With the popularity of our new Turner Acrylic Gouache paint, a lot of artists have been asking ‘What is Acrylic Gouache?’
Acrylic gouache is opaque, matte acrylic paint. The opacity means it has excellent coverage, the acrylic binder means it is waterproof when dry, so you can overpaint without smearing and the matte finish gives a velvety surface. Like acrylic, it also sticks to many surfaces with great adhesion. It is called gouache because it has a similar look and coverage to traditional gouache, but it is different because it is waterproof after it is dry and traditional gouache is not.
Comparing acrylic paint, traditional gouache and acrylic gouache
- Traditional acrylics are quick-drying, water-mixable and vary in opacity depending on pigment (about half of the colours are transparent) and they usually have a satin finish.
- Traditional gouache is opaque, matte watercolour – so like watercolour it is re-soluble, not water resistant.
- Acrylic Gouache has characteristics of both of these. It is opaque and matte, quick-drying, water-mixable and water resistant once dry (so multiple layers can be over-painted with no bleeding or streaking). It also adheres well to many surfaces.
Turner Acryl Gouache
Turner Acrylic Gouache is a professional quality acrylic gouache with a wide range of 219 colours, making them ideal for illustrative painting and design work. They are made in Japan to the highest specifications. The use of ultra-fine pigments means colours spread out smoothly so wide areas can be covered uniformly with a beautiful opaque matt finish. They are quick drying and water-mixable, yet water resistant once dry. Multiple layers can be over-painted with no bleeding or streaking, they also offer reliable adhesion to a wide variety of surfaces including metal, glass, plastic and wood.
The 219 Turner Acryl Gouache colours available:
Original Colours: A full range of basic and intermediate opaque colours, as well as three mixing colours. The mixing white, magenta and violet are made with lightfast pigments and translucent white for more precise colour mixing. There are over 100 colours in the original range available in 20 ml, 60 colours available in 40 ml and white and black available in 100 ml tubes.
Pastel Colours: Designed to extend the original colour range, these unique light colours are perfect for creating clean, subtle tones in your work.
Greyish Colours: A range of elegant “greyish” pastel colours, perfect for subtle expression. Quiet tones that can be used without making your work too dark or murky.
Japanesque Colours: This selection of beautiful, sophisticated tones are formulated with fine powders which give them a unique slightly gritty, textured matt finish.
Metallic Colours: A series of metallic shades which are slightly more translucent than the regular colours, giving a sense of luminance and depth to your painting.
Pearl Colours: These effect colours have a refined pearlescent lustre. The last 6 pearl colours are “interference” tones which are translucent and will vary in appearance depending on ground colour and viewing angle.
Lamé Colours: This series of colours have sparkly metallic particles suspended in the paint. When painted over a black or dark ground, the colours will shine out. Application with a knife or spatula is recommended.
Lumi Colours: Brilliant fluorescent colours for bold effects, which will illuminate under ultra-violet “black light”. Don’t forget that because of the chemical reaction in all fluorescent colours they will become less bright over time.
Turner Acryl Gouache also make 9 selection sets.
Read our other posts about Turner Acryl Gouache.
Artwork created using the Turner Acryl Colours
Video showing use of Turner Acryl Gouache
The lightfast permanence varies – most of the 219 colours are very permanent or permanent. A few colours have fluorescent pigments and as is the nature of all flourescent pigment they are fugitive – the lumi colours. But oddly there are about 10 other unexpectedly fugitive colours. Check the PDF of the colour chart on our website.
Other Makes of Acrylic Gouache
Click on the underlined link to go to the current offer on Turner Acrylic Gouache on the Jackson’s Art Supplies website.
Postage on orders shipped standard to mainland UK addresses is free for orders of £45 or more.