DaVinci Gouache—A Review and Why I Used It in My 2013 Fake Journal

Left: The plastic palette I set up for working with DaVinci gouache for this project, and a bag of tubes of DaVinci Gouache. Click on the image to view an enlargement.

Note: My favorite gouache remains Schmincke Gouache. You can read numerous posts at Roz Wound Up describing why I love to work with that wonderful paint—not only because the line contains PB60. If I can't work with Schmincke gouache I will work with M. Graham (but that line is severely limited by the lack of PB60). Read this review to learn if DaVinci holds promise for your working methods. I will continue to use DaVinci off and on for sketching until I empty the tubes but I will not use it for my paintings and I will not recommend it to students wishing to study color theory.

Sometime in March I went to life drawing and finally tried the four tubes of DaVinci gouache I had purchased in February 2012! (I know I purchased them then because I date paint tubes when I bring them into the studio.)

I put the plastic palette on which I'd laid out the pigments into a plastic bag (like the one shown in the photo) and left them for a week while I did other things at home. I was amazed a week later that the paints were still soft-ish. That got my mind thinking.

Then I decided to do "ugly paintings."

I'm not stingy with paint. And I don't feel reluctant to use it when I am painting. However, I intended during April 2013 to paint for hours each day and run through a lot of paint. I thought it would be useful to have a less expensive paint for this process. The lesser quality of the paint didn't matter to my character—she doesn't care about archival issues and lightfastness and such the way I usually do.

I thought the 2013 fake journal would be the perfect time and place to spend some concentrated time and effort getting to know this line of paints.

I decided to go out and purchase some additional tubes of DaVinci gouache for the 2013 fake journal. Since the line doesn't include PB60 I was forced to use their Phthalo Blue and Ultramarine Blue. Because of that I also picked up additional colors not in my usual palette, such as Raw Sienna. I wanted to push the color choices into areas I don't usually go—further distancing myself from this paint and the color palette.

I used the following colors listed here in no particular order, well actually the order in which I pulled them out of the bag: Venetian Red, Red Violet, White Titanium, Burnt Sienna, Raw Sienna, Raw Umber, Burnt Umber, Ultramarine Blue, Phthalo Blue, Magenta, Red, Red Rose (Quin), Yellow Medium, Yellow Ochre, and Yellow Light Hansa. You can find a listing of DaVinci Gouache and the pigments each color contains at their website. I purchased my tubes at my favorite local art supply store Wet Paint, but they are available in numerous locations across the country if you wish to try them.

My methods and rationale for working the way I did in this year's fake journal will be discussed at length in a later post but I wanted you to see some images of one spread in which I used a DaVinci Gouache sketch today.

It was my hope that I would take many progress shots of the elements in this journal. Unfortunately the quick circumstances under which I was working didn't always allow for this, but I have almost a full set of the components that make up the process of the "clown" spread.

(I've made arrangements to have the final book shot with good lighting, but for now I have these photos  taken as I was working through the book.)

Click on any image to view an enlargement.

Left: I began with a Pentel Pocket Brush Pen sketch on Fabriano gridded paper. I had 9 x 12 inch sheets and they weren't large enough so I taped two pieces together with washi tape (red berry pattern visible in some areas along the seam). I then painted using DaVinci gouache. Then I cut out the image. 

Left: A detail of the clown face.  

Left: Additional detail from the clown image.  

Above: The journal page spread before any art was added to it. This is an acrylic paint monoprint made using the Gelli Arts Printing Plate, and also additional paint added by rolling the brayer across the page.  

Left: The Clown painting glued into place on the page spread. Note that the book was already so full at this point in the project that the painting wraps around a bulge to get down into the gutter, thus distorting the image slightly. I like that, or rather, my character did.  

