The Gouache Course
Imagine. This.
You finish a painting you’re genuinely proud of. The colors are vibrant and clear. The transitions are smooth and controlled. That’s your work.
But right now, it’s not happening.
The color looks muddy. You’re not sure if it’s the water, the paint, or the layering.
There’s a Method to Gouache
When you understand how it handles water, how colors actually mix, and when to layer, that confusion goes away. You start creating clear, vibrant work on purpose.
Thats why I created...
The Gouache Course
Gouache rewards the people who understand it with a kind of creative freedom most mediums can't touch: paint opaque or transparent, soft or razor-sharp, in the same piece, in the same sitting. Most artists never get there because no one's shown them
how the medium actually works.
This course is that map. 8 sessions, built around the exact mechanics of how gouache handles light, water, and color. So by the end, you're not following steps anymore. You're improvising.
I built it from the inside out, chasing down every place gouache surprised me until I could predict it instead. No filler, no generic painting theory: just the real mechanics that turn this medium from unpredictable to playable.
Every mark goes exactly where you send it
Once you know what gouache wants, you stop negotiating with your brush. You'll know before the brush touches paper exactly what that stroke is going to do. That's when painting stops being a guessing game and starts being play.
Color that stays alive on the page
You'll learn why gouache turns muddy and once you see it, you can't unsee it. From there, color stops fighting you. You'll mix with the kind of ease that makes people ask "how did you get that color?"
This is what it feels like to actually enjoy the process
Sitting down to paint becomes something you look forward to, not something you brace for. You know how your colors will behave, what they'll dry to, where the edges will land. That certainty is what frees you up to actually create: to chase the painting you're excited about instead of managing damage control.
Paint the image you actually pictured
Not a compromise. Not "good enough for gouache." The actual image in your head with the form, character, and life that made you want to paint it in the first place.
“The lessons were engaging, well structured, humorous and entertaining.”
“As a digital artist, I’ve always been extremely intimidated but also intrigued by traditional painting. Turns out all my worries were unfounded because the course made the medium of gouache easily accessible, and introduced all the required techniques step by step. The lessons were engaging, well structured, humorous and entertaining. Justin is a great teacher, and his enthusiasm for painting is infectious! He has managed to create such a positive learning environment for his students, and I loved being part of the community on Discord. Even as someone who has been working as a professional artist for years, I learned many new things, and I can only recommend the course.”
Djamila Knopf — now a full-time gouache artist
The Gouache Course is taught by
Justin Donaldson
Plein Air Magazine's Breakthrough Artist of the Year - Full-time painter & educator
I know what it feels like to have a clear vision in your head and watch it fall apart the moment paint meets paper. For years I was too busy fighting the medium to actually enjoy painting.
I spent a long time figuring out why gouache behaves the way it does: how it dries, how it layers, how to predict it. Once I understood the cause and effect behind the medium, everything became easier. I stopped feeling stuck and started painting with the fluency I’d always wanted.
This course is everything I wish I’d had when I was starting out. I travel full-time with my family, painting landscapes across the US — and gouache is what makes that possible.
Plein Air Magazine’s Breakthrough Artist of the Year
“Discovering the versatility of the medium was a lot of fun and a wee bit mindblowing at times”
Danae - artist
Danae made an amazing transformation during her time in the course. She went from frustrated artist to creating masterpieces in her spare time. Check this out...
Before -> After
Let's walk through it together. Here's what changes for you, one session at a time.
Session 1: Painting with Consistency
You know that moment when you lay down a patch of colour and it dries streaky, or chalky, or with little flecks of paper peeking through? And you're not sure whether to blame the paint, the water or yourself?
It's almost never you. It's the consistency of the paint, and almost nobody teaches it. In this first session I'll show you how to read your paint before it ever touches the paper, starting with a surprisingly simple habit most people skip. By the end, you'll put down a flat, clean passage of colour in one pass. It sounds small, until you realise every other skill in gouache is built on top of it.
