Most people who walk into the loft for the first time are frightened of watercolour, and they are right to be. It is beautiful, and it punishes hesitation.
What gouache is
Gouache is watercolour with more pigment and a little chalk in it. It dries flat and opaque, like a poster, and you can paint a light colour over a dark one.
Why beginners love it
Because you can change your mind. A sky that went wrong can be painted again ten minutes later. A boat in the wrong place can be painted out.
The first thing a beginner needs is permission to make a mess. Gouache gives it.
What you lose
The glow of paper shining through a wash. That comes later, with watercolour, once your hand has stopped shaking.
How to start
Five tubes, a flat brush and a round one, and some thick paper. Paint something small and simple: a lemon, a cup, a pebble from the beach.
