How to Use Gouache with a Dip Pen
Posted by Sarah @ PIA on Jan 18th 2023
Gouache is an opaque watercolor that dries matte and can be used along with typical watercolors. Although designed for traditional painting, gouache has become popular for calligraphy due to its smooth, vibrant colors, opacity on dark papers, and the ease with which you can mix custom colors.
We're starting today's tutorial with Winsor & Newton's Designers Gouache in Winsor Red, which is one of our favorite shades. The first step is to squeeze a small amount of gouache into a jar or dish. Next, use a pipette to slowly add water to the gouache.
Gouache on its own is too thick for use with a dip pen. If you don’t use enough water, you’ll be able to tell because the gouache will not flow from the point of your dip pen.
If you use too much water, the gouache will be too thin and may easily spill from your nib, creating unwanted globs. Gouache mixed with too much water may work alright, but will not showcase the color pictured on your tube of gouache. Instead, it will be fainter and less opaque, giving your lettering a watercolor appearance.
Once you have the perfect mixture of gouache and water, use a brush to paint the color onto the back of your nib. If you use just the right amount of water, the gouache will flow beautifully from your nib like any other calligraphy ink.
One of the benefits of using gouache is how easily you can create custom colors. Winsor & Newton's Designers Gouache is available in over 70 shades, making the range of colors you can create endless.
I’m going to make two pretty shades of lavender by mixing Winsor and Newton's Winsor Red, Permanent White, and Cobalt Blue.
Once you’ve thoroughly mixed your custom color, follow the same directions as above to make it dip pen ready.
Here are some additional tips to make your gouache calligraphy experience flow smoothly:
- Use distilled water.
- If you're mixing a custom gouache color for a large project, make a little more than you need. It is hard to re-mix colors exactly the same, and this will help keep your color consistent.
- If mixing gouache for a small project, a little goes a long way.
- Gouache can be stored in airtight containers and remain useable for a few weeks, but once dry it is very difficult to reactivate.
- There is no special ratio of water to gouache. It is best to add a little water at a time, testing it out on your nib until the flow feels right.
- Try gouache for brush lettering too!
Products used in this How-to-Guide:
Winsor & Newton Designers Gouache is considered by many artists to be the finest gouache on the market. Available in an incredible range of brilliant colors that mix cleanly and consistently. Smooth, opaque, matte, and lightfast. Available in 4 Series.
We offer a wide variety of ink jars and dishes, but for this tutorial we used our Flat 6 well mixing pan.
Additional tools include:
All lettering by Molly from @molly.marbles