Left: I was gluing collaged items into this book with PVA because I knew I would be painting on future pages and the moisture from paint on a future spread would seep through the page and potentially dislodge a painting added with something simpler like glue stick. What happened when I used PVA surprised me. The PVA put moisture into the painting through the back of the sheet I was gluing. Then when I laid it in place on the spread and positioned a piece of wax paper over the painting to burnish it in place I found that enough moisture came through the paper that it softened the paint and the paint lifted off onto the wax paper. (This happening in only a few seconds; less than a minute.) The remaining painting often lacked final details as they came off on the wax paper. A very interesting phenomenon totally in keeping with the process and desires and attitudes of my character. The painting had been completely dry when the image was glued. Sometimes there were days of drying before an image was glued into place. I routinely paint with Schmincke gouache and glue down those images with UHU Gluestick. It doesn't have sufficient moisture to reactivate the paint. I will have to do additional tests at some other date to see how PVA effects Schmincke gouache. Click on the image to view an enlargement. 

Left: The final page spread shows the sketch glued in place with additional collage material glued at the side and rubberstamped text.

Problems I Encountered with DaVinci Gouache:

1. The line doesn't include all the pigments I enjoy working with specifically PB60. This forced me to be experimental in my color mixes and it's good to push out of your comfort zone sometimes.

2. The gouache is very stiff after only a little bit of working and I ruined two quality synthetic brushes. (I would recommend that people working with this paint use stiffer brushes like a Bristlton). I found it was fun (not a bad thing) to keep pushing the paint around, but the result was bristles bent beyond repair. I could compensate and add more water in more quickly, but I did enjoy pushing the paint around even though I knew I was ruining a brush. (The paint pulled and "stuck" so much when I was moving paint around that one side of a filbert actually curled away from the main body of the brush. The other brush was a round and was quickly worn and splayed.)

3. Thick layers of paint tend to dry with an almost slick surface which is indicative of how they are formulating their paint. If you're used to a matte gouache that isn't going to be achievable. I think the slick surface might be caused by the type of gum Arabic used, or some other binder additive I'm unaware of being included in this paint.

4. Mixing even pigments I'm accustomed to mixing I found the results were muddier than when mixing Schmincke gouache.

5. Washed out glazes of these paints are not as rich and saturated as either Schmincke or M. Graham brands of gouache.

6. There is a "cloudiness" to the washes of color when used lightly.

7. The tackiness of the paint is a distinct disadvantage when you are painting on non-typical surfaces, particularly toothy ones like the sumi paper I used for a background for this painting of a French Bulldog on a different spread. I found it was difficult to control the strokes in my normal fashion.

Fun Things I Encountered with DaVinci Gouache:

1. The slick surface mentioned in item 3 above is something I actually became fond of. I could rub my finger over the dried surface of the painting without marring it. The impasto created allowed for more showiness/messiness in the brushstrokes which my character (and I) loved.

2. Even in thick applications of paint the gouache holds well to the page, even when that page is repeatedly bent. It is a flexible paint film for gouache.

3. The paint stays softer on the palette longer than other brands I've used. If you're going to use an inexpensive, lower quality paint I recommend you use this brand instead of Lukas, Holbein and such. I think you'll get more out of your paint because you won't have to reconstitute it as much and it won't be crumbly when you do. (Note: when I rewet Schmincke and M. Graham I do not have problems with crumbling.)

Note: If you think that M. Graham gouache has a tacky consistency and you don't like that you will find that DaVinci is even more tacky, as expressed in the comments in both the problems and fun categories of this list. I think that M. Graham has a smooth and even consistency and is slightly more tacky than Schmincke (which I also feel has a smooth consistency). However DaVinci is much more tacky thank M. Graham. It will have the benefit of staying soft on your palette longer, but I think it's downright sticky compared to the other brands.

4. There is good opacity in this paint, though often I had to paint a first layer and then let it dry and paint an additional layer. Most of this I believe was due to the unsuitable paper on which I was painting. Some pigments were less opaque than others as is true in any line.

5. There is no unpleasant binder or other smell in this paint. (Winsor and Newton Gouache has a chemical smell that bothers me. So does Lukas.)

