GOUACHE ART HAUL! How Good is M. Graham Gouache?
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 20 ต.ค. 2024
- Let's play with M. Graham Gouache today and find out if the exorbitant cost is actually worth it.
Hi! I'm Miranda Watson and I create fun art videos on this channel twice a week. I do a fun art subscription box every month, plus many other fun art-related projects. My passion is watercolor and water-based media. Subscribe to my channel if this appeals to you, and hit the All Notifications on the Bell to be notified when I upload a new video. A Like on this video if you enjoyed it also helps me out. Thank you for spending your time with me today, I appreciate you!
VIDEOS AND CHANNELS MENTIONED:
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Sarah Burns Studio Channel: / sarahburnsstudio
Etchr Block Video Where Paper Tears: • Using My Art Haul Supp...
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M Graham makes my favorite gouache to use from dry, mainly because it is some of the easiest to re-wet gouache and also the least prone to cracking in the pan due to the honey content. I think the same rules apply to using watercolor in the pan - if you're planning to paint large, then preparing color straight from the tube is always going to be easier, have more pigment load and covering power. In general I find using M Graham gouache out of half pans works well for me, since I tend to paint small (usually 5"x7") and just adding a drop of water onto them before painting usually allows me to pick up color easily and still be opaque. I recently did a painting on black watercolor paper using M Graham from dry and was able to manage full coverage in one layer for design work.
When working on white paper I usually use them the normal way, starting with blocking in color areas with wet thin semi transparent layers like watercolor until final layers are thick, more dry and opaque. I own tons of gouache and if I had to buy stuff all over again it would mostly be from M Graham. Sad about the price increases this year on all brands though, honestly they used to be cheaper. However, there's still times where you can find M Graham on sale for about $6 a tube for the cheaper colors like earth browns on Blick. Often around the same price or cheaper than Holbein or Winsor and Newton which crack into a million pieces and dry horribly harder to re-wet in pans.
As usual, your insight and experience with the medium is so valuable - THANK YOU! I will take all this to heart and be very grateful for the paint I have. I'll probably pick up that little silicone-lidded palette thing to keep my leftovers in and call it a happy day. Thank you, Kim!
Whoa the mixes were so vibrant, I am now craving this set
It's a lovely set!
Oh very pricey but they do look so nice on some of those mixes you made. I just got some Mijello Mission Gold Watercolor dot cards a friend send me so I will be swatching those out soon.
Thanks, Dora. It's always fun to do all the mixes. Can't wait to see your Mission Gold swatches!
Haha the tiny box! Good things come in small packages? I've been trying to pick a new gouache set, and M.Graham is a contender. I'd be buying individual colours but eek they're expensive! That Napthol red is intense, and you got a lot of really pretty mixes out of your set. Your paintings are lovely, and the colours are great, and amazing from such a small set! So yes, good things do come in small packages, lol!
Yes, good things in small packages! I'm glad you agree they are expensive. I was feeling like I was overreacting a bit, and maybe I still kind of was, but YOWTCH! I was surprised I was able to get decent purples out of that cool red, but it must be more neutral than cool, so it worked great, especially when adding white for the lavenders and pinks. Overall, it's a pretty decent choice. If I had picked all on my own, I would have ended up with more of a Quin. Rose-ish color. This was fun. I'm now glad I have them, it was just a shock at first. Hahaha.
I had to rewatch. I love your paintings. There are no right or wrong ways to use gouache, but some people use it in a more opaque way than you do, ha. But I love your semi-opaque way of using it. The high end gouache lasts quite awhile. Although it is "precious," it's so pigmented. Remember everything you buy is an "experience". The gouache cost about as much as a night of camping with full hookups, but imagine how many hours of fun you get out of that money, plus art that will last "forever". You asked about other gouache artists to follow. One of my favorites is Jess Chung. She has relatively few videos on her channel, but the ones she has are really insightful. I also like the few that Rush Wilshaw has on her channel. Frugal Crafter has some good ones. I like Becky Tregear's too. But I really like yours too. Have a great evening. Thank you.
