26/05/2026
I had such a blast painting this lobster in one sitting which was quite different to my usual process. This week I played with Turner Acryl Gouache. It's not the same as traditional gouache and I think its worth explaining further...
Regular gouache reactivates when wet and this can mean that painting over dried layers risks lifting the colour beneath it and muddying everything that you have already built. It's a medium that requires careful planning and committing early. The Turner Acryl Gouache, however, has an acrylic binder that locks each layer permanently as it dries. Once it is down it stays down and when you paint over it, it is clean bold and you can do so without hesitation.
Another wonderful observation in using Turner's gouache was the sheer saturation and vibrancy of colour. Many gouache brands achieve opacity by adding white to the pigment base, which, while it gives you coverage, it tends to pull the colour toward chalky and pastel. Turner's pigment load is high enough that the colours come out of the tube looking exactly as vivid as they are on the paper.
Really love the matte finish and thoroughly enjoyed a hassle free painting process as each of the layers dried permanent. Turner's colour also delivers on what the tube promises so this one is definitely a studio staple for me from here on out.
