Before we count the ways artists hold them, let’s start with what makes these sticks so valuable, versatile, fun, and easy to use.

DANIEL SMITH Watercolor Sticks The power of pure pigment is at your fingertips with portable, versatile watercolor sticks. Painting, drawing, scribbling and mark-making come together for maximum creative expression. Each stick is the equivalent of three full pans of paint, making it a fantastic value.

Watercolor sticks are like a pan in your hand – try one of our convenient sets or collect them all! If you pick up the DANIEL SMITH Watercolor Sticks Set, you’ll also get a bonus sticks case—a handy way to keep your colors organized, protected, and ready to take wherever your creativity leads.

The Core Mixing Palette set of 5 Watercolor Sticks provides you with a full palette of core colors. Mix any shade under the sun or moon with four essentials plus the perfect black. From painting portraits and still life to landscapes and abstracts, the pleasure of color is yours to discover. What’s even better – it’s value-priced at your favorite art supply retailer. You get 5 sticks for the price of 4, plus a free storage case! Set colors selected by Giovanni Balzarani.

With the Enhanced Secondary Mixing set of 5 Watercolor Sticks, you can mix an array of vibrant or muted tones using three secondary colors plus two shades for light and shadow. What’s even better – it’s value-priced at your favorite art supply retailer. You get 5 sticks for the price of 4, plus a free storage case! Set colors selected by Besnik Xhemaili.

The Granulating Power set includes four PrimaTek watercolors plus an amazing black to add depth and visual texture to your work. They’re perfect colors for landscape, plein air, urban architecture and more. What’s even better – it’s value-priced at your favorite art supply retailer. You get 5 sticks for the price of 4, plus a free storage case! Set colors selected by Rajat Subhra Bandopadhyay.

The Aquatic Landscapes set of Watercolor Sticks includes four brilliant aquatic tones plus a classic shadow that will enhance your journey into the underwater world by capturing the beautiful colors of our oceans and waterways. What’s even better – it’s value-priced at your favorite art supply retailer. You get 5 sticks for the price of 4, plus a free storage case! Set colors selected by Caroline Deeble.

The DANIEL SMITH Watercolor Sticks Set brings a selection of colors together, making it easy to experiment with different techniques and discover your own favorite way to use them.

And that’s where things get interesting: there’s more than one way to hold a watercolor stick—and every grip can create a different kind of mark.

Our DANIEL SMITH Brand Ambassadors have developed their own approaches, from holding the sticks like drawing tools to using multiple colors at once. Their techniques are a reminder that watercolor doesn’t always have to start with a brush.

So, pick up a stick and get ready to experiment.

How would you hold yours?

Let’s count the ways! 

Here are just a few of the ways our Brand Ambassadors hold and use their DANIEL SMITH Watercolor Sticks.

“My Three Favorite Ways to Use Watercolor Sticks

1. Building the structure with rich, creamy pigment
   I like to start my paintings with the darks. The sticks allow me to pick up a very creamy, highly concentrated amount of pigment, which is perfect for building the initial structure of my painting.
2. Creating rich washes
   With just a little water, I can activate the stick and get a beautiful concentration of pigment. I love using this rich color to create my washes.
3. Painting precise details
   For very fine details, I pick up the pigment directly from the stick with a small brush. I can keep the stick right in my hand, which gives me precision without constantly going back to the palette.”

– Silvia Trad

“I often hold 18–20 sticks in my left hand, selecting colors according to priority and mixing them directly from stick to stick, rarely using a palette. Occasionally, I even use my thumbnail to create finer marks or interesting effects.  That’s pretty much my process. Its simplicity encourages spontaneity, experimentation, and a fresh, intuitive approach to watercolor painting.”

– Rajat Bandopadhyay

“I actually “hollow out” the top end of my sticks because I use such tiny brushes with them. Since the color name and band are printed near the top of the label, I intentionally wear the sticks down from the bottom so I can keep the color name visible for as long as possible. It’s a simple little trick that makes organizing my collection much easier.”

– Ashley Hawkes

“The sticks provide a new way to use watercolours, in a very practical way. You can use your brush and do the mixes directly on the stick, no need to carry the tubes, and you can also use the directly on the paper. They are so loaded with pigment that the effects you achieve are surprising, creating marks, guidelines, splashes, dry marks… they are so versatile!”

– Angela Barbi

“DANIEL SMITH Watercolor Sticks are a versatile tool that’s easy to carry and offers immediate color payoff. They are especially ideal for adding details—having them within reach can make all the difference when you need to create a quick, clean stroke. I mainly use the sticks by picking up the pigment directly with a damp brush.”

— Giovanni Balzarani

Our Brand Ambassadors have shown us that there’s no single “right” way to use DANIEL SMITH Watercolor Sticks. Make marks with them, mix them, load your brush, create washes, or simply hold a handful of your favorite colors and see where the painting takes you!

So, here’s our question for you:

If you had to paint your next watercolor using just three DANIEL SMITH Watercolor Sticks, which three colors would you choose—and what would you paint?

There’s no wrong answer. That’s the beauty of watercolor sticks!

From studio painting to plein air adventures, these compact sticks are made to go where your creativity takes you. Pick your colors, grab your sticks, and let the painting begin.

At DANIEL SMITH, we believe the best way to discover what a watercolor can do is to put it in your hands and experiment.

What will you create with your sticks?

Learn more here.