Two years ago, at the Creativeworld Fair in Frankfurt, Germany, Diana Kosczor-Pfeufer had a moment that would change her creative toolkit forever. While visiting the fair with her friend and Brand Ambassador Sabine Dreher, she stopped by the DANIEL SMITH booth—and discovered our Extra Fine™ Watercolor Sticks for the first time. So impressed by their vibrant color and versatility, Diana purchased the entire range of watercolor sticks! Sabine fondly recalls Diana’s reaction:

“She had eyes like a child on Christmas morning when she saw all the colors—especially the greens, violets, and reds!”

For Diana, convenience and freedom are key, especially when sketching outdoors. Traditional watercolor palettes, with their wet and messy pans, can be cumbersome to transport:

“When I’m sketching outside, I have minimal stuff with me. With palettes, they get dirty and wet, and you have to keep them flat. The sticks are just so much easier to take along.”

Here’s how she uses her watercolor sticks:

• Paints Directly with a Wet Brush: Holding the sticks between her fingers, she lifts pigment straight from the stick with a wet brush, just like she would from a pan of watercolor. She keeps several sticks in hand while working—though she laughs that, unlike Brand Ambassador Rajat Bandopadhyay, her fingers aren’t long enough to hold as many!

• On Wet Paper: For bold, flowing color, she works on wet paper, letting the pigments merge and dance together. Diana often uses a pipette to apply water before applying the paint with a brush.
• Splattering for Energy: To add expressive bursts of texture and movement, she uses splattering techniques.

• Layering: One of Diana’s favorite things about DANIEL SMITH Watercolor Sticks is how beautifully they layer. She often works in transparent washes, letting one color dry before adding another on top to create depth, variation, and harmony—without mud.

“The sticks let me work quickly, but still build up the painting slowly. I can go from soft to intense just by adding more layers.”

Whether she’s painting shadows in an animal’s fur or the subtle color shifts in a landscape, layering lets Diana achieve richness and dimension with just a few colors—right on the paper.

• Easy to store:When painting outside, she stores her sticks in small plastic boxes, which makes cleanup and transport much easier than with traditional palettes.

Diana’s love for her DANIEL SMITH Watercolor Sticks doesn’t stop at painting, she even created a handmade Leporello (accordion-style book) to organize and display them by color family. This clever reference tool stretches out to show her entire collection, arranged in beautiful gradients. When she shared it during a recent meeting, everyone was wowed by her ingenuity and attention to detail.

For artists like Diana, DANIEL SMITH Watercolor Sticks offer freedom, portability, and vibrant color in a compact, portable format. Whether she’s mixing directly on the page, sketching like she’s drawing with pastels, or capturing quick impressions outdoors, the sticks have become her go-to creative companion.

Ready to See More?

Diana’s passion for DANIEL SMITH Watercolor Sticks shines through in every brushstroke. Watch her full Friday LIVE demo with John Cogley to see how she captures vibrant color, playful splattering, and effortless mixing—right on the paper. Get inspired to grab a stick (or four!) and discover how easy it is to sketch and paint anywhere.