Some Basics of Watercolor  

In what world did I ever think I would be studying with Thomas Schaller? Such a gift. I confess I am relieved to start with a window and not the inside of St. Patrick's 😅 Thank you - and you truly are a wonderful teacher.

Never did I imagine a class of this depth from a modern master whose work I truly admire. What an absolute joy! Thank you for being such a generous artist and an inspirational teacher.

Dear Thomas, warm greetings from Rome. I am your admirer and I consider you the greatest watercolorist in the world. Your works, in addition to a great mastery of technique, convey great emotions and make me enter your sometimes dreamlike world. Thank you for these demos on RU-vid, which show another side of your personality that is the generosity in transmitting your precious knowledge in the fascinating art of watercolor. Thanks again. Alain

Tom, your generosity is as great as your talent. Thank you.

Thank you, Tom! I am so fortunate to have found you on RU-vid! I appreciate you taking your time to share your knowledge; I have learned so much from just viewing this episode. I can't wait to practice the washes you shared.

They’re beautiful paintings in their own right.

Thank you for sharing your wisdom and knowledge. Your comments have encouraged me to be me. I feel a wonderful sense of freedom and gratitude for the knowledge you share in your demonstrations.

What a joyful delight to have found this video on RU-vid pop up ❤ I’m retired teacher who picked up a good brush and paints but as soon as I touched the paper I was in love with the medium. I can’t explain what happened but it’s like a delicate dance between all three. Honestly, I can’t really paint anything yet. I’m in a small community without any type of art instruction. I began searching RU-vid for some painters I admired and I found some of yours. From watching you I believe you will understand how a person can love the magic of the paint’s mingling on paper with differing amounts of water and pressure from all types of brushes. I am learning. I’ll never regret trying watercolor even if I don’t ever create a picture I can hang because I have gotten such joy from just practice ❤ You are an excellent instructor who inspires me. Your paintings just move me deep within my soul. It’s another thing I can’t explain. Turning a corner in a museum and finding tears suddenly and unexpectedly welling up. (Smithsonian Museum of Art was one that caught me off guard a couple of times) It’s just a language between souls I’ve decided….sometimes speaking so deeply it can’t be put into words.. Thank you SO much!! I’ll watch again a few times I’m sure. Hopefully, you will continue to teach basics! You just have a gift…. Sending blessings and gratitude, Nancy Rolfe

That was in ways sublime. And the slow pace was a revelation. So many watercolor demos are slap and dash. Liked the comparison of the different textures of watercolor paper. Much appreciated.

It's valuable to get the basics from an experienced watercolour artist. Thank you.

Thank you so much for taking the time and record this video for beginners! I love your art, this means a lot to me. ❤

This was wonderfully instructional. Thankyou so much for sharing!

Thank you for giving us the privilege of learning from you. I also find painting with watercolors fun, it's my favourite thing to do. I forget about all else for hours while I am with my watercolors.

Tom, thank you so much for covering the basics. It was useful and entertaining.

So good, Thomas; thank you for sharing your expertise - and extraordinary talent - with us. Cheers, from beautiful BC, Canada!

Thank you Thomas! I have not heard any other teacher talk so well about expressing ourselves through painting! Don’t think “style”. Experiment, have fun and nobody can paint like you. Wonderful! Mixed with your comments about what works for you, this was truly inspirational.

Thank you very much for sharing, Thomas. So glad to find your channel, your paintings are amazing and your tutorials are the best!

Tom, I just love your sharing about fun ... or lack thereof! That's just beautiful man! I recall your sharing about fear in the past, and how paralyzing it could be. And what you've shared here is SO spot on. I continue to deal with the fear of failure due to so desiring that things should work out. Well, that hasn't worked OUT!!! I'm going with the fun. Thanks for your wonderful sharing. So, NO EXCUSES!!

