Leo Martínez
Gouache, tempera, and poster paint are three distinct types of paint with different properties, applications, and histories. All three paints are water-based and use a binder to hold the ingredients together. However, their specific characteristics, such as opacity, drying time, and surface compatibility, vary. While gouache and tempera have been used by renowned artists throughout history, each type of paint serves a unique purpose and caters to different artistic needs and preferences. This article will explore the key differences between gouache, tempera, and poster paint, highlighting their individual qualities and the reasons why artists choose one over the other.
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What You'll Learn
Gouache is opaque, water-based paint
Gouache is an opaque, water-based paint. It is similar to watercolour paint, with which it is sometimes paired, but gouache is not transparent. Gouache dries quickly and remains water-soluble after drying, requiring no solvents for clean-up.
Gouache is made with a water-soluble binder: Arabic gum and pigments. It can be reactivated with water for blending edges together. Gouache contains a "charge" which makes it very opaque. Gouache also contains larger pigment particles than watercolour, which means it sits on top of the paper and can be lifted off.
Gouache is a versatile medium to work with, but it can be expensive. It is favoured by illustrators and designers for its vibrant, opaque colour. It is often used to create flat layers of brilliant matt colour.
Acrylic gouache is just acrylic paint formulated to dry with a matte finish. It has different working properties than traditional gouache. Designers like this variation because it's easier to scan or photograph.
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Tempera traditionally uses an egg yolk base as a binder
Gouache, tempera, and poster paint are all water-soluble paints with several similarities. However, they are not the same and have distinct purposes.
Tempera paint, also known as egg tempera, is a permanent, quick-drying paint that was widely used before oil paints gained popularity during the Renaissance. It is created by mixing pigments with a water-soluble binder, typically a glutinous substance like egg yolk. The paint is finished with a few drops of vinegar to prevent cracking upon drying. Tempera is not flexible and works best on solid, rigid surfaces like wooden panels or stiff boards, as it tends to crack and chip when used on paper or canvas.
Traditionally, tempera paint is made by hand-grinding dry powdered pigments and mixing them with a binding agent such as egg yolk, milk (casein), or plant gums. The egg yolk is diluted with water, and the paint mixture requires constant adjustment to balance its consistency. The ratio of yolk to water is typically 1:3, but some recipes use white wine instead of water (1 part yolk to 2 parts wine). A small amount of liquid myrrh can be added for a pleasant odour.
The use of egg yolk in tempera paint provides enhanced coverage and spreadability due to the interaction between egg yolk proteins, water molecules, and clay particles in the pigment. This creates a denser, more elastic, and opaque mixture with a higher viscosity than water-based paint. Tempera paint is known for its durability and ability to create various transparent and opaque effects. It is less popular today than other types of paint because the pigment does not mix well with them. However, it is still favoured by some artists and is the traditional medium for Orthodox icons in Greece and Russia.
In summary, tempera paint, characterised by its traditional use of egg yolk as a binder, differs from gouache and poster paint in terms of application, durability, and the effects it creates. While all three types of paint share certain similarities, they each have unique properties that suit specific artistic needs and purposes.
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Poster paint is cheaper than gouache and tempera
Poster paint, gouache, and tempera paints have distinct purposes and characteristics, despite their similarities. While all three types of paint are water-soluble and use pigments for colouring, there are significant differences in their compositions and applications.
Poster paint is a versatile and affordable option for artists, particularly suitable for reproduction and printing purposes. Its large pigment particles create opaque colours that sit on top of the paper, allowing for easy lifting and gradient effects. Poster paint is ideal for illustrators, animators, and commercial artists, as well as beginners and children due to its lower cost compared to gouache and tempera.
Gouache, on the other hand, is known for its opacity and versatility. It can be painted light over dark or dark over light, dries quickly, and remains water-soluble even after drying. Gouache is more expensive than poster paint due to its higher quality and the use of specific binders like gum arabic, which is derived from the dried sap of the acacia tree. This type of paint is favoured by designers as it scans and photographs well.
Tempera paint, an ancient medium known to early Egyptians, is traditionally used on hard substrates like walls or wood with a primer. While tempera paint may be more expensive than poster paint, its longevity is remarkable, with colours lasting for hundreds of years.
In summary, poster paint offers a cost-effective option for artists, particularly in reproduction and printing contexts, while gouache and tempera paints have their own unique purposes and characteristics, justifying their higher price points.
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Poster paint is available in powder form
Gouache, tempera, and poster paint are all water-soluble paints with a lot of similarities, but they are not exactly the same. They all rely on pigments for their colour rather than dyes, meaning that tiny pieces of coloured stone or other physical materials are suspended in the paint mixture. The main difference between these paints is the size of their pigment particles.
Gouache is an opaque, water-based paint that is similar to watercolour. It can be painted light over dark and dark over light, dries quickly, and remains water-soluble after drying. Gouache is more expensive than poster paint.
Tempera is a very ancient medium, known by early Egyptians. It is meant to be used on a hard substrate, like a wall or wood, with a primer: plaster or gesso. If you paint it on paper, it will crack over time, as it is not flexible.
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Tempera is meant to be used on hard surfaces
Tempera is a very ancient medium, having been in constant use in most of the world’s cultures until it was gradually superseded by oil paints in Europe during the Renaissance. The word 'tempera' is derived from the Italian 'dipingere a tempera' or 'paint in distemper', from the Late Latin 'distemperare' or 'mix thoroughly'. It is meant to be used on hard surfaces, such as walls, wood, plaster, stone, or canvas.
The most common form of classical tempera painting is "egg tempera", where the yolk of an egg is used as a binding agent, along with water and pigment. Other binding agents that can be used include milk (in the form of casein) and a variety of plant gums. Tempera is usually applied in successive broad sweeps or washes of semitransparent paint using sable brushes. It dries quickly, producing a smooth matte finish.
Tempera is not suitable for paper because it will crackle over time as it is not flexible. Poster paint, on the other hand, is meant to be used on porous surfaces such as paper or cardboard, and can also be used on foam, wood, stone, or concrete. Gouache is another opaque, water-based paint that is similar to watercolour and can be painted light over dark and dark over light. It is more expensive than poster paint and is favoured by designers as it is easier to scan or photograph.
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Frequently asked questions
Gouache is an opaque, water-based paint that dries quickly and remains water-soluble after drying. It is similar to watercolour paint, with which it is sometimes paired. Gouache uses gum Arabic as its binder.
Tempera is a water-based paint that dries to a matte finish. It is typically applied in thin layers to rigid surfaces such as wood. Tempera traditionally uses an egg yolk or egg white base as a binder.
Poster paint is a type of paint that is often used by children and professionals like illustrators and animators due to its low cost. It can be found in powder form and has large pigment particles that sit on top of the paper, making the colours opaque.
No, they are not the same, but they have similarities. Gouache, tempera, and poster paint are all water-based and use pigments in a binder. However, they differ in their specific purposes, opacity, and particle size.
Gouache, tempera, and poster paint differ in their opacity, binders, and particle sizes. Gouache is known for its opacity, while tempera dries to a matte finish. Tempera traditionally uses an egg yolk or egg white base as a binder, whereas gouache uses gum Arabic. Poster paint has the largest pigment particles among the three, resulting in opaque colours.
