothing more. Some of the tips, such as the general color tones of the human face, are pretty decent. But the book suffers from the same problem as the "Bible", and that is that the tips are so very basic that someone searching for this kind of info would be far better served by searching the internet or by buying a well-written, professional book on oil painting and then learning to adapt the techniques to gouache. Really, once you've painted a couple simple still lifes in gouache you'll know just about all you need to in order to adapt general painting techniques to this quick-drying, matte, paint. The same can be said of Casein or tempera. Ok, maybe not tempera. That's for the REAL pros. Still, this book provides one or two technical gems that are not gouache specific, and the rest is outdated and/or poorly presented. Look elsewhere unless you can find it in a bargain bin somewhere or borrow it from the library.