Mike Hernandez is a plein air artist and former animation Art Director who loves painting with gouache. Here, he shares seven of his landscapes along with inside info just for you.
Painting with Gouache: 7 Serene Examples
I painted this one using only a 1-inch flat brush. I like how this forces me to be more economical with my marks and helps me find more iconic shapes.
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This was the first in the beginning of a series of nocturnal paintings inspired by one of my favorite painters, Frank Tenney Johnson.
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I’ve painted this location many times; it is a personal favorite. The lighting was inspired by Albert Bierstadt.
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This is another from the nocturne series painted on watercolor paper. This was my first time embracing the full benefits of a water-based medium on watercolor paper using the wet-on-wet technique.
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This was painted on bristol paper provided by Cottonwood Arts. I was very surprised by how well the paper held up with heavy paint.
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Another one painted on bristol paper using a limited palette of Primary White, Katsuya Blue, Cad Yellow, Burnt Umber, and Alizarine Crimson.
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One of the largest paintings that I have done using gouache. Because of the size, I stuck with a 3-inch and 1-inch flat brush.
Related: PleinAir Podcast 208: Mike Hernandez on Channeling Fear and More
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Story prepared for the web by Cherie Dawn Haas, Editor of Plein Air Today
Beautiful landscapes. Just curious, is the gouache that you used a gum arabic based paint or an acrylic gouache?
Thanks Aletha. It’s all Gum arabic based.
All So lovely. I love Gouache. Wish I could paint with it!!