Hello All,

I’ve recently been experimenting with ways to mix the transparency of gouache with the opaqueness of oils. How could I get something like that? How about actually layering gouache with oils?!

It took a bit to figure out the best way to accomplish what I was going for. I started with watercolor paper and gouache but I had to seal the whole thing so the oil paints wouldn’t damage the paper. I tried a few things but the first ones I tried were soaking into the paper and turning cloudy, totally ruining all the painting I was doing in gouache. Eventually I stumbled upon Krylon UV-Resistant Clear Acrylic Coating. A few thin coats of that and the paper was sealed. I was free to apply the oils.

Below is my most successful result to date. It’s an unused sketch for the role-playing game Shadowrun that I decided to finish off. The technique needs some refinement but I’m pretty happy with the direction it’s going.

I’ve also uploaded it to the color gaming gallery.

I’m currently working on this year’s Christmas card with this technique. Of course, the subject matter is quite different. More on that as I finish it.