Fantastic demo! I watched all the way through while taking notes. Now I’m going to go back and follow along with these exercises. Thank you for taking the time to explain everything so well!❤

Thank you for the generosity of your lesson. It touched my heart

So informative and entertaining a tutorial, and a brilliant invitation to 'mess around' and try things out, with no intention to create a painting in the process. Thank you for your guidance in this area, it is invaluable.

Another excellent tutorial, thank you. One of the joys of your tutorials is the wider narrative about painting - it’s never just a mechanistic description of technique. I’ve been trying to reach a level of watercolour competence, that doesn’t make me despair, for a few years. I’m rarely happy with the result. I used to work in pastel (portraits) and I find it so difficult to unlearn the layered, dark to light method. Equally, my obsession with ‘realistic’ detail deadens my paintings. I’ve just begun an urban watercolour and am keeping in the forefront of my mind your key principles. Would it be possible for you to cover your shadow technique in a future video please? I’m conscious of your advice re the dulling effect of glazing and I’m wondering about the hard-edged, dramatic shadows that I so admire in your work. Thanks again for generously sharing your wonderful talents.

Thank you Master Thomas for the lecture. I love your paintings and it's always nice to see your dog sitting next to you while you paint.

Thanks so much for the gift of your time! I love your work!

Simply I would like to say " Thank you "! Has been privilege!❤

Jean Giraud (Moebius) had a lot of beautiful and trippy illustrations with lovely transitional washes. Seems like magic even when you are shown how it is done. Thank you!

Very grateful for your kindness and generosity in sharing. "If you fail its just a piece of paper" doesn't work. For me, its the failure, when painting after painting fails- then, grows the fear.

Such a good lesson. Thank you!

Thank you , you inspire me some more

Thanks Thomas! These are great exercises to do. I love your slow pace too. Good teacher ✨🙏✨

Glad to have found this. This information is extremely helpful. Thank you!

As someone who is getting back into water colour painting after about a 25 year layoff I’ve been watching a lot of RU-vid videos…. This was possibly the best I’ve seen todate in terms of practicle value… thanks so much… your teaching style is so very good…

Great video, thanks 😉

I love your philosophy

Love the video, learned alot. ❤

Feeling the love - great stuff ❤

Alucinante! Gracias MAESTRO!!

I, too, watched all the way through with mounting admiration throughout. Thank you for this scholarly tutorial you so humbly presented to us!

Yes, this video was extremely useful and entertaining as well… it REALLY gave me a better understanding in how you achieve what you do in your paintings and how I can apply them to how I paint. I’m a great believer in ‘paying it forward’ and in service to others with whatever special gifts you have and to me, this is what you are doing with your channel. Sooo grateful🙏

Again, Thank you! You're an excellent teacher! I teach watercolor to seniors and have recommended you in the past and still doing so - more than ever!

Thanks for this lecture! Once more very helpful! Since I started with painting watercolours two years ago, I am watching your lectures and I am scanning the internet for pictures of your art! Your way of painting is very recognizable and I like it very much!

Oh wow. Thank you for posting this video here, so wonderful to watch and learn from you. Beautiful quick priceless tidbits of information from a master 🩷

Thank you Tom, you are very generous with your time and techniques. I really appreciate it and I’m learning new things.😊

Awesome that you are posting on RU-vid... I love your paintings🙌

I’m so happy you are back online! So much of what you say is important to me … and so much of your process calls to me, such as how important drawing is in your process. You did a sketch where you painted over a drawing, using the the drawing as a sort of grisaille undertone. I’d love to see you talk about and demo more on that. Thank you!

Good lesson, Tom. Enjoyed it very much.

Thank you so much! Had to much fun practising your techniques!❤

great tips !

Thank you for your time! I'm feeling so grateful for having access to your expertise and knowledge of watercolor painting. It feels like I've been given this incredible opportunity to learn from one of the greats. Thank you, thank you ❤

Thank you once more for sharing your insights and deep understanding of watercolors! I feel very blessed to have met you quite at the beginning of my art journey! I love the demo with the light coming through the window, I immediately grabed my brushes to paint the scene. It is one of the themes that fascinate me the most. The rest I will save for the weekend 🥰.

