Artistic Gouache Painting: Animals and Plant Life
A course by Alejandra CaballeroArtist
A course by Alejandra Caballero, Artist
Learn the basics of gouache painting. Find your inspiration for animal portraits, go through the sketching process, and discover your unique style.
Immerse yourself in the fascinating world of gouache and learn how to create unique animal portraits accompanied by botanical elements. Throughout this course, Alejandra Caballero, an artist specializing in gouache, will teach you everything from the basics of this medium to how to develop a personal style. You will explore how to find inspiration in nature and simplify forms to sketch animals, ultimately creating a final project that reflects your own taste for color and shapes. The course is designed to help you master both technique and creativity in creating expressive and vibrant portraits.
Alejandra has worked with renowned galleries such as Nucleus Portland and WOW x WOW, and has collaborated on illustrations for books and commissions. Her passion for animals and nature shines through in her work, and she will now guide you through this creative process step by step.
What will you learn in this online course?
14 lessons & 19 downloads
Materials and tools
6 minutes, 8 seconds
Characteristics of gouache
17 minutes, 54 seconds
Color
5 minutes, 59 seconds
Drawing animals, sketching process
15 minutes, 58 seconds
References and creation of the mood board or reference page
6 minutes, 38 seconds
Draw the final sketch
15 minutes, 41 seconds
What's included in this course?
You will learn how to use gouache in a versatile and fun way, starting from the basics and progressing to the point where you can create animal portraits accompanied by botanical elements. You will discover how to simplify animal forms, add details with gouache layers, and integrate vegetation into your pieces, creating a final project that is a personal work of art. You will also explore color theory as it applies to this medium, generating palettes that enhance your creations.
Additionally, Alejandra will share her artistic influences, her sketching process, and how to improvise with colors and shapes to bring your works to life. The goal is for you to master both technique and the ability to create your own compositions inspired by the natural world.
What is this course's project?
You will create an animal portrait accompanied by botanical elements using gouache, developing your own style through the process and playing with shapes and colors.
Who is this online course for?
This course is aimed at anyone interested in learning to paint with gouache, especially those looking to explore animal and plant illustration. No prior experience is necessary, just an interest in painting and drawing, and a willingness to experiment with this medium.
Requirements and materials
All you need are gouache paints, watercolor paper, brushes, and basic drawing materials. A water container, painting palette, and optional materials such as Photoshop and a lightbox are also recommended.
Reviews
- 2 months ago
Me emociona y motiva a crear el fondo botánico, en lugar de gatito decidí otro animal para variar el trabajo, muy buen curso.
- 7 months ago
Mi è piaciuto molto! Grazie
- 8 months ago
La profesora se explica bien; me encanta su estilo, solo me cuesta un poco adaptarme a éste
- 10 months ago
Great course
- 1 year ago
Lots of information. I learned a lot about painting with gouache.
Content
- U1
Introduction
- Presentation
- Influences
- U2
Bases
- Materials and tools
- Characteristics of gouache
- Color
- Drawing animals, sketching process
- U3
Production of the course project
- References and creation of the mood board or reference page
- Draw the final sketch
- First layers of the cat
- Light fur and eyes
- Painting the background
- Sculpting the painting by adding layers and details
- U4
Tips and advice
- Creativity and productivity tips
- Commissions
- FP
Final project
- Artistic Gouache Painting: Animals and Plant Life
What to expect from a Domestika course
Learn at your own pace
Enjoy learning from home without a set schedule and with an easy-to-follow method. You set your own pace.
Learn from the best professionals
Learn valuable methods and techniques explained by top experts in the creative sector.
Meet expert teachers
Each expert teaches what they do best, with clear guidelines, true passion, and professional insight in every lesson.
Certificates
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Get front-row seats
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Share knowledge and ideas
Ask questions, request feedback, or offer solutions. Share your learning experience with other students in the community who are as passionate about creativity as you are.
Connect with a global creative community
The community is home to millions of people from around the world who are curious and passionate about exploring and expressing their creativity.
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FAQs
Gouache is an opaque, water-based paint perfect for illustrating animals and flowers because it allows you to blend colors, build smooth layers, easily fix mistakes, and achieve matte finishes with fine details.
This course is aimed at intermediate learners, so having basic drawing and painting skills is recommended to get the most out of it.
You’ll need gouache paints, synthetic brushes, various textured papers, a lightbox (optional), pencils, an eraser, and access to digital or printed visual references.
You’ll learn how to draw and paint animals and flowers with gouache, mix colors, transfer sketches, create botanical compositions, apply layering and detailing techniques, plus explore artistic inspiration and how to sell your illustrations.
A lightbox lets you accurately trace your original sketch onto the final paper, preserving proportions and details before painting with gouache.
The course covers mixing primary colors, creating harmonious palettes, gradients, reducing saturation, and techniques to achieve tonal variety and post-impressionist effects with gouache.
It includes strategies for creating and selling illustrations on Etsy, managing commissions, and building an audience on social media and digital platforms.