Session 2: Controlling Edges
Now that the paint goes where you send it, let's talk about where it stops.
Every edge in a painting is a decision. A cloud melting into the sky. A rooftop cutting crisply against it. Most painters get whichever edge happens to show up. After this session, you'll choose. It all comes down to one thing: how wet your paper + paint is at the moment your brush touches it. There are three states it can be in, and once you can feel the difference between them, your paintings start to look intentional. (Check out the waterfall below. Can you already spot where the paper was wet when the paint went down?)
Tap a marker: can you spot where the paper was wet?
Session 3: Gradients
Think about the last sky that stopped you in your tracks. That slow slide from warm glow to deep blue. Now think about the last time you tried to paint one and got stripes instead.
Gradients are where we start, but they're not really what this session is about. To pull off a smooth blend, you have to understand timing: how long each bit of gouache stays workable, when it's ready to take the next stroke, and when it's too late. Once you can feel that, it changes everything you paint, gradient or not. This is the session where you stop reacting to the paint and start working with its clock. It's a real milestone, and you'll feel the difference in every painting after it.
Session 4: Layering
Here's where gouache gets its muddy reputation. You go back in to add a highlight, and the layer underneath lifts up and swirls into your new colour. Suddenly it's all grey.
Once you understand why that happens, it stops happening. I'll show you what wakes the paint underneath, and how to work on top of it so it stays asleep. That means you can come back to a painting an hour later, or a day later, and keep building instead of damage-controlling. This is the session where a lot of students tell me gouache finally "clicked."
Session 5: Working with Water
So far you've been telling the paint what to do. Now we're going to let it do some of the work for you.
When you drop colour into wet paint, gouache does things a brush simply can't. Colours drift into each other, soften and bloom. It can look like magic, or like chaos, depending on whether you know what's going on. I'll introduce you to two ideas I use constantly: something I call the vacuum, and a technique called charging. Once they make sense, those happy accidents stop being accidents. You'll be setting them up on purpose.
Session 6: Handling Value
You mix what looks like the perfect shadow colour. You paint it in. It dries, and it's just... wrong. Too light, or too flat.
Gouache shifts as it dries. Lights tend to dry darker and darks lighter, and nobody warns you. In this session we make that shift predictable. You'll push your values to the extremes, learn how to judge them while the paint is still wet, and paint knowing exactly what you'll see when it dries. What you mix becomes what you get, and that's a very calm feeling.
Session 7: Opaque and Transparent
A mentor once told me, "If you're only using gouache for opaque painting, you're only using half of gouache." It stuck with me, and it changed how I paint.
This is where you meet the other half. Thin, glowing washes that let light shine through (check out the glowing grass in the following clip). Thick, solid strokes that sit confidently on top. Both in the same painting. I'll show you how to tell a passage that feels alive from one that feels dead, and how to plan your painting before you begin so each part gets the treatment it needs. This is where your work starts to feel rich.
Session 8: Keeping Gouache Active
You made it. And by now, the question isn't "how do I get gouache to behave?" It's "what can I do with this?"
So let's answer that. How do you keep a painting going for hours, adding subtlety and detail without racing the clock? How do you know when it's finished? How do you turn it into prints? Then, to bring it all together, you'll watch me paint a portrait in real time from start to finish, every decision out loud, using everything we've covered.
By the end, you won't be following steps anymore. You'll be improvising.
And you won’t do it alone.
Every session comes with a recap, a colour mixing lesson running alongside, and a weekly live call where I look at your paintings and help you take the next step.
“One of the best courses I have ever taken.”
“Before this course, gouache was a technique I hated and tried to avoid using, but thanks to Justin’s classes and explanations, I learned how to do things the right way and started to love gouache. Also, classes are easy to understand even if you are not a native English speaker. I’m more than happy with how much I learnt in these weeks. One of the best courses I have ever taken.”
