Pablo Ruben from Spain shared some of his favorite tips and techniques with watercolor.

Here’s a Q&A with Pablo:

If you could only take three colors with you to paint on a deserted island, which three would you take?
I think I would chose Cerulean Blue Chromium,  Sepia and Phthalo Green (Blue Shade), because these three colors are the ones I use the most and are perfect to create any natural landscape.

Describe a recent art show you participated in that was particularly inspiring.
Recently there was the opening of a very important exhibition of large-format watercolors in Madrid. It was a big honor for me to be selected for this event because the best watercolor artists in Spain were there.  The exhibition is part of an emblematic building of the Retiro Park of Madrid, “Casa de Vacas.” Back in 2010, I won one of the most important awards of my career there, so I have wonderful memories of that day.

Where were the last few photos you took that might inspire you to paint?
I was in Paris with my family last summer and one day it suddenly started to rain. I took hundreds of pictures in the beautiful streets of Paris, full of puddles. I am eager to paint any of them, having water and architecture together is the best for me.

What is the best piece of advice another artist has given you?
I was talking recently with Joseph Zbukvic about artists copying our works – and the conclusion of what to do in that case was this: “Just paint.”

What are you excited about working on next?
I love plein air competitions, and not only because of the contest. I love to wake up early in the morning, drive many kilometers during the sunrise, arrive a new town, search for an interesting subject to paint and then finish it in a few hours. Every time is really exciting, I can’t wait for the next one.

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Join us online each week via Zoom or Facebook for an Up Close and Personal Conversation with John Cogley (Daniel Smith Owner and CEO) along with guest artists from around the world. On Thursdays (2:00pm Pacific), John and some of our Brand Ambassadors highlight a group of colors and answer your questions. On Fridays (10:30am Pacific), a guest artist shares a demo with their favorite tips and techniques. Click here for the upcoming week’s Zoom links.

If you prefer, you can visit our Facebook page at showtime to watch live. Replays can be watched on Facebook or YouTube. La traducción al español está disponible – selecciona el canal en español en Zoom.