Yee Haw

This little cowgirl is a project I started one or 2 years ago and never finished. It is gouache  (pronounced: g'WASH) and micron pen on wood. My daughter, who was probably 5 at the time, adored Jessie from Toy Story. I loved that she identified with such a fun and confident character.

Since I knew nothing about gouache I wanted to keep it relatively simple.

I have a love/hate relationship with gouache, and watercolor in general. I love the flat color, and i've learned to love the dry texture of it. I love that I can make it opaque by mixing it with white. 

But it also drives me crazy for the simple fact that it behaves like it's supposed to: since it's water soluble glazing multiple layers can result in "mud". Consistency when color mixing is another challenge, and quick drying time means one must work quickly and carefully.

Like anything it's just a matter of practice... not being afraid of mistakes and discovering what works and what doesn't. I hope to play around a lot more with gouache.