The differences between gouache and acrylic colors are in their texture, longevity, application, tools required, water resistance, and drying time.
Different colors are used in different styles of art. Two such types of colors are gouache colors and acrylic colors. They both serve different purposes with significant differences. But before we look at their differences, let us first understand what gouache and acrylic colors are.
What Are Gouache Colors?
Gouache color paint is a type of paint that consists of natural pigment, water, and a binding agent such as gum Arabic, dextrin, or sometimes chemically inert materials.
Gouache colors are opaque in nature meaning it offers a flat matte color. The color has been used since the middle ages and was even used in European illuminated scripts.
What Are Acrylic Colors?
Acrylic paint is a form of paint made up of emulsified acrylic polymer pigments with plasticizers, defoamers, silicone oils, stabilizers, or metal soaps. These colors are highly water-resistant. The origin of acrylic paint is hard to know exactly but from the 1950’s it was available all around the world and became extremely popular.
Differences between Gouache Color and Acrylic Color
Now that we understand the basics, let’s look at 10 different characteristics between the two.
1. The Texture
The texture of gouache colors is smooth but if it gets too wet, or if a thick layer of gouache color has been applied, it can show signs of cracking. Even though gouache has a smooth texture, the cracks make it appear rough.
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Acrylics, on the other hand, show no signs of cracking. The texture of acrylic follows the surface it is painted on. If it is painted on metal, it will have a smooth surface. If it is painted on wood, it will have a rougher surface.
2. Longevity
Gouache colors are not as resilient as acrylic. They fade away easily so they are very good on objects that often need to be recolored. Acrylic colors, however, are water and dust-resistant. This is why they are used on objects that do not need constant recoloring. They last a long time before showing signs of fading.
3. Application
Gouache paints are applied mostly on illustration-based arts, such as paper paintings, where the paint can dry up easily. If it does not dry up, the color will not settle and might show cracks.
Acrylic paints can be used on a wider variety of surfaces with no problems. It can be used on paper, metal, wood, plastic, glass, etc.
4. Tools Used For Painting
Both color types require different tools. For instance, gouache is a thinner paint, and it is best to use a paintbrush to apply it. Using other tools will seem very difficult because they cannot hold the thin color properly.
Acrylic colors are thicker than gouache colors. They can be painted with a paintbrush or pallet knife. This makes acrylic colors much more diverse than gouache colors.
5. Time Needed To Dry
Even though acrylic paints are thick in nature, they dry up faster than gouache paint. This is because it resists water when you blend it, reducing the time needed to dry.
Since gouache colors do not resist water, they can easily absorb water used for blending which increases the drying time.
6. Ease of Blending
Since acrylic paints dry fast, it is very difficult to blend or combine multiple acrylics together. Adding water does not help because of its water-resistant nature.
Gouache, on the other hand, does not have such problems. They are very easy to blend because of their slow drying process. Even if they start drying, adding water will slow it down.
7. The Flexibility of the Color
Flexibility here means how often the colors can be changed into something different. Gouache colors are much more flexible than acrylic colors. Simply applying some water will dissolve the previous gouache color. Then you need to dry the surface and it will be ready for a new layer.
This is not possible with acrylic paints because they do not dissolve easily. You need to apply a whole new layer of acrylic color on top making it unflexible. This becomes problematic for lighter surfaces like paper.
8. Types of Binders
Binders are materials that hold the color pigments together and make the color stick to the painted surface. Gouache colors use gum Arabic as their binder and acrylic colors use acrylic polymer. Acrylic polymer is a type of plastic which is why they do not easily dissolve in water.
9. Odor
Most gouache colors are odorless just like watercolors but acrylic colors are not. Most acrylic colors have a faint scent of ammonia before they dry up. Sometimes the odor may even persist for a few hours after the paint dries.
However, some brands have produced acrylic colors that are odorless. But in general, most acrylic colors have some sort of odor because of the chemicals used in them.
10. Surface Sheen
Surface sheen means how reflective the surface is. Gouache colors do not reflect light very well. This is why it has a matte surface sheen.
But acrylic colors are not confined to matte surface sheen only. They can reflect light efficiently, which is why some acrylic paints have a glossy surface sheen. They can also have a satin surface sheen, which is a mix of both matte and glossy sheen.
Final Thoughts
Each color has its own use and if you are a painter, you should go with the one that complements your artistic style. If you want an art piece that you can paint over, you can try gouache colors. But if you want to have an art piece that lasts a long time without changing it, then consider acrylic paints.
If you are a beginner, then it is best to experiment with both colors on small projects to understand their textures and features well.