Painting with Gouache: Create Poetic Illustrations

Begin by getting to know the artist, illustrator, and teacher for this course, Cagla. She takes you through her artistic journey as well as where she finds her inspiration, from her Turkish heritage to fellow artists whose work she admires.

Discover the materials needed for gouache painting and hear Cagla’s tips on how to care for them. Then, explore gouache and acrylic gouache techniques including mixing, layering, and blending, and practice using them with a variety of painting exercises.

Get inspired by visual references, both online and in the real world, then explore composition and create an initial sketch of your illustration. Draw your final design before tracing it onto watercolor paper using a lightbox.

Time to paint your final design! Start with the dominant color first before moving on to details like patterns and flowers. Learn how to make your colors pop on the page before adding finishing touches using the back of your brush. Cagla shows you how to use colored pencils and oil pastels to add texture to your illustration.

Explore how to scan and edit your artwork in Photoshop with different tools and techniques. To finish the course, Cagla gives her advice on using the power of social media to share your work with the world.