BEGINNER GOUACHE
Instructor - Monica Meerwarth Fernsell
Monica Meerwarth Fernsell is a local watercolor artist, Plein Air artist and textile designer with a BFA from Rhode Island School of Design. The mediums she works with are watercolors gouache and fabric dyes and resist on silk. Her work evokes quiet emotion influenced by the colors of her surroundings and their natural forms. She has been exhibiting locally at various venues and galleries including Zero Empty Spaces, The New Studio for Visual Arts, Artists of Palm Beach County, Art Moves You with shows at the Cornell Museum of Art. the Weisman Center and PGA Recreation Center, The Palm Beach Art & Design Showroom and Chapel 4.
BEGINNER GOUACHE
Supply List
This two-day introductory workshop is designed for students who are new to gouache or looking to build confidence with the medium.
Through a combination of demonstrations, exercises, and guided painting, students will learn the basic properties and techniques of gouache, including paint consistency, color mixing, value, opacity, layering, and brushwork.
The workshop begins with a studio-based still life, giving students the opportunity to become familiar with the medium in a relaxed and controlled setting. On the second day, these skills are taken outdoors through a plein air demonstration and guided painting session, introducing students to the process of observing, simplifying, and painting from life if weather cooperates.
No previous experience with gouache is required.
Day 1 — Understanding Gouache
Morning: Getting to Know the Medium
We begin with an introduction to gouache, materials, and basic setup.
Through short demonstrations and exercises, students will explore:
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Paint and water consistency
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Opaque and transparent applications
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Color mixing
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Light and dark values
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Layering
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Basic brushwork and mark-making
The goal is to give students time to experiment with the medium and understand how it behaves before beginning a painting.
Afternoon: Still Life Painting
A simple still life will be arranged for the class.
The instructor will demonstrate how to approach the subject by simplifying it into basic shapes, values, and color relationships.
Students will then create their own small gouache painting from the still life, with individual guidance and feedback throughout the process.
The day concludes with a brief group review and an introduction to working with gouache outdoors. Equipment used for plein air painting will also be reviewed.
Day 2 — Taking Gouache Outdoors
Morning: Plein Air Demonstration
The instructor will demonstrate a small gouache painting outdoors from beginning to end.
The demonstration will focus on:
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Choosing a simple subject
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Establishing a composition
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Simplifying what we see
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Identifying major light and dark shapes
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Mixing and adjusting color
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Working efficiently outdoors
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Knowing when to stop
The emphasis will be on the process of observing and making painting decisions, rather than creating a highly detailed finished painting.
Afternoon: Outdoor Painting
Students will create a small observational painting outdoors, applying the gouache skills learned on Day 1.
Students will receive individual guidance as they work, followed by a group review and discussion of the paintings.
No specialized plein air equipment is required. Students may work with a simple portable setup, and equipment requirements can be adapted to the facilities and outdoor space available at the host location.
Learning Outcomes
By the end of the workshop, students will have:
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A basic understanding of gouache and its properties
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Experience mixing color and controlling paint consistency
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Practiced value, layering, and brushwork
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Completed a small still life painting
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Observed a complete plein air demonstration
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Created a simple outdoor painting from observation
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A foundation for continuing to explore gouache independently
Materials
Students will receive a materials list prior to the workshop. It will be listed on the NSVA website. You will have to bring your own supplies. Basic gouache paints, brushes, paper, palette, and water containers will be required. The plein air portion is designed to work with a simple, portable setup rather than specialized plein air equipment.