Which do you prefer? Whats the difference between oil vs gouache paint? Hopefully seeing these two paintings in each medium can help describe the big differences. Gouache is like a matte acrylic paint that can be reactivated, or an opaque watercolour. You only need water to thin the paint, and don’t need to use mediums, which limits your exposure to toxic mediums and makes cleanup easier. I find it easier to use the glazing method. It’s a pretty quick dry paint so you don’t have to wait too long