Gouache to acrylic or oil paints in that it is normally used in an opaque painting style and it can form a superficial layer. Many manufacturers of watercolor paints also produce gouache and the two can easily be used together. Gouache paint is similar to watercolor, however modified to make it opaque. Just as in watercolor, the binding agent has traditionally been gum arabic but since the late nineteenth century cheaper varieties use yellow dextrin. When the paint is sold as a paste, e.g. in tubes, the dextrin has usually been mixed with an equal volume of water. To improve the
Gum over platinum Gum over platinum Gum over platinum is a historical chemical photographic process, which was commonly used in art photography. It is a very complex process, in which a specially treated platinum print photograph is coated with washes of gum arabic, then re-exposed to the same photographic negative. The finished process results in a sepia toned print, and is said to impart added luminosity and depth. It is sometimes called "pigment over platinum". To sensitize the gum arabic it must first be placed in contact with ammonium or potassium dichromate. Gum arabic is not photosensitive by itself. To clear the chromic