What happens when watercolor goes beyond paper—and bigger? DANIEL SMITH Aquarel Grond opens new possibilities for artists to explore watercolor and gouache on large-format surfaces, transforming the way they approach scale, texture, and expression.

DANIEL SMITH Merkambassadeur Silvia Monge knows firsthand how transformative Watercolor Ground can be. Through her work, she explores how watercolor and gouache can move beyond traditional paper, embracing larger scale, texture, layering, and expressive mark-making—and allowing the surface itself to become part of the creative process.

In this feature, Silvia shares her insights on DANIEL SMITH Watercolor Ground—how she uses it with watercolor and gouache, what she loves about its versatility, and the creative possibilities it brings to her work.

I love working with DANIEL SMITH Watercolor Ground because it allows me to take watercolor beyond paper and explore endless surfaces and possibilities. In this project, I will show you how I used it to create a large-scale watercolor piece, sharing the process step by step.

The first step was to tear sheets of banana paper into different-sized pieces and arrange them together to create a larger surface. I wanted to keep the irregular edges and natural texture of the paper as part of the composition.

Next, I applied DANIEL SMITH Titanium White Watercolor Ground, leaving some areas uncovered. I like to preserve parts of the raw material, creating a contrast between the painted areas and the natural texture and color of the banana paper.

I continued adding colors, gradually building the composition and allowing the watercolor to interact freely with the textures of the surface. At this stage, the design began to take shape.

The final result, “Blue Garden”. Work with watercolor on a large scale gives me a greater sense of freedom, allowing the color, water and gestures to move more spontaneously across the surface. The contrast between the painted areas and the raw banana paper adds another dimension to the piece. For me, this dialogue between watercolor and material is what makes working with DANIEL SMITH Watercolor Ground so exciting!!!!

Did you know that you can use DANIEL SMITH watercolor ground to create interesting textures for painting with gouache?

I love experimenting with textures, so for this project I started with black cardboard, a stencil and DANIEL SMITH Mars Black Watercolor Ground. By applying the ground through the stencil, I create a subtle raised surface that will later interact with the gouache in interesting and unexpected ways.

Once the Watercolor Ground is completely dry, the textures created with the stencil becomes part of the surface. I then choose a several shades of DANIEL SMITH GOUACHE and begin painting, allowing the color to interact with the raised textures and guide the composition.

You can see how the texture created with DANIEL SMITH Watercolor Ground adds richness and depth to the gouache, allowing the colors and raised patterns to interact beautifully.

And here is the finished piece! I simply love DANIEL SMITH Watercolor Ground! It gives me the freedom to experiment, explore new surfaces, and discover new possibilities every me I paint.

Watercolor Ground and discover how watercolor and gouache can come to life on larger surfaces. Take inspiration from Silvia Monge, experiment with scale, and see where your creativity takes you.