Hello, I usually work with watercolor but am trying out gouache for the first time. What papers would you recommend for this method?

Gouache is very similar to watercolor painting and is often referred to as "opaque watercolor". Generally, gouache paint is a mixture of pigments, water and gum arabic. Some brands may use other components such as chalk or dextrin. When using gouache paint you add water and apply to a watercolor sheet in the same manner you would with watercolor paint. When using water for any application, watercolor paper should be your first choice because of the internal and external sizing that is used during the manufacturing process. The external sizing prevents the applied pigment from bleeding and feathering which you would experience on a lightly sized printmaking or drawing paper.

What makes gouache unique is its opaque nature. When applying the paint to your watercolor sheet you will notice that the paper texture will not be as visible compared to traditional watercolor. You will also notice that your painting will have stronger tonality and saturation.

You should use gouache if you are looking for bold, vivid and matte colors with great blending properties.

See our watercolor paper offerings at the link below.
https://legionpaper.com/applications/watercolor.html