How can cracking be prevented in Designers Gouache?
Winsor & Newton gouache derives its opacity and matt finish from the exceedingly high level of pigment used in the formulation. With so much pigment this means the proportion of binder [gum arabic] is lower than it would be in water colour. Cracking can usually be attributed to one of two reasons when using gouache. Firstly if not enough water is used to dilute the colour, the thicker film may crack as the paint dries on the paper. The amount of water needed will differ with each colour. Secondly, if painting in layers, the subsequent ones may show cracking if the underlayer absorbs binder from the wet colour.
