ArtistsNetwork.com 63Schaller says that when it comes
to selecting a set of colors, a painter
should look for transparency, inten-
sity and colorfastness. “Since I
paint with a lot of water, I use only
pigments from tubes because they
deliver a lot of tone and color very
quickly,” Schaller says. He often works
with Sennelier watercolors. “What
I like about them is the intensity,
lightfastness and ability to mix. Th e
quality is also remarkable. Because
I use a lot of water in my work, they
blend extremely well on the surface of
the paper, allowing for nuanced and
unique transitions of tone and color.
“I prefer paints that are more sedi-
ment-based rather than dye-based,” hecontinues. “I love the way particles of
the pigment—suspended within the
water solution—sink into the valleys
of textured paper and fl oat over the
peaks. Th is results in that shimmering,
transparent, luminous eff ect so char-
acteristic of classic watercolors.”BRUSHES
Schaller says that choosing a brush
depends on the eff ect he’s trying to
achieve. “For a large wash, the perfect
brush will hold a lot of water and
pigment as well as keep its shape,”
he says. “For more detailed work, the
brush should retain its spring and
responsiveness and maintain a defi ned
point, regardless of how wet it is.”
His brush selection is constantly
evolving. “Th ere’s always much to learn
from trying something diff erent,” hePLEIN AIR
PIGMENTS“For plein air painting,
especially, I need to
make sure pigments
won’t dry too quickly,”
says Tanabe. “Honey-
based pigments may
be the best choice
for this purpose.”
San Marco Café
(watercolor on paper, 18x24)
by Keiko Tanabe