Additional Comments

You can find a color chart with lightfastness ratings and pigment numbers on the DaVinci site. They provide Cobalt Hue and use PB29 to do it, which is the pigment used for French Ultramarine Blue. They are doctoring it in some way to come up with a less expensive Cobalt paint. If this is a pigment that matters to you you'll have problems with that. The yellows are disappointing to me in range and in lightfastness. I would not recommend this paint to my color theory students if they wanted to have great success mixing and discovering colors they love. But if someone wants a less expensive gouache that doesn't stink and has a bit of room for some play in brush handling he might like this paint.

Get a limited number of tubes (a red, a yellow, a blue) and test them. (Oh, and the year old paint I had, it was just fine.)

Just don't try to wet the backs of your paintings with PVA and glue them down!

UPDATE: May 15, 2013 EMERGENCY—BEWARE

Since finishing the fake journal I haven't used DaVinci gouache until this past week. Tonight I was working in another journal with it on the back of a previous painting made with DaVinci gouache and I experienced the same REACTIVATION of dry paint that happened when I applied PVA to the backs of my loose sheet paintings.

You can go to the emergency post about this characteristic here.

What you should know is that I do not recommend DaVinci gouache for use in a visual journal because of this. (But if you should decide to use it my new post has some recommendations for you.)

I have NEVER had this problem with either Schmincke or M. Graham gouache brands and so of course I can still heartily recommend either of those two brands for anyone interested in working with gouache in their visual journal.

More Background Tools and Materials Used in Roz's 2013 Fake Journal

Above: Rubberstamp ink and a message stamp; washi tapes in the background. Click on the image to view an enlargement.

Note: This post doesn't encourage or endorse the purchase of the featured supplies. It is written for informational purposes, because I know people will wonder what I used on any given page. Please see a note about my philosophy on NOT acquiring a mass of new media or materials for journaling here. When you've been journaling your entire life you tend to end up with a lot of stuff, the use of which fluctuates based on your interests at any given time. 

I've been a rubberstamp enthusiast for decades. As a child I collected old office stamps. In the 1980s and 1990s I was heavily involved in mail art. I even produced two years of a quarterly fanzine—Stretch Marks. It was of course devoted to rubberstamps. But with the popularization of stamping and the proliferation of "cute" I left that arena.

Unlike some of my friends I didn't leave my rubberstamps. I thought this year, if my character was so bent on making a mess rubberstamps (especially those old office stamps I've collected over the years) would be very useful.

For ramping up the layering in my 2013 fake journal I used Brilliance Stamp Pads and reinkers and a variety of rubberstamps that were either old office stamps or "dingbats" (mostly custom, I had cast into rubber years ago).

Above: Custom and office stamps used in the fake journal. Yes, Roz has an index-cataloging system for her stamps—how else do you think she finds them! Click on the image to view an enlargement.

I think that Brilliance stamp pads are the best. They don't have any awful odors. The Graphite Black is the richest black I've found. When stamped and dry it has proven waterproof. I can go right in with watercolors. It solves all my stamping needs. But I do have a lot of their pastel colored "sparkly" pads as well, in unusual "tints." I found these were helpful for background texture throughout the fake journal. I also have a lovely dark purple and rich red from them, mostly used for lettering.

Rubberstamps were used just as I typically use them in my real journal, except that since they were out all the time and I didn't have to go into the back where the stamps are now stored, I could use them a lot!

Let's face it. I do miss my stamps.

Left: Large stamps from this company were used to stamp some words and text, and sometimes just for texture. Click on the image to view an enlargement. 

During April I had occasion to punch the covers and paper for 32 journals for a group project. I made over 400 punch motions, bringing the lever of the punching machine back with my dominant thumb. Halfway through this process I discovered that was a physiological error of great magnitude. I've been paying for that since and having to continue to rubberstamp (since it was the style my character was already using) was difficult at best. I mention my experience as a cautionary tale. I do not recommend that you do that much punching, and I certainly wouldn't do it if you are going to then rubberstamp. But even if you are going to rubberstamp, and you miss using your stamps—be careful. The repetitive motion will be something you'll pay for later—Learn from my error due to enthusiasm!

