🎨 GUIDED PAINTING TUTORIAL — Color Cube Scene #356

Medium: Gouache (Holbein)

⛰️ About This Scene

Inspired by Color Cube Card #356 by Sarah Renae Clark, this project captures calm and vibrant mountain landscapes using gouache.
We’ll balance cool blues and greens with bold, joyful pinks and reds to create depth, atmosphere, and a sense of glowing light.

This scene is all about confident color, strong shapes, and peaceful energy.

🎨 Paint Colors Used (Holbein Gouache)

    • Ivory Black - (grounding structure and deep contrast)
    • Titanium White / Zinc White - (highlights, soft haze, and atmospheric glow)
    • Turquoise Green - (fresh movement and natural vibrancy)
    • Ultramarine Blue - (cool shadows and distant mountain layers)
    • Amur Cork Yellow - (gentle warmth and sunlit transitions)
    • Brilliant Pink - (bright energy and playful highlights)
    • Geisha Blue - (soft, airy blue for sky and atmosphere)
    • Geranium - (bold warmth and vibrant accents)

    Together, these colors create a lively yet balanced palette that feels peaceful without losing energy.

    📄 Paper

    • Hahnemühle 300 lb Hot Press Paper
      The smooth surface is ideal for gouache—allowing for crisp edges, layered opacity, and controlled blending.

    🖌️ Brushes Used

    • Stiff White Taklon Brushes (like Princeton SNAP, or Rosemary Snowdrops)

    For this project, stiff Taklon brushes are intentionally used instead of sable brushes.
    They allow for:

    • Strong, confident strokes
    • Clean edges in layered mountains
    • Better control with thicker gouache paint
    • Less water absorption (perfect for opacity)

    ✨ Before You Begin

    Set up your space for a relaxed, successful painting session:

    • Protect your surface with paper towels or puppy pads (our go-to at the Art Café).
    • Prepare two jars of clean water:
      • One for rinsing paint
      • One for a final clean dip
    • Keep a mixing palette nearby—gouache benefits from intentional color mixing
    • Mix enough paint before you begin each layer to maintain consistency
    • Remember: gouache loves confidence and simplicity—trust your shapes

    🧼 Brush Care: Do’s & Don’ts

    ✔️ Do

    • Rinse brushes thoroughly between colors
    • Wipe brushes gently in one direction on a towel
    • Reshape bristles before laying brushes flat to dry
    • Clean brushes promptly after painting (gouache dries matte and fast)

    ❌ Don’t

    • Don’t leave brushes sitting in water
      This bends bristles and weakens the adhesive in the ferrule
    • Don’t scrub aggressively back and forth
      Even Taklon fibers last longer with gentle handling
    • Don’t store brushes upright while wet

    Stiff Taklon brushes are durable, but thoughtful care keeps them performing beautifully.

    ▶️ Ready to Paint?

    Choose how you’d like to follow along:

    • Full Real-Time Gouache Tutorial

    • Sped-Up Demonstration

    🌟 Continue Your Creative Journey

    Loved this project? Come explore more colors, more mediums, and more creative experiences at the Huntsville Art Café!  

    Whether you want to try watercolor, gouache, markers, ink, or something totally new, we’ll have everything set up and ready for your next artistic adventure.

    🎨 Book your next Art Café Experience here:  huntsvilleartcafe.com

    💛 Bonus:
    Any art supplies you purchase during your Art Café session are 10% off
    (as long as they aren’t already discounted).

    We can’t wait to paint with you again!