I love the perspective you gave in your comment here.
Really the mixes with black-I should try it. The greens are my favorite. It's hilarious when I slow down the video to watch your brush strokes-it slows down the audio too! The fading sunset picture is gorgeous. I love the muted colors.(Dachshund woke up at 5:45 to be fed. You can't win an argument with a doxie!)
I really enjoy using the black - even in my watercolor sets. I always assumed people would speed up my videos, not slow them down. LOL! That cracks me up. I didn't try it - I'm afraid to hear what I sound like in slow-motion. I've had three Dachshunds in my adulthood. They are such cutie-pies! One was a mini wire-haired, one was a Tweenie blonde long-haired, and one was mixed with Jack Russell. All such characters!
I like your layout for your mixing chart - logical. Beautiful paintings.
Hahaha, thank you! It was fun to do it that way. I like my right-side painting, but think I need to add a few more faded-out flower-things to my left-side painting over on the right side. We'll see.
@@MirandaWatsonArt Yeah. Some negative space playtime is always fun and adds a bit more dimension. Great job, though.
These look great and I love the paintings. In Europe, M Graham is rather expensive and we have Windsor and newton which are good, as well. I have the box with a silicone top where I put my Lefranc Bourgeois gouaches, which are French. It is a very good container. That makes me think I needvto habe a look and use them. Have a nice weekend, Miranda.
Looks like I'm going to need to purchase the little silicone lid box palette. That'd be a great investment, most likely. Yes, take a look and let me know what you find! How long has it been? I'm curious if they're still wet or not.
@@MirandaWatsonArt after about 2 weeks, there are still wet. It is quite tight and I spray a bit of purified water to maintain them wet. I hope it helps.
@@Elvraie yes, that helps, thank you!
I have a ceramic mixing platter I purchased at Walmart for about $7 I love. It's quite large with a ton of room, rectangular so it fits really nicely on my limited desk space, and has a great "lip" on the edge that not only keeps the paint inside even with wet washes it's perfect for putting pans (with a bit of double sided tape or that putty stuff to stick them) or daubs of fresh color on. Highly recommend.
Great idea, thank you!
I really enjoy my Schmincke and Winsor & Newton gouache and spritz my dried gouache on the ceramic palette like the others mentioned. Thanks for sharing!
Thanks, Stacy! I've heard the M. Graham is pretty good at rewetting, so after my next painting with it, I'll save the leftovers and give it a try.
If you watch Sade Saves the Day on TH-cam, she does a comparison of gouache with the conclusion that she absolutely recommended M Graham. She gives reasons for her preference for it. Just wondered why you found the gouache pricey? The tubes averaged $8.00 which if compared with watercolour paint (eeek!!) is downright cheap! I really enjoyed your ‘sampler’ page! Great inspiration!
Ah, I'll have to go watch that. I've watched a few of her videos here and there, so I'll find it. As far as the price, I think I've just been influenced lately by the fact that I've bought entire watercolor sets for about half of what this is (half-pan sets in affordable brands). However, this IS M. Graham, lol, so there's that. Also, the watercolor QoR and Daniel Smith Starter Sets are around $23-$26 for six colors (smaller tubes, though, so there's that), so I think my brain just thought this was a lot. Add in the fact that gouache isn't my main medium, and that adds more reticence to the purchase, lol. I sure did enjoy using it, though!
I use a mix of dried and out of the tube gouache. I use the dried one for the first layers, which need to be more watery. One of the problems with drying out gouache is that it can flake off and you end up with an unusable mix of all paints in your palette. The sealed palettes are great. And finally, I haven't used M. Graham's but those looked a little bit transparent. But maybe it's just those particular pigments. Steve Mitchell has a great review on different gouaches
Okay, thank you for all that info. It's the flaking off that I'm most worried about. Good to know that I can still use what I don't use up in one painting in the future. I may get one of those sealed palettes for when I first squeeze it out of the tube because now this leftover gouache is very much stuck to this plate and I don't want to waste it. So now the plate is out of commission until I use all this up, lol. If I had poured it first into a sealed palette, it could just live there indefinitely. They did look transparent, didn't they? I'll have to keep playing. I'll do look for Steve Mitchell's review now, thank you!
