SketchAwesome is an online program created by Phil Davies that runs for a year, covering a wide range of subjects, application styles, and materials. Its primary aim is to help participants develop their skills while creating a tangible record of their progress through their sketchbooks. The sketchbook serves as an essential part of the program, acting as an evolving archive of the artist’s growth and a narrative of how they develop their unique style.
In a previous post, I discussed my reasons for joining SketchAwesome (read more here). Even before beginning my Illustration Quest, I wanted to build a daily sketchbook habit, and SketchAwesome seemed like a perfect fit. It has indeed been helpful in this regard. While the Illustration Quest includes a set amount of drawing practice to reinforce learning, the SketchAwesome exercises have provided a structured space for creative exploration and play.
Week 3: learning gouache techniques
This week in the SketchAwesome program the focus was on applying gouache to the page—a medium that I find a bit tricky. Gouache has never been one of my favorites because I struggle with getting the right water-to-pigment ratio, so this practice session really pushed me to figure out what I need to do to improve.
We started with only the three primary colors: red, yellow, and blue, plus black and white. It didn’t matter which specific hues; this lesson was truly aimed at beginners. The first exercise was all about experimenting with the amount of water needed to achieve thin, medium, and thick consistencies. After mixing a purple shade from two of the primaries, we repeated the exercise.
Honestly, these are things I feel should be repeated many times to get a handle on mixing properly—it’s something I still struggle with.
Next, we practiced creating a gradient. Here, we learned how gouache can be layered and rewet to blend and smooth out transitions from dark to light. After that, we experimented with mixing different shades of gray and were encouraged to continue mixing on our own. Finally, we applied our newfound knowledge by creating a mini mountain landscape, practicing layering without disturbing the underlying paint, followed by a small flower scene using the same techniques.
In the second lesson, Phil provided us with images of mushrooms to choose from for our painting. We began by filling in the background and blocking in the basic hues of the mushrooms.
Once that layer dried—which happens fairly quickly with gouache—we applied shades and highlights.
With the final layer dry, I could go back and add details.
I realized I still need a lot of practice to get the color mixtures right. Even for a small painting like this one, it took more paint than I expected—I used half a tube of yellow trying to mix the right shade of green, and after adding too much water, I had to start over again. Sigh.
However, I managed to complete both lessons in about two hours, which worked well alongside my daily drawing practice for the Illustration Quest. I didn’t feel overwhelmed, and in fact, I wished I had a couple more hours just to continue experimenting with gouache.
So, is SketchAwesome helping?
Combining the SketchAwesome program with the Illustration Quest continues to feel like a good decision because it keeps me motivated to do more than just draw. I had been worried that after months of using mainly pens and pencils, I might forget how to use a paintbrush altogether. While SketchAwesome isn’t necessarily helping me build new skills in a major way, it has allowed me to relax and enjoy the process more.
I’m not working on it daily, but at this point, I’m questioning the need for a daily sketchbook habit until I finish the drawing course. The Illustration Quest already provides me with hours of daily practice, which is essentially the purpose of maintaining a sketchbook habit. Every artist needs that regular practice, in one form or another, however they choose to do it.
What about you? What daily practices keep you connected to your creativity?
