🎨 GUIDED PAINTING TUTORIAL — Color Cube Scene #473

Medium: Gouache (Holbein)

⛰️ About This Scene

Inspired by Color Cube Card #473 by Sarah Renae Clark, this project explores calm and vibrant mountain layers using a soothing blue palette.
By working within closely related hues, we’ll focus on value shifts, atmospheric perspective, and soft transitions to create depth and tranquility.

This scene is ideal for slowing down, simplifying shapes, and letting subtle color variation do the work.

🎨 Paint Colors Used (Holbein Gouache)

    • Ivory Black - (deep grounding shadows and structure)
    • Titanium White / Zinc White - (mist, highlights, and soft atmospheric glow)
    • Ultramarine Blue - (rich mid-to-dark values and mountain depth)
    • Geisha Blue - (soft, airy layers and distant atmosphere)
    • Dayflower Blue - (fresh brightness and luminous transitions)

    This restrained palette creates harmony and calm while still offering beautiful visual interest.

    📄 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: atmospheric landscapes are about value, not detail

    🧼 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!