Tools and Materials Roz Used for Creating Backgrounds and Layering Effects in Her 2013 Fake Journal

Above: Brushes used in my 2013 Journal include, on the far left, Stencil Brushes, Foam Brushes, and rubber-tipped paint tools. Click on the image to view an enlargement.

NOTE: Same thoughts about acquisition of supplies I opened yesterday's post with applies today. I am writing about these products for informational purposes and do not believe that any of them are essential in any way for successful visual journaling. Read my previous note on my philosophy at the link.

My 2013 journal is filled with lots and lots of layers. It's pretty much "encrusted." To accomplish this I used several media and tools.

Above: Some of the sheets I printed using the Gelli Arts Printing Plate. I even printed over sketches (bottom right). Click on the image to view an enlargement.

First I used a Gelli Arts Printing Plate to print on mulberry paper (often colored sheets) or on the pages of the journal directly.

I think most of my friends would probably suggest that the Gelli Arts Printing Plate was responsible for all the chaos that ensued!

In March I was visiting a friend who'd just had foot surgery. She'd been watching videos about the plate on YouTube (go to YouTube and keyword search, you'll find a ton of stuff). As anyone who has ever made a gelatin plate can tell you it often doesn't turn out as you would hope and the resultant plate is fragile. And it degrades. So as soon as I saw this product I knew I wanted to try it and when we couldn't find one in town (we called everywhere) I ordered one online and had it in a couple days. At which point I started printing. I had already realized the paper in my selected journal wouldn't be suitable for the mixed media work that I wanted to do so collaging these papers over the pages would be a great solution. Also printing directly on the journal pages created an acrylic paint layer that "beefed" up the paper, or rather stopped the absorbency of it.

Above: Following recommendations on the internet from people already using the Gelli Arts Printing Plate I selected an inexpensive craft acrylic paint—Americana. I found this paint to yield excellent results with the plate. I wasn't worried about archival qualities because my character wasn't. Click on the image to view an enlargement.

I have friends who have used various tube acrylics, but this is the only product I've used with my plate. I will leave it to others to inform you as to their results. (Note: In October 2013 Briana Goetzen will be speaking at the MCBA Visual Journal Collective about her use of the Gelli Arts Printing Plate. I encourage you to attend the meeting—which is free and open to all adult journal keepers. We'll have a couple plates and some other supplies on hand so that you can give it a try for yourself.)

Above: Stencils of all types were used. Click on the image to view an enlargement.

I've used stencils in my real journal in the past, but because I was going to use the Gelli Arts Printing Plate I purchased a couple new stencils and got out ALL my old stencils—everything from pre-cut templates to tag board letters. Besides using these stencils in the printing process (again, any video on the Gelli Arts Printing Plate will show you various ways to use stencils with it) I also used them to add additional layers and color to my page spreads with rubberstamp ink, but that's a post for later.

Using the above items and also an 8-inch wide brayer I made the base backgrounds for my journal pages.

Pens (and a Couple other Items) Roz Used in Her 2013 Fake Journal

Above: Before putting my supplies for this project away I gathered my pens on my drawing board (there are still drips of paint on the surface!) and photographed them. Read below for details. Click on the image to view an enlargement.

NOTE: It's very important that you understand, before you read this list that I am not in any way advocating or urging you to buy any of these items. I have not been, and will not be, reimbursed in any form by any manufacturer or store for writing about these products.  

I am supplying this list for informational purposes because people always ask me 10,000 questions about such things. Now you can just read this post. 

I want to be perfectly clear that I believe that journaling is about you, your mind, your eye, your hand, and the simplest tools that can get the job done: a favorite pen and a suitable sheet of paper. (Anything more for many people will be superfluous, and for many more it may be detrimental.) All you need then is your time, which you can choose to spend observing and recording.

Going down the rabbit-hole of acquisition of art materials is not going to improve your art or your happiness. Stay with one media you find simple and usable for weeks and even months, honing your skills thinking about your "style" before you branch out into another. Buy a couple items from a line to test the line before plunging into a full set of anything.

