Oh My Gouache! Part II

I really didn't need any additional evidence that artist James Gurney is not only a great artist but that he is also a very generous teacher as well. His daily web blog Gurney's Journey had been running since 2007 and is filled with valuable FREE information on practically every subject any artist would be curious about.

When I tweeted 

"Oh MY Gouache! What colours should I use for 

@GurneyJourney's #graveyardpaintingchallenge?1?

James Gurney responded

James Gurney's twitter (@GurneyJourney) response Oct. 9, 2015

Before heading to Wallack's, I decided on my palette for the "Gurney Journey Graveyard Challenge": M.Graham's (MG) Ultramarine Blue and Burnt Sienna and Winsor & Newton Spectrum Yellow.

Mu Gouache box with M. Graham ultramarine blue and burnt sienna.

While I was at Wallack's, I found out that they were discontinuing and discounting their Winsor and Newtons (WN) lines of products, so, I left the store with eight tubes (instead of the three I had gone in for!) I purchased:

• Spectrum Yellow (WN)
• Primary Yellow (WN)
• Orange Lake Light (WN)
• Primary Red (WN)
• Primary Blue (WN)
• Ultramarine Blue (MG)
• Winsor Violet (Dioxozine) (WN)
• Burnt Sienna (MG)

Colour tests of my new gouache colours
(spectrum yellow and primary yellow identical from what I could see?)

I was disappointed at how close WN Spectrum yellow and primary yellow were (see above). At home, with further research, I learned that they were slightly different. Spectrum yellow is PY74 while primary yellow is PY138 and PY74.

I decided to research the WN CMYK blue and yellow and the primary red and I found a great leaflet on their website :( http://www.winsornewton.com/assets/Leaflets/win_10724_dg_a4_pdf_english.pdf )

Excerpt from Winsor & Newton Leaflet
http://www.winsornewton.com/assets/Leaflets/win_10724_dg_a4_pdf_english.pdf

My "Oh My Gouache"art journal page 

I returned to my original "Oh My Goauche"art journal page to play with my new colours. I started by making a Gurney-style (isosceles triangle) colour chart for my ultramarine blue (UB), burnt sienna (BS), spectrum yellow (SY) and white (WH) palette.

My colour chart for UB, BS, and SY with WH

James Gurney's limited palette colour charts for other colours
Read more on his website here:
http://gurneyjourney.blogspot.ca/2015/09/limited-palette-tests.html

And then I wanted to play with that CMKY primary palette.

The three primary tunes - Blue, yellow and red.

I thought it would be fun to use the picture below that I took (of a house at the corner of Metcalfe and Somerset St. West) to play with the CMKY primary colours 

Metcalfe and Somerset 

Quick practice in my art journal with new CMKY gouache palette
(plus white)

Having just begun my gouache adventure, I can't wait to get outside and use them there (before the weather gets too cold)!

Here is another interesting excerpt from the Winsor & Newton leaflet on the history of gouache: