Artistic Gouache Painting: Animals and Plant Life

A course by Alejandra Caballero , Artist

Artist. Mexico City, Mexico.
Joined December 2021

Learn the basics of gouache painting. Find your inspiration for animal portraits, go through the sketching process, and discover your unique style.

195 students
Audio: Spanish, English
Spanish · English · Portuguese · German · French · Italian · Polish · Dutch

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.

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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
Draw the final sketch
15 minutes, 41 seconds
  • 195 students
  • 14 lessons (2h 16m)
  • 19 additional resources (9 files)
  • Online and at your own pace
  • Available on the app
  • Audio: Spanish, English
  • Spanish · English · Portuguese · German · French · Italian · Polish · Dutch
  • Level: Beginner
  • Unlimited access forever

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.


Alejandra Caballero

Alejandra Caballero is a self-taught painter and illustrator specializing in gouache. She has worked with galleries such as Nucleus Portland and WOW x WOW, and has collaborated on illustrations for publishing houses. Fascinated by painting from an early age, she has honed her skills over the years, combining nature and animals in her work. Her unique style reflects her passion for portraiture, flora, and fauna.


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
    Plus

    If you're a Plus member, get a custom certificate signed by your teacher for every course. Share it on your portfolio, social media, or wherever you like.

  • Get front-row seats

    Videos of the highest quality, so you don't miss a single detail. With unlimited access, you can watch them as many times as you need to perfect your technique.

  • 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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    Domestika curates its teacher roster and produces every course in-house to ensure a high-quality online learning experience.


FAQs

Domestika's courses are online classes that provide you with the tools and skills you need to complete a specific project. Every step of the project combines video lessons with complementary instructional material, so you can learn by doing. Domestika's courses also allow you to share your own projects with the teacher and with other students, creating a dynamic course community.

All courses are 100% online, so once they're published, courses start and finish whenever you want. You set the pace of the class. You can go back to review what interests you most and skip what you already know, ask questions, answer questions, share your projects, and more.

The courses are divided into different units. Each one includes lessons, informational text, tasks, and practice exercises to help you carry out your project step by step, with additional complementary resources and downloads. You'll also have access to an exclusive forum where you can interact with the teacher and with other students, as well as share your work and your course project, creating a community around the course.

You can redeem the course you received by accessing the redeeming page and entering your gift code.

If you're a Plus member, when you complete a course you've purchased, you'll instantly get your personalized certificate. You can see all your certificates in the Certificates section of your profile. You can download your certificates as PDFs and share the link online. Learn more about certificates.
Artistic Gouache Painting: Animals and Plant Life. Illustration course by Alejandra Caballero

Artistic Gouache Painting: Animals and Plant Life

A course by Alejandra Caballero
Artist. Mexico City, Mexico.
Joined December 2021
  • 195 students