This is the first painting I’ve done in gouache since completing an HND Illustration course at Falmouth School of Art in 1993. I (vaguely) remember using gouache there mainly for life science work.

I hadn’t thought of using gouache since then until seeing some excellent and inspiring work by a student exhibiting in the annual exhibition of Deeside Art Group in West Kirby. Chancing upon some affordable Daler Rowney gouache paints shortly thereafter, I thought it a propitious sequence of events so thought I’d give them another whirl.

I’ve used the paint a little less opaquely in places here, in more of a watercolour technique, but I’ve thoroughly enjoyed producing this sketch. It took a little over an hour and was painted on Cotman 16″ x 12″ watercolour paper.