Portland

2018-09-10 Ladd’s Addition, late spring

| bother@smallgreycatstudio
2018-09-10 Ladd’s Addition, 11in x 14in, casein and gouache on cold pressed watercolor paper

While working on this one, I was reminded of one of the reasons I went away from painting with gouache: the white disappears as it dries. So I ended up switching midway through to casein white.

The primary issue I’d been having with casein, prompting a return to gouache, is the lack of availability of a yellow that isn’t cadmium-based; I’m avoiding heavy metal pigments on principle.

Now that I’ve mixed gouache with casein, it seems to me that the gouache possibly mixes better than two caseins together.  More experimenting is called for…

2018-08-29 Laurelhurst Park, summer

| bother@smallgreycatstudio

2018-08-29 Laurelhurst Park, summer, 11in x 14in, gouache on cold pressed watercolor paper

I returned to gouache for this one and found I like the paint properties much better than casein. I seem to be able to manage the issue of reactivation if I let each layer dry thoroughly and save white mixtures for the very last.