Silvia Monge from Costa Rica shared her favorite watercolor tips and techniques:

Here’s a Q&A with Silvia:

Why do you make art? 
For me, creating is almost a necessity. My mind is constantly imagining what my next art project will be.

How long have you been painting? 
I have been dedicated to this for many years.

Did you have formal art training?  
I don’t have a formal university art degree, but I have been attending workshops all my life on watercolor, drawing, engraving, glass and many other techniques. I love to learn.

Are you a working artist or a hobbyist? 
I am a full-time artist and teacher (watercolor and ceramics).

What inspires you?
I live in a tropical country with an exuberance of nature, so this is one of my greatest sources of inspiration.

What kind of music do you listen to while painting? 
I like to listen to different kinds of music, sometimes very calm and other times very happy. I think it depends on what I am painting.

Have you had a mentor? 
I don’t have a mentor, but I have many artists whom I admire, including Alvaro Castagnet, Barbara Nechis and Nicolas Lopez.

Do you paint every day? 
Yes, I like to work every day.

Do you create a concept piece first?
For an exhibition, I work on the concept while simultaneously reading, researching and painting. It’s very important to develop a topic and study it, so that the exhibit has strength.

Do you prefer painting in studio or plein air? 
I like to go out and paint with friends, but my strongest work is definitely in the studio.

How many core colors do you use? 
My core colors are Green Gold, Green Apatite Genuine, Cadmium Yellow Medium, Quinacridone Gold, Quinacridone Sienna, Ultramarine Blue and Lunar Black.

Tubes, pans or sticks? 
I like to use watercolor in a tube, but sometimes I add detail with the sticks.

When do you know that your piece is finished? 
I look at the painting from a distance, then when my intuition tells me that what I want to communicate is there, that’s when I know that it doesn’t need anything more and it’s finished.

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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 highlights various features of our products and answers 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.