August 3, 2024 — Elaine O.

Finished...at last! I spent a ridiculous amount of time getting her right eye correct. At one point, I even considered giving her an eye patch and changing the bird to a parrot. But I persevered, I'm finished, and I'm happy. 

14" x 11"

Ken, you asked for a visual demo of the gouache resist technique. So, here goes. Start with a rough color painting using gouache. Knowing the colors are going to fade, I use very saturated colors and leave room between shapes for where I will want black outlines at the end. If you want something to stay white, you'll have to use white gouache.

Let dry thoroughly. I waited until the next day. Then paint over the entire painting with black India Ink. This is a little scary!

Again, let dry thoroughly. Then, wash off the India Ink. You may need a gentle scrub brush to help it along. Keep going until you reach the level of lightness you want. As you can see, the areas with gouache resist the India Ink and prevent it from staining the paper.

Let dry once again. Then, you can assess and add lines and/or color where you need to. I just fixed her mouth and fingers. That's it! 

I'm not sure this is the best technique for portraits...except maybe head only. Also, gouache colors wash off differently, so even if you think you're doing subtle blends, you may end up with distinct splotches of stark color.