Tiffanie Mang came to us LIVE from the USA on Friday, February 3rd to share her gouache techniques and favorite color palette.

Here’s a quick Q&A with Tiffanie:

Why do you make art?
I make art because without it, I feel like I would shrivel up. It is very much a part of me. It’s the main way I can express myself, my passions, and my emotions.

How long have you been painting?
I have been painting since I was 6 years old. I started taking art lessons around that time and continued to do so up until college. My first ever plein air painting class was during my freshman year of college. After that, I fell in love with going outdoors to paint!

Did you have formal art training?
I did go to a local art school from ages 6-17, but I never had super strict atelier training. I only learned to copy master paintings, never to invent. I largely taught myself how to work with gouache and digital painting just by practicing a lot myself, plus some guidance from mentors.

Are you a working artist or a hobbyist?
I am a working artist, both in fine arts and the animation industry. I work at Marvel Studios during the day, and paint for shows and personal events outside of that. I also teach and run my own digital and gouache painting mentorships.

Who inspires you?
I largely look at fine artists from the past for inspiration. I have too many favorites to name, but I love Edward Seago, Nicolai Fechin, William Ritschell, Winslow Homer, Andrew Wyeth, and so many more!

What kind of music do you listen to while painting?
It always varies – sometimes I listen to podcasts or classical music, and sometimes indie electronic. It depends on my mood and what stage my painting is in.

Have you had a mentor?
Mike Hernandez helped me get into gouache and I look up to him as one of the best gouache painters out there.  Quang Ho is an inspiration as well. My other friend and mentor Corey Peters, is the person I go to for honest advice and criticism on pieces when I need it.

Do you paint every day?
Yes I do, in some way or another. I currently paint for work every day as a concept artist, so I don’t always get to whip out the gouache paints at night because sometimes I am just too tired.

Do you paint one piece at a time or work on several at the same time?
I usually paint one piece at a time, at the most two. For larger oil pieces, I will start off with a digital concept first by bringing my reference photos into Photoshop and painting on top to figure out the composition and colors I want.

Do you prefer painting in studio or en plein air?
I love both. I would never stop plein air painting because I think it’s essential to study from nature.

How many core colors do you use?
I use 3 core colors aside from white:  Hansa Yellow Light, Alizarin Crimson, and Ultramarine.

Tubes, pans or sticks?
I use tubes.

How do you know that your piece is finished?
When all my shapes, colors and values exist in harmony. But I think I will never really fully be done with any piece. It’s just the best I can do at that time and moment.

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Join us online each week for an Up Close and Personal Conversation with Daniel Smith CEO and Owner, John Cogley and 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 follows up to share how they incorporate those features into their art. Click here for the upcoming week’s Zoom links.

Check our Facebook page for news about upcoming guest artists or to watch past replays. Each Zoom meeting is also recorded and shared on our YouTube channel. La traducción al español está disponible – selecciona el canal en español en Zoom.