Pébéo Studio Gouache set, 10 × 20 ml and brush

Matte colour areas and controlled mixing studies for design and illustration. This Pébéo Studio Gouache Super Maquette set contains ten 20 ml tubes of fine gouache and one brush: 200 ml of paint in total.

Ten colours and one brush

Each colour has its own tube. Primary yellow, magenta and cyan provide the basis for mixing exercises; carmine, violet, green, ochre and brown extend that selection. White and black help you explore lighter and darker versions. Choose your own paper, palette and water container to suit your work.

• 11: Permanent white
• 48: Primary yellow
• 50: Primary magenta
• 18: Carmine
• 47: Cobalt violet hue
• 49: Primary cyan
• 42: Emerald green
• 27: Yellow ochre
• 29: Burnt umber
• 26: Ivory black

Learn to mix primary colours

Place small amounts of yellow, magenta and cyan separately on a clean palette. Start with two colours and add the second gradually so you can follow the change. Keep a little of the original colours aside for comparison. Use the ready-made green, violet and earth tones when you want to start with those rather than making a primary mixture every time.

From opaque areas to diluted washes

The pigment-rich paint has a creamy consistency and dries matte. Use it undiluted for opaque strokes or add water carefully for lighter, more transparent washes on paper, cardboard or bristol board. The paint can be diluted again with water after drying: repeated wet brushing over a dry layer can pick up the underlying colour. Use few brush strokes when you want to preserve the underlayer.

Keep a mixing chart

Practical exercise: divide a sheet of your chosen paper into nine spaces. Put the three primary colours in the top row; yellow with magenta, magenta with cyan and cyan with yellow in the middle; and the same three mixtures with a little white below. Let the chart dry before judging colour and coverage. Record tube codes, mixing ratios and water use. Drying usually takes a few hours, depending on dilution and paper weight. Close the tubes after use.

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