Sarah Burns Studio X Craftamo
Gouache Subscription Box 5

Intro

I’ve had a few questions about what paint to buy when you run out of Shinhan. If you cannot find the same brand/colors, it is perfectly fine to mix with other brands. However a word of caution: Some brands are considered “student grade” and do not perform very well. In addition, the cheaper brands can quickly fade off the paper after being exposed to daylight for a while. (see below for lightfast test video). I recommend investing in a professional brand that you can afford. You don’t need every color! Use my lessons to figure out which primaries you love, then buy some of that when the time comes. I do have reviews of many brands here in my Gouache Database.

The lightfast tests video: https://youtu.be/4yPI90O1Heo

Part 1: Materials, & Concept Sketches

Supplies

Materials in Box #5:

• Paper
• 2 brushes
• #8 Filbert
• #6 Round
• 2 colors
• Cerulean Blue,
• Cobalt Violet Blue
  

As we explore a variety of limited palettes, it’s important to continue to color mix and get a good understanding of what you can create from each tube. This month we are replacing our typical “red” with a violet.

Part 2: Demo

Reference:

Once again, I used many images to inspire this composition:

I pull little pieces of inspiration from each image. I then combine that with experiences I’ve had in life to create my composition. But let’s use my painting as reference.

My final painting:

I hope you enjoy this demo! See you next month!

What’s coming in Box #6

In Box 6 we will be painting a sunset!

Supplies included in Box 6:

• Paper
• 2 brushes
• #14 Mop
• #1 Rigger
• 2 Colors: 
• Permanent Yellow Deep,
• Primary Magenta

Brush Care 

Never leave your brushes in water for too long. After rinsing, dry the hairs as best you can with a towel then let them dry on a flat surface. Leaving them in water for too long can cause the wood of the handle to swell, which can crack the handle coating. If that happens, the brush is still usable, just not as pretty! 

I usually clean mine with brush soap every few uses. You can find brush soap on the Craftamo website or any art store.

Community

Don’t forget to join my Discord chat server! You can share images of your sketches/painting and enjoy a sense of community. Or if you’d like to share your work with me on Instagram, use the hashtag #sarahburnstutor so I can find you.

Additional helpful resources:

Brand new to gouache? As you discover questions about gouache, I hope to answer as many as I can. For now, you can start with this blog post which goes very in-depth about what gouache is.

If you want even more instruction, I often post free tutorials on YouTube. Otherwise my Patreon is a great resource to learn even more. 

Additional suggested materials:

I use lots of different gouaches, papers, sketchbooks, and palettes for different purposes. You don’t need anything extra right now, except maybe paper as you will probably run out of that first. 

Craftamo sells extra paper (same as what is in the boxes) and it’s very affordable. 

Otherwise, I have lots of recommendations. I keep an updated list of all my favorite art supplies here.

How I use and care for my brushes: video

This video shows all the brush types you will receive over the course of the 12 month subscription. At the end of the video I show how to care for your brushes.