A pencil sketch, five colours and four layers. That's all it takes to paint this curled-up fox in Schmincke HORADAM Gouache. Gouache dries opaque and matte, so each layer sits on top of the last one. Toned paper does the mid-tones for you, and light colours go on last.
Watch the time-lapse, then follow the steps below. Everything you need is linked.
Schmincke HORADAM Gouache fox time-lapse (27 seconds)
What you'll need
- Paint: HORADAM Gouache Twilight Set of 5 (Cadmium Orange Hue, Cadmium Yellow Hue, Vandyke Brown, Cobalt Blue Light, Dark Blue Indigo) and Mountain Top Set of 5 (Titanium White, Titanium Gold Ochre, Ultramarine Light, Chromium Oxide Green Brilliant, Neutral Grey)
- Paper: a toned book like the Hahnemühle Toned Watercolour Book, Beige, or any toned pad or book
- Brushes: a small flat (about 1/4"), a size 4 round and a fine size 0 or 1 round. Synthetic watercolour brushes work well with gouache.
- Also: an HB pencil from our pencils, a ceramic palette, two jars of water and a paper towel
The palette
The video was painted with 15 ml HORADAM tubes in Cadmium Orange Hue, Raw Umber and Helio Turquoise, plus white for highlights and a dark for the ears and nose. The two sets above get you there:
- Fur: Cadmium Orange Hue, warmed with Titanium Gold Ochre
- Shadows: Vandyke Brown (our stand-in for Raw Umber)
- Sky: Cobalt Blue Light with lots of Titanium White
- Ears, nose and eyes: Vandyke Brown mixed with Dark Blue Indigo gives a soft near-black
- Highlights and whiskers: Titanium White
Step by step
1Sketch lightly
Draw the fox as one big curled shape, then place the ears, eye and nose. Keep the lines light, because gouache covers them, but you want to see where you're going.
2Block in the mid-tones
Mix Cadmium Orange Hue with a little Vandyke Brown to the consistency of cream. With the flat brush, paint big flat shapes around the face first. Work thin and even, not thick.
3Lay in the background
Mix Cobalt Blue Light with plenty of Titanium White and paint a loose circle behind the fox. The cool blue makes the orange fur glow. Leave the paper showing where the snow will be.
4Build the fur in layers
Let each layer dry to the touch. Then go darker with Vandyke Brown in the folds of the tail and under the chin, and lighter with Gold Ochre on top. Follow the direction the fur grows. Paint the ear backs with your near-black mix.
5Light over dark: the details
Switch to the fine round brush and slightly thicker paint. Because gouache is opaque, you can paint light hairs over dark ones. Add the eye with a dot of Gold Ochre, a dark pupil and a tiny white highlight. Use short white strokes for the cheek and ear fur.
6Finish the scene
Flick in a few dry grass stems with the near-black mix and a little white on the snow line. Stop while it still looks loose, because a few confident marks read better than many careful ones.
Gouache tips from our staff
- Mix to cream, not soup. Too much water makes gouache streaky and transparent.
- Dry between layers. HORADAM Gouache rewets, so a wet brush over a damp layer will lift it. Light, quick strokes keep the layer below clean.
- Expect a small shift. Lights dry a touch darker and darks a touch lighter. Test a swatch on the edge of your page.
- Want layers that never lift? Try acrylic gouache. Here's the difference.
Try it in black and white next
The same layering works in two colours. This raven starts with a value scale of Ivory Black and Titanium White, then builds from dark to light. Ivory Black is in the Northern Lights Set, and Titanium White and Neutral Grey are in the Mountain Top Set.
Schmincke HORADAM Gouache raven time-lapse (42 seconds)
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