What a great tip about using the dried gouache for first layers of next paintings! Thanks!
I watched Steve Mitchell’s video and have the Caran D’Ache pan set and mostly Winsor Newton Designer Gouache. I love them!
@@Julie-vy3oz good choices! I do like how they both looked on his test page.
@@MirandaWatsonArt i have a friend there in the US (sarah bailey, she has a channel here) who was on the quest for a gouache that doesnt flake off in a sealed palette when dry and she really loves m Graham for that because their honey content helps the paint to be relatively moist (as soft as gouache can be)
Thanks for your review. It was so helpful. The reason the purples were a bit muted is because the set has a warm red. If you had a cooler red to use in your purple mixes, the purple colors would come out brighter : )
Yep, absolutely - it's the same concept I teach my students in my Beginner Watercolor class with the Pyrrol Scarlet versus the Quinacridone Rose. :-)
Seems like something I might try sometime! The consistency of the gouache is nice. I like that they are thicker than acrylics, acrylics drive me crazy haha! I love that landscape painting you did. It reminds me a little of an oil painting cuz the colors are nice and deep! How is the drying time in comparison to acrylics or watercolors?
Good points. Yes, they are thicker than acrylics; although the Liquitex brand is the only one I have a lot of familiarity with. It felt like they dried quite a bit faster than my watercolors, but I would need to test them more to say for sure. They are slower than acrylics, and can be re-wet once they've dried, which I feel is a great advantage for mixing. They were fun and I really am looking forward to trying them out a lot more.
Your paintings are beautiful! The gouache looked good for my inexperienced eyes. I am curious as to how lightfast they are. For the price they better be very lightfast. Also, I did love the different color swatches you were able to get. Except the purple wasn't my favorite either.
Thanks, Diane. Yes, good reminder that I need to do my lightfast swatches - thank you!
I love my M. Graham gouache. It rewets for me alot easier than most of the others. Not as opaque that way, but better than most. I have some in pans that I mist with water and let absorb for about 10 minutes.
Thanks, Melissa; I appreciate hearing your experience with it. Makes me glad I have it.
James Gurney is a true gouache expert - the best on TH-cam.
Ah yes! So true. Not sure why I didn't think of him first. Thank you!
Gouache is best used straight from the tube. I put mine in a little pallet just like Sarah Burns you mentioned.
Okay, thank you! I think I might actually get that cute little palette she has or something like it. Better than letting the leftovers dry out on my plate and then not being able to use the plate for anything else because I don't want to waste the paint, lol.
I think the one gouache tutorial I watched talked about going from thin consistency to thick, so you can do lower layers in "tea" consistency and work up to thicker more concentrated layers. I love how the paintings came out especially the one on the right.
Perfect, thank you.
I think it was by Mary Sanche :)
when my gouache paint gets dry i will spritz some water over it lightly and cover it for about 15 minutes (depends on the brand) usually helps so i don't have to dig out the colors :)
Okay, thank you Shirley!
I'm glad I watched this first, I have been wanting to try professional gouache but wasn't sure if it was that worth it. I do love M Grahams watercolors though!
I'm watching Steve Mitchell's video about gouache choices, and M. Graham is 4th on his list, not 1st. Need to go finish the video now... Here's the link to it: th-cam.com/video/dRanwUXdvaY/w-d-xo.html
@@MirandaWatsonArt thanks I’ll check that out later!
The pricing on that doesn't seem completely outrageous knowing how far gouache goes. I've only ever used Holbein in terms of professional gouache, but I've always heard decent things about M. Graham. I hope they grow on you the more you use them.
I did love them, I just had a bit of sticker-shock, lol. But most people in the comments are correct; they weren't THAT bad considering the tube size and quality. I'm really excited to use them more, and I bet they WILL last a long time. Fingers crossed!
