ELI5: What Is Gouache?

Gouache is a special type of paint that mixes with water like regular watercolor, but dries completely solid, bright, and flat so you cannot see through it.

Think of it as the ultimate mashup between two paints you might already know:

• Watercolor is like apple juice. It is clear and see-through. If you paint a dark blue sky, you cannot paint a yellow sun on top of it because the blue will show right through the yellow.
• Acrylic or poster paint is like melted cheese. It is thick, covers everything up, and sticks heavily to the paper.
• Gouache is like chocolate milk. It flows easily with water just like watercolor, but it is creamy and thick enough that you cannot see through it.

Here is why it is so fun and easy to use:

• It fixes mistakes easily: If you paint a brown tree trunk and change your mind, you can wait two minutes for it to dry, and then paint a bright white bird directly on top of the brown. The white will completely hide the dark color underneath.
• It wakes back up: If you leave your paint palette out overnight and it dries into hard little crusts, you do not have to throw it away. You just add a drop of water, and it becomes creamy and ready to paint with all over again.