Hay Cow Resting

"Hay Cow Resting" is the first mixed media I have done combining gouache (applied in an opaque layer) and pastel. With the exception of only one color (Leaf Green which was Holbein) all of the gouache colors were Winsor and Newton Designer's Gouache. For the pastel overlay, I used Nupastels and Conte pastel pencils. The paper used was Arches cold press watercolor paper, 30" by 22".

Initial Transparent Complimentary Color Layer

I decided to try a transparent layer of gouache in colors complimentary to the colors in the photographic image. After completing this piece, I have decided to also do this technique in future paintings.

Second Thin Layer of Base Color

My next step was to apply a thin layer of the final color. The picture to the right displays part of the painting covered in the base paint and a portion still in the complimentary color wash. The picture below is the opaque layer of base color over the entire piece.

Third Opaque Layer of Gouache

A third layer of opaque gouache was applied just prior to the pastel. This layer highlights the contrast, increases pattern detail, and builds a base upon which the pastel can be applied.

I wanted to accentuate the swirls of the hay bale and the dark areas of the plants with the bright yellow sunlit tops going into the distance.

Pastel Final Layer

After having completed several paintings in thick layers of gouache, it occurred to me that pastel might work well with the paint. Some brief research told me that gouache is soft pastel in glycerin, with the chalk in the pastel making it opaque. Learning this increased my desire to try gouache and pastel together.

In the past, I have tried hard soft pastels such as Nupastel or Conte soft pastels (I do not believe these are made any more) and liked the results. The available colors are limited, and they do not blend as readily as softer brands; but they give a "graphic", sketchy quality that I like quite a bit. I have found that I can add a level of detail with these pastels that I can not do with the softer brands.

The Nupastels and the Conte pastel pencils worked beautifully with the gouache. This is a combination I will use over and over again.