About a year ago, I bought my first set of gouache paints EVER. I have a degree in painting, I grew up with a mother who was a professional illustrator, but this was one medium that I had never tried before. I have found through the years that trying new supplies and mediums often jump starts the creativity in other areas, so I gave it a shot.

Gouache is a type of paint that can be water soluble like watercolors, or applied thicker like acrylics. It is used by illustrators, mostly, and I think it is fair to say that it as a reputation of being difficult and can become muddy pretty quickly. This is definitely how I felt about it in the beginning — in fact, I really hated the results. But I wasn't sure what else to do in early 2021, so I kept on with it.

A year later I can say that I really love this medium and all of the different colors that are available (yes, Arteza sells neon paints!) This is an illustration I created through Make Art That Sells; each cup represents an idea and goal for 2022. I hope to continue on with gouache in the new year and I am excited to share new work with you!