Goo-ah-sh portrait painting of a man wip

Painting a man portrait with gouache
WIP

I’ve never known whether I’m pronouncing gouache right or not? I’ve always called it “g’wash”, with a hard g sound, kinda like the Aussies say “G’day!” (Ooooh, how I love their accent).

I’ve also heard some artists on Youtube call it goo-ah-sh, tho. It’s confused me for years, so I finally looked it up.

I found out both ways of saying gouache are correct. I might start alternating between both pronunciations because it’s fun to say either way. 🙂

This painting looked like a hot mess throughout the whole process. This can look and feel a bit intimidating if you’re a new artist. The “ugly stage” used to scare me, but I don’t even notice or think about it these days.

I was still trying to work out the light & dark areas at this point in the painting. Once I get that part figured out, I move on to the details, and connecting all the pieces of the puzzle together.

The finished painting usually comes together quickly for me. Once I get done fiddling with the light and dark areas, and figure out what colors I’m using, I know it’s just a matter of an hour or two before it’s complete.

Bearded Wisdom

I finished the background with a deep red oil pastel. I don’t have the original listed yet. I’m waiting for the oil pastel to firm up a bit before I varnish it, but I was able to scan it, and giclee art prints are available. There are many sizes to choose from to fit your wall space.

Giclee prints are made to order from a professional printing company, and will arrive to you unframed. This photo is just to give you an idea of what it looks like framed. It will depend on the size you choose whether or not the print will be shipped flat or rolled.

If you’re interested in purchasing the original painting, please contact me or watch for it in my online shop. The size is 9×12 inches, and it’s on 135 lb paper. The price will be $125, and include shipping if purchased through my website.