Aña Tyulpanova shared some favorite watercolor tips and tricks.

Here’s a Q&A with Aña:

Why do you make art?
I do it because I can’t otherwise. Only because I really want to create.

How long have you been painting?
I have been drawing and painting for as long as I can remember myself. My mom draws and she passed it to me from an early age. I started painting with watercolor in 2015.

Did you have formal art training?
Unfortunately no, although I always wanted to. Instead I studied, and still keep taking private classes from different artists.

Are you a working artist or a hobbyist?
I would like to call it semi-professional. It is my source of income, but not the only one.

What inspires you?
Traveling inspires me the most. I love to see the cultural mixes, imperfections in people’s lives in different corners of our beautiful world. The pandemic period was very difficult for me.

What kind of music do you listen to while painting?
It depends on the mood. It doesn’t have to be music. Often I listen to podcasts or even watch movies.

Have you had a mentor?
No, but I have a couple of very important people who helped me a lot and to whom I will always be very grateful.

Do you paint every day?
Yes, I try to paint at least a bit every day.

Do you paint one piece at a time or work on several at the same time?
Sometimes I work on a few paintings in parallel. If it is a large format – then just that one.

Do you prefer painting in studio or en plein air?
I prefer the studio, but I also adore my sketchbooks of my memories from different locations.

How many core colors do you use?
Ultramarine, Burnt Sienna and Yellow Ochre – the rest depends on the subject.

Tubes, pans or sticks?
Tubes, but sticks are useful for traveling.

When do you know that your piece is finished?
When it starts to look worse than a minute ago. :-)

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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.

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