1) Try several versions of the same subject. (This image is a close-up gouache painting of the sky/trees portion of the watercolor painting I posted last time.)
2) Use a body of paint when you're working with gouache. Add just a little water so the density is like butter or sour cream. (However, for this painting I added a little more water; it just seemed like the thing to do.)
3) Gouache has traditionally been used by artists for preparatory sketches for larger oil paintings. (Because gouache is water-based, it's an easy medium to use when doing those sketches.) However, a gouache painting can become an end in and of itself. Just be sure to preserve under glass because, like watercolor paintings, gouache paintings are affected by moisture.
4) Larisa's approach is to simplify what she sees so the painting becomes rather abstract even though it is still somewhat representational. I learned that I really love this approach.
After taking the two-day workshop, I felt like I could see potential compositions everywhere I looked. The feeling has faded away somewhat, and today I had to force myself to sit down and paint for an hour. The first painting was a mess, but this one...well, it brought that feeling back.
Gotta remember that: sometimes you don't feel like creating until after you get started.
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