Start to Finish: A Gouache Ghost Painting

First step is to decide what in the world I'm going to paint. I settle on something to do with a ghost in the mountains. Something about a golden forest and distant mountains appeals to my inner-eye.

Next comes the simplest sketch you've ever seen:

Impressive, eh? The goal is to know the composition and values of the painting and have some kind of reference - that's it. I find the more I simplify my process into easy little steps, the more I can relax and actually enjoy the painting. Originally I was going to have the ghost carrying a human baby into the woods, but I thought that was a little too creepy.

I choose a color palette from my very high-tech cutouts of random color palettes online. I don't follow them exactly - I just like to have a reference for the vibe I want, a guide in case I get stuck, and somewhere to start.

Next is the underpainting. It's not really necessary in gouache, but I find it gives me a good backdrop for what I'm doing. Mentally and physically. If I miss a spot or the layer is thin, the underpainting shows through and gives the piece a bit of cohesiveness.

I chose green this time, because I was planning on green fields, but those green fields turned out to be red/brown. Another reason I really don't recommend an underpainting haha. Or better yet, just be certain what color you want to use. I covered the page with green. Again, not advised. See the faint green? Yeah, I had to do a few more layers to cover that up.

Next we move on to really blocking in all the shapes and adding some texture. I wanted the fields to look a little like they were stitched on with a kind of quilted effect to them.

Cute!

Next came the scary part. I took out a fresh, clean paintbrush, dipped it in clean water, and smothered it in white paint. Then I let the spirit guide me, and I painted my ghost! I only had one shot to get it right, and it came out perfect.

I did some outlining on this one (which feels a little like cheating, but that's okay) to really give the clear mark of where each layer ends. There are definitely things I would change, but as always I am proud of myself for trying something new, following through, and even taking some progress pics to post here!

I think the final painting is cute, the colors are pumpkin-spice-tastic, and I like that there's something ominous about a ghost running and hiding in the woods.

...What could she possibly be running from?

Here's the final painting:

Thanks for reading! Let me know what you think about the painting! What is the ghost running from? What would you name her?

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Illustrations