Gouache on Black Paper - A New Technique To Try

My October obsession has been about gouache. Thanks to James Gurney and Roz Stendahl I have plenty of good foundational advice to get started (and to participate in the Gurney Journey October Graveyard Challenge)

Today's post is about a link that I clicked from the Outdoor Painter's weekly newsletter: "Plein Air Today" about "Gouache on Black Paper" and the paintings of Jan Poynter.

Outdoor Painter: Gouache On Black Paper
http://www.outdoorpainter.com/gouache-on-black-paper/

I posted Jan's paintings to my Tumblr (Look Before You..) for posterity! They are so incredibly striking!

The fact that the black paper is left to show through appeals to my love for printmaking. They have a "lino print-like" feel.

I also love her use of the rounded frames, lightly drawn using charcoal - a technique I use frequently in my art journals. And notice how she lets the steeple or the tree-top break past the frame.

Screen shot of  my Tumblr (Look Before You..)

Jan Poynter is an artist from British Columbia. She has been teaching art for over 30 years on the Sunshine Coast in Gibson B.C. http://janpoynter.com/classes/sunshine-coast-class-schedule/

What I learned about painting gouache on black paper from today's article about Jan (who has been painting gouache on black paper since she was 17 years old) is:

• Jan buys sketchbooks made with acid-free paper that are designed to be used as scrapbooks. “The paper is about 200lbs, and it’s quite smooth and a little bit absorbent"
• she does a detailed line drawing with graphite, including the rounded corners of the composition that suggest both an etching and a vignette style of painting.
• the painting process in a way almost the opposite of most processes
• fixative on gouache darkens the values significantly, so you must paint lighter in anticipation of this effect.
• gouache paintings need to be framed behind glass

I love having another new technique to try and it seems so well suited to autumn.
Here is my first attempt !

My daily sketch "Autumn Squirrel"
By Cindi Moynahan-Foreman
(gouache on black paper)

Jan Poynter Links

• Jan Poynter on Flickr https://www.flickr.com/photos/janpoynter_artist/
• Jan Poynter on facebook https://www.facebook.com/Jan-Poynter-ART-158458111638/
• Jan Poynter on Daily Paintworks http://www.dailypaintworks.com/fineart/1fd654c9-70b9-4dbe-a2d9-329740e2ac62
• Jan Poynter workshops (via Opus) http://www.opusartsupplies.com/how/workshops-classes/instructors/jan-poynter-0