Rajat Bandopadhyay from India shared some of his favorite tips and techniques with watercolor and gouache.

Read on for a brief interview with Rajat:

If you could only take three colors with you to paint on a deserted island, which three would you take?
Yellow Ochre, Lunar Black and Burnt Umber.

Describe a recent art show you attended that was particularly inspiring.
Recently I visited a very big exhibition in Delhi, India. All the work was contemporary in style using a variety of mediums including oil, charcoal and acrylic. Unfortunately I couldn’t find any watercolor work though – perhaps this particular groups of artists are hesitant to work with such a beautiful medium, as it’s quite challenging.

What were the last few photos you took that might inspire you to paint?
When I was teaching my Daniel Smith workshop, I shot some photos of textures to use in different compositions. Often when artists take pictures, they can visualize how to add or eliminate additional objects which may not be in the photo. I strongly believe that taking a hundred random pictures can be as valuable as one single thoughtful and calculative shot.

What is the best piece of advice another artist has given you?
While this wasn’t the best advice for me personally, it still made me think. Someone told me I shouldn’t spend so much time on such detailed work if it won’t pay me back, to which I replied that I don’t paint for selling. If a painting sells, that’s fine, but primarily I paint for me.

What are you excited about working on next?
I always enjoy creating a series, so my current work is based on textures. I’m enjoying it because it’s helping to increase my tenacity. Choosing my subjects and narrowing down the composition is, I guess, my signature style.

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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.