The artist sees what others only glimpse…”
Leonardo da Vinci
J W M Turner was one of the greats of British art. Surprisingly for an artist of his stature, most of his work was watercolour on paper. He was a full fellow of the Royal Academy of Art before he moved on to oils. Technically, the paint he used was gouache rather than watercolour, but during Turner’s life the distinction was less clear and less important. Gouache has a higher pigment/binder ratio, has larger pigment particles and usually has some white chalk as a binder. This gives an opaque, vibrant, fast drying paint. Its reflective qualities give a uniform matt appearance, and the unexpected quality of drying darker than the colour value of the wet paint. Turner employed gouache for the qualities of easy coverage, the ability to hide and the quick drying. In 2025 gouache is having a revival in the hands of Urban sketchers seeking vibrant splashes of colour and to mask less than perfect drawing. #mixedmediarules #letsmakelmonade
Pen Paint and Scalpel 