That is about the same price as the watercolor tubes. One of the reasons I didn't buy M Graham for a long time. It's either spring for the 15ml or nothing. FYI I found the watercolor very opaque and regretted purchasing it. I bought what I thought was going to be a "holy grail" palette for a Christmas present to myself.. 12 colors in a round ceramic studio palette. Close to $200 all together. Buyers remorse indeed, I really tried to love it, did a bunch of studies, and even completed a finished painting I have hanging framed and matted on my wall in my house... but I never touch it anymore. It's not bad, it's just very "solid" and too vibrant for me. Just not my cup of tea for watercolor. Learned my lesson and never buy more than my basic four shade limited palette in ANYTHING first time around. FYI you do have to be careful with Amazon and fine art supplies, they are often way more expensive than other stores. It's really hit or miss though.. they have had some great deals too, I've seen a lot of Daniel Smith in particular marked down a lot. Just have to compare at the time of purchase.
Oooh, very good to know all this. I did look at Jerry's and Dick Blick before purchasing from Amazon just to be sure. All three places were the exact same price. Such a bummer about your watercolors, though. Ouch.
I watch Arleebean.. she does gouache (and watercolor). Mostly portraits. Wonderful channel, such original work and very pleasant to listen to. She is starting a series of movie scenes and has promised some landscapes as well.
Yes, I'm subscribed to her channel and watched her latest movie scene. Good recommendation!
My M Graham Artist Gouache are dried hard but they rewet fine. I just let them soak a little. When they are in a pan of some kind the moisture sets in better and faster.
Okay, good to know - thank you!
I only have M. Graham white gouache. My large tube was $11 so maybe I would get them separately if I buy more. I do keep a half pan of dried M. Graham in for watercolor highlights. It wets easily. It shrunk down in the pan but has not come out or gotten crumbly like other gouache I have.
It is the M. Graham white that I see most people using for watercolor highlights, so it's good to hear directly that it works good for you. I looked online (but just on Amazon) and the biggest tube available individually was still only 15mL, and they were very expensive, so it made my feel a little better about the cost of this set.
@@MirandaWatsonArt The titanium white 2 ounce (59ml) tube on blick or amazon is just over $12 - but there are some individual colors that are much more expensive (like watercolor, varies by pigment and I paid $15 for cad red but only $6 for burnt umber). It's what I normally use for highlights after deciding I hated all my gel pens for how many times they skip and blob randomly lol. I will say though, that if you get an old tube be prepared to stir it. This kinda goes for any paint, but sometimes I notice old M Graham tubes especially have some tendencies to get a bit of binder separation going. I try not to judge it harshly for that, because like Avis said - these dry much better in the pan without so much crumbly cracking like other brands.
Okay, thank you.
The paintings are lovely! I’m looking for a white gouache for highlights. Caran D’Ache has white gouache for a reasonable price on Blick. Problem is either I pay through the nose for shipping or I wait until I have enough supplies in my cart for free shipping. Since I’m not desperate for it I’ll wait or I’ll buy a tube of something else from Amazon. 🤔😀
It seems like most people use the W&N white gouache for highlights, but wouldn't guarantee that. I'm watching Steve Mitchell's video right now about it but took a break to respond to comments. He said the M. Graham white wasn't very opaque and there are 3 above this brand that he likes better. I'd better go finish watching that video now... th-cam.com/video/dRanwUXdvaY/w-d-xo.html
@@MirandaWatsonArt thank you for the link! I will watch it too. 🤩
I have W&N gouache for highlights and also PH Martens bleed proof white - I like the bleed proof white better overall but the gouache is better at mixing with watercolor if I want opaque pastel colors.
@@petiteflower5259 oh yes, I have the bleed proof white as well. Good points on the different uses.
James gurney often uses this gouache.. highly recommend!!
Oh yes, I am subscribed to his channel and watch nearly all his videos as they're released. Can't believe I didn't think about him. Thank you!
