As a rule, preference in art materials is entirely subjective. While most of us agree that chalk pastels are hideous; there will always be someone skilled enough to make giving them a go a seductive thought. You pick yourself up a set; have a go, realise they're dreadful and then gift them to a younger relative who inevitably reaches the same conclusion. The circle of life. What is not subjective, however, is that gouache is a better paint than watercolour. Gouache is for the impatient. Its strongest quality is its opacity. While you might spend many layers and several hours trying to achieve a solid colour with watercolour, gouache saves you the trouble. If you were looking at a fine line drawn in watercolour, you could be forgiven for thinking that you needed your sight testing. Not so with gouache. Crisp, sharp and saturated. If you want a shiny painting, choose watercolour. If you'd rather not have your artwork be faintly reflective, choose gouache. The kicker here is that you can also use it in the same way you would watercolour-but why not go for a paint that does all that and more? https://blogs.chapman.edu/collections/2016/02/18/watercolor-and-gouache-whats-the-difference/

**TL;DR- Gouache is great, however there are many ways in which watercolour is so much better. One of these reasons would be the freedom of watercolours; it doesn't matter if you make a mess of them due to their spontaneity.** With gouache, the colours are indeed very saturated and sharp, which although can be very effective, can also be quite difficult to work with, and hence are not a good choice for beginners to work with. Watercolours, on the other hand, are much more forgiving when it comes to art. Even when they go wrong, dripping into each other etc, your painting still looks great, if not better due to the pretty and light colours mixing into each other. As artist Rebecca Latham states, 'I’m sure I’m not the only artist to feel that the medium I work in has to work with me, not against me' [1]. Gouaches are more difficult to work with in this sense. Additionally, when you go wrong with gouache, they dry before you can correct your mistake, whereas, with watercolour, their lightness makes them easy to paint over- all whilst still being as quick-drying as gouache. It's true that you can paint over gouache, but due to the vibrancy of them, it's much harder to conceal mistakes as they often show through. It may be argued that you can go wrong with watercolour in the same way, but even accidental overlays, smudges, etc. look good on a watercolour painting- as if they're supposed to be there. One of the most common things to use watercolours with is landscapes, which are imperfect anyway. For example, the spontaneity and flow you get with watercolours may mirror the unpredictable light and colour in a sunset reflecting off the sea, and gouache may not be able to do this as effectively (especially for beginners). Gouache is great for colourful pieces of art, yet the forgiveness and effortless look of watercolour makes it much easier and less frustrating to work with, as it's properties make almost any painting look wonderful. [1] Rebecca Latham in *Latham Studios*, August 2, 2013 [https://lathamstudios.com/rebecca/2013/08/5-reasons-why-i-love-working-with-watercolor/]