Gouache Painting for Beginners

Learn to paint beautiful pictures using gouache with our painting short courses in Sydney!

Learn how to paint with gouache, a versatile and highly expressive medium known for its vibrant colour and distinctive matte finish. Often described as “opaque watercolour,” gouache allows artists to build layers, create bold highlights, and achieve a velvety surface that sits between watercolour and acrylic.

In this practical course, you will explore how gouache works on its own and in combination with other media. You will learn foundational techniques, experiment with materials, and develop confidence painting a variety of subjects, including landscapes, still life, and wildlife.

Along the way, you will be introduced to influential artists and approaches that demonstrate the range and flexibility of gouache, helping you understand when and how to use this medium effectively in your own work.

Learning outcomes

By the end of this course, you will be able to:

• Understand the properties of gouache and how it differs from watercolour and acrylic
• Apply basic gouache techniques, including layering, opacity, and colour mixing
• Combine gouache with watercolour to enhance depth and detail
• Use a range of tools and materials, including brushes and sponges
• Compose and complete artworks from reference images
• Create a landscape, still life, and animal or wildlife painting using gouache

Course content

During the course, participants will work with techniques and ideas such as:

Week 1:

• Enhancing watercolour with gouache
  Learn how gouache can be used to enrich and refine watercolour paintings. Drawing inspiration from Australian artist William T. Cooper, you will explore techniques for adding detail, highlights, and opacity. Practical exercises will include analysing and replicating selected works.
• Landscape painting from reference
  Develop your skills in composing a landscape from a photograph. Begin with pencil sketching and watercolour underpainting, then use gouache to build depth, texture, and definition in a step-by-step process.

Week 2: 

• Tone, colour and materials
  Explore the visual qualities of gouache, including matte and transparent effects. Learn about tone, colour relationships, and how gouache compares with other painting mediums. Experiment with different tools while creating a still life painting.
• Expressive subjects and artistic approaches
  Discover how artists past and present have used gouache in their work. Apply your skills to create a pet or wildlife portrait, focusing on form, colour, and expressive detail.

Intended audience

Who is this gouache Painting Course for?

This course is designed for beginners, as well as those with painting experience who want to explore working with gouache.

Course venue

Rozelle Campus

2A Gordon Street, Rozelle NSW 2039 (corner of Gordon St & Victoria Rd in the grounds of St. Joseph's Church)

Course materials

What to bring to class?

 Most materials are included in the enrolment fee. If you already have acrylic paints you prefer to use, feel free to bring them along.

Additional information

Please note the following:

• Closed-in shoes required
• Please wear old clothes and/or bring an apron
• Long hair must be tied back
• Content may vary slightly depending on class pace, participant interests, and instructor approach.