Lunsel — artist
Two things included in every tier that most courses charge extra for
From mixing mud to painting with clarity
Develop this super power as we work through 5 color mixing sessions where we practically, in real time, work through the skill and practice of mixing colour. Mixing colour is the painting superpower — unlock this and everything else becomes easier.
You aren’t alone
We hold weekly live (and recorded) sessions with feedback from me (Justin) and answers to all your gouache questions. I’ll be here with you through the entire process. You’ll also have exclusive access to my students-only community of 500+ others as we work together to find more freedom in gouache.
What’s inside
The Gouache Course
The comprehensive 8-session online course for artists at any level who want to finally make gouache do what they imagine.
- SESSION 1: Consistency. Get the paint off the brush exactly how you want it, so you stop second-guessing every stroke
- SESSION 2: Edge Control. Master hard and soft edges so your paintings have depth and intention, not just accidents
- SESSION 3: Smooth Transitions. Create seamless gradients and blends so skies and forms feel dimensional instead of patchy
- SESSION 4: Layering. Build up colour and tone without lifting the layer beneath, so your paintings gain richness over time
- SESSION 5: Paint Behaviour. Work with gouache’s unique properties instead of against them, so the medium stops feeling unpredictable
- SESSION 6: Value Prediction. Know exactly how light or dark your paint will dry, so what you mix is what you get
- SESSION 7: Versatility. Use the full range of what gouache can do: opaque, transparent and textured — so one medium does everything you need
- SESSION 8: Open Time. Keep paint workable long enough to build subtlety and detail, so you’re never racing the clock
PLUS!
- BONUS #1: 5 Color Mixing Sessions: Build the one skill that makes everything else easier
- BONUS #2: Weekly Live Feedback + Community: Get your work reviewed by Justin and progress alongside 500+ other students
My Guarantee to You
7-day no-questions refund. Take a full week to explore the lessons, bonuses, and community. If it’s not what you were looking for, just let me know and I’ll refund you in full.
6-month results promise. Work through all 8 sessions, submit your artwork for review, and show up to the feedback sessions for 6 months. If you haven’t seen real improvement in your gouache confidence and skill, I’ll refund 100% of your investment. No hoops, no haggling.
I personally review every student’s work. Your improvement isn’t just possible — I’ll make sure it happens.
Here is a video review by Becca Rand.
We no longer do live runs of the course, but instead offer an at-your-own-pace format with weekly feedback sessions for all students.
The Gouache Course is right for you if…
- You've got basic art supplies and you're genuinely curious what this medium can do in your hands
- You're ready to stop guessing and start painting with intention: to actually direct the medium instead of reacting to it
- You want to walk away able to paint the thing you originally pictured: not a compromise, not "good enough for gouache"
The Gouache Course may not be right for you if…
- You're not willing to pick up basic supplies and put in regular practice
- You want quick tips, not a real, transferable skill set
- You're after a shortcut, not the actual ability to paint what you imagine
There's a version of you who already knows how to do this.
Who sits down, mixes exactly the color they pictured, and watches the painting come together the way they imagined it. The only thing between you and that is the eight sessions that get you there.
“I learned more in 8 sessions than I would have in years of figuring things out on my own”
“What a great course this has been! I learned more in 8 sessions than I would have in years of figuring things out on my own. Lots of useful techniques that really expands what you can achieve with gouache. The Discord community really makes it feel like you’re working with a group!”
Joakim — artist
Still on the fence?
Listen, I get it.
Learning a new medium can feel overwhelming, especially when you’ve already experienced disappointment with your results.
But here’s the thing…
Even experienced professional artists have found new techniques and approaches through this course. The lessons are engaging, well-structured, humorous, and entertaining — making the medium of gouache easily accessible with step-by-step instruction.
I can’t promise you overnight mastery without any practice.
But I can promise you this: I’ll provide you with a clear, structured path to understanding gouache that eliminates guesswork and frustration. You’ll gain confidence with each session as you see your skills visibly improve. And you’ll be supported by a community of artists on the same journey.
So what’ve you really got to lose?