@@MirandaWatsonArt I purchased his videos on Gumroad… the Gouache in the Wild video is totally worth it
love your video as always! i am impressed this color selection can get quite a few interesting mixes with this range, usually limited selections goes for cmyk colors, but this one still is well balanced! For other channels using gouache as their main medium, I recommend Lena Rivo (her stuff is similar to oil painting but so charming in gouache form) and..... my mind went blank for a second but i remember, James Gurney! The man is a monster at gouache and his fav brand is M Graham. Do check out his plein air solution for gouache painting, i think its amazing! he does some kind of DIY staywet palette for the paints. I am adding here too for you to check out Hajra Meeks. She is an artist but also a teacher so her instructional videos about gouache are very informative and jam-packed with knowledge. Happy painting!
Oh, cool, I've never heard of Lena Rivo. Looking her up right after this comment! James Gurney - of course! I watch nearly every video he publishes; I can't believe I forgot about him! I have watched Hajra Meeks in the past, but nothing recently. I either unsubscribed or TH-cam did it for me? How strange. I'll go re-look her up as well. Thank you for the great suggestions! I was able happy with these mixes. I was worried the red would be too cool, but it really worked out decently for most cases. Thanks again, Maddy!
Ah, just looked up Hajra and she hasn't published in a year or so. That would be why!
Lena's channel looks like a great source of inspiration - thank you!
@@MirandaWatsonArt yeah, I think she took a break from TH-cam, but I always revisit her videos,
@@MirandaWatsonArt you're welcome! Other small channels with inspirational gouache stuff: Mary sanche and Deana Maree (her icon is a paint palette with a dark blue background)
I use my gouache on a sta-wet palette and it stays much more workable!
Yes! I have a Sta-Wet Palette, but would like a much smaller one if I use it for this. I did order one like Sarah Burns has, so I'll see if I like that one first or not, because the Sta-Wet was my thought as well.
You used ut right. I have not tried the M. Graham gouache, nor their watercolour, but I would like to. It looks fantastic. arleebean also sometimes use gouache but my brain also kind of stops at Sarah Burns when thinking gouache. :D
Okay, thank you! One of my students in my watercolor class that started this week inherited a bunch of "random" art supplies. One of them happened to be about 12 tubes of M. Graham watercolor paint. I tried to impress upon her the incredible fortune she just inherited - hopefully she'll use them well! But as far as gouache, this was fun! I am glad I have them, and hopefully I'll do them some justice.
@@MirandaWatsonArt if she does not like them, give her my name....XD
Tube gouache is best right out of the tube, but the better brands can be used from dry once or twice. It is not advisable to let them dry out in a pan like watercolours. I made a hot mess out of some Lukas gouache paints because I let them dry in a pallet. I think I washed the binder out of it gradually every time I tried to rewet them.
@@xargothunter5746 Okay on all counts, lol.
The only pro gouache that I've found doesn't rewet well is the Holbein primary white. M Graham, though, rewets the very best. And it has some red choices that are light fast (unlike Holbein).
Good to know, thank you!
The end is so funny.
Somehow I've never watched this one till now. Haha, these are the size of normal watercolor tubes! It's funny that you are so salty about the price since they are less than the M. Graham watercolors and essentially the same thing. Have you used these since this video, or did you get rid of them? I just bought a Holbein mixing set (your fault!!! LOL). I see your M. Graham white does the same thing mine does - fades quickly after application over darker colors -- was very disappointed in it. I now use the Kuretake white ink instead.
Get rid of them - NO WAY! Lol. I've been dying to get back to them. And now I have the Holbein, too; I feel like a lucky duck. I think I can fit both sets into my gouache palette and I can't wait to try!
@@MirandaWatsonArt I noticed how nicely the M. Graham ones flow and run too -- I think they would be very nice used together!!
It rewets really easy from the pan
For sure!
Steve from A Mind of Watercolor uses MGraham Gouache. Check out his YT channel. Love your mixes, very helpful as I just got my Caran D’Ache 8 gouache set. Loved your paintings, and ‘Thank you!’ 🥰🤩👍🏾🙏🏾
Yes, I've been subscribed to his channel for years now - it's quite good. Thank you, Gwen. :-)