Wise people suggest never grocery shopping on an empty stomach. The same wisdom applies to shopping for art supplies when you don't have a conscious plan of action in mind and you feel vaguely out of sorts and begin to believe there just might be a perfect pen out there and you haven't found it yet. There isn't one. There's just the pen in your hand, and that hand, your eye, your mind. You can't get away from yourself. If you haven't been sketching no pen will aid you. Use your mind.

Please read my post Journaling Superstitions #13: Special Tools Make the Difference. I don't want any new journal keepers or any new fake journal keepers to be confused on this point. In fact in past posts I've written that IFJM is a great time to whittle down your tools and focus on one medium for an entire month. This year I happened to create a very mixed media journal. I want to be very clear on my philosophy.

I used the following tools (because not all of them are pens) shown in the above photo:

A: burnishing tool from 3M (for smoothing out items that are glued down).

B: These 3 "Brushables" by Zig marker were used at various times in my fake journal—mostly to outline stamped lettering. I had three very light colors to only give a shadow of color. There is a different color (both light, related tints) on each end of this brush pen. The ink is waterproof and archival.

C: The Sharpie Poster Paint Marker—this is not solvent based and doesn't smell. It is a great opaque white pen.

D: The Pentel Aquash Brush Pen with Light Black Pigmented Ink. I have written about this at the link provided. It is a great pen for sketching.

E: Two Pentel Pocket Brush Pens. A pen I'm never without, a pen I love to sketch with and with which I did the majority of the sketches in the fake journal. You can read about the Pentel Pocket Brush Pen (and it's sister the Color Brush) here. You can see a five part series on sketching with the Pentel Pocket Brush Pen starting here.

F: Several colors of the Faber-Castell Pitt Artist's Brush Pen, along with two of the line's Calligraphy pens. I outline with the brush pens and I sketch with their Calligraphy pen.

G: Laying horizontally above everything is a Staedtler Pigment Liner. Typically I use this pen for writing and sketching in my real journals. It wasn't used at all in this journal. It was on the table for note taking.

H: The Faber-Castell Pitt Artist's Jumbo Brush Pen in white. This is a lovely large brush tip filled with white India ink and very opaque. I carry one of these with me everywhere now that Don Colley has alerted me to them.

I: Montana markers in various tip sizes. The red on the left, pink and white are all 15mm, the orange is 30 mm, and the red on the far right is a fine point. I also used a light blue 15mm, but that's always in my bag so it isn't on the table. These markers are refillable with special acrylic paints. They are made for graffiti artists, but they area great for visual artists of all types. The white is also fairly opaque. I used it for the background on the "peek" with birds everywhere in the background. The fine point red (and on one page the wide nibbed red) was used to write some journaling text throughout the journal.

J: Ziller Acrylic ink (violet and brown) in two little sealed palette cups.

K: A dip nib mounted in a plastic nib holder. (Crowquill nib.) I used this and a G-Nib for various bits of journaling in the fake journal. The acrylic ink worked great over all the various surfaces created on the pages.

L: The other non-pen type tool used in the journal—a big bag (not completely shown) of lots of different designs of washi tape. I doubt this stuff is archival in any way; I expect it to grow old, and slide off the pages, or become brittle, or whatever. But my character didn't care about archival qualities of her materials and she was having so much fun using this tape that even though she wasn't scanning her pages (impossible) to capture the moment I thought, "Aw, wtf, let her do it." And I did.

Everyone of the above products worked great in the fake journal, whether the surface of the page was covered with acrylic paint, a Gelli-arts acrylic paint monoprint, collage paper, or just the exposed original paper of the journal. The Brushables are new to me and this is the first time I've used them much at all. All the other tools I've been using in my own journaling, in different ways, for years; the exception here is the Montana acrylic markers—I used a couple last fall, and then not at all. Then in the past several months I started using them again. I mostly use these markers for quickly filling in backgrounds when I want to isolate the figure. As I did here in a sketch of a beaver at the Bell Museum. Not only are they quick drying but the ink/paint is pretty opaque, and it is fairly matte when dry and easily takes most types of pens that I enjoy using.

Later when you see more of the pages you'll have a sense of what I was using because of this list.