Thank you for so generously sharing years of experience in such an approachable and inspiring way. This one video contains more insight than I’ve seen in some multi day workshops. Looking forward to more of your videos!

Very helpful and wonderful watching and learning from you! Thank you!

Thank you Tom for sharing this great information on youtube.

Thanks a lot for sharing you experience. You"re a great painter!

This was great, I have been watching quite a few of these by different artist. Each artist has there own way of painting. I find each one fascinating and very informative. I am trying to find my own way of painting and you have been very helpful. You are a great watercolorist.

Thanks Thomas , great video it’s nice that people like yourself take the time to share 👍👍🥃

This video is so helpful! Thank you for such a clear demonstration and explanation of your method of painting. Preserving the light and painting the shades and shadows. Beautiful!

Great information and I love any insight into watercolor that you have to offer. You have certainly mastered the ability to show the light. Thanks for a great video.

Thank you for sharing your knowledge and love of watercolor. I am so grateful!!!

Thank you again for your time and generosity of making this content available. Appreciated seeing all 3 paper surface comparisons as this isn’t typically not done. What a surprise the graduated blends were vs premixing on palette. Looking forward to next video

How wonderful these sessions are. Thanks!

Thank you for doing this. I love seeing more content from you. I subscribed to Artist Network. I can’t afford super expensive workshops so I really appreciate you sharing your talents

Thank you, Sir ❤❤❤❤❤

Hi Tom, some of this was a repeat for me of your other videos but oh so helpful to see again as a reminder. I'm loving these instruction videos, so please keep them coming and thanks so much for sharing your talent!

Thank you so much for these lessons. Your style is so unique and just stunning, the colors are always so brilliant and of course the light! And you are such a generous teacher, I hope one day soon to be able to attend one of your classes.

Very informative. I purchased some Baohong rough paper--trying it out today! Thank you for your guidance.

Very very helpful thank you a lot

I had just "finished" a painting that had gone horribly wrong. :) And this video and your words were exactly what I needed so that I could look forward to my next painting. THANKS!

Wonderful presentation, I have been a fan for quite a while and have your book Architect and Light, great book. Thank you for this presentation

Thanks for sharing your knowledge! For a beginner in watercolors, what basic colors do you recommend? Thank you!

水彩真好玩！

You are the best always

Thanks for sharing these videos, you are such a generous artist, you are inspiring and so far I've learnt a lot with your advices, I'm trying to find my voice but it's not easy however watching you painting motivates me to continue 😊

Hi Tom, how do you keep colors in palette so juicy? Do you use fresh pigment on top of the dry ones and water? Or are these fresh pigment out of the tube?

This was the greatest Thomas. Yor presentation was incredible. I learned so much with your experience. Ypor a great Artist and Instructor. I just can’t write all of the compliments I have for you but I do appreciate you and your work

This is fantastic: and so educational. I agree with a previous view expressed that you are one of best in the world. You are so generous with your knowledge. And so encouraging. A rare combination. Thank you ever so much

Ps ..i cant believe u have jadeite jn your palette ...i 💕 love love love jadeite and no one ever gets it.i love you!

Beautifully narrated Tom! Thank you for sharing your time and expertise, these newly released videos are incredible! Where can I purchase your signature Neef Brushes?

Very deep and informative illustration, clues that give vision and thoughtful toward watercolor techniques, which are shorten long story in understanding watercolor, Toms thank you so much. May I ask you a favour? kind you may you list your palette colors?

Thank you so .much for speaking up for our fellow animal beings,..not enough artists do ...or maybe just do not know how harmful.natural hair brushes are,.could you please tell us the brand of those brushes you have?thank you for your help and insight 🙂

Thank U so much. My English is so bad (normal I’m french) 😂. More seriously I love your job and thank you again to give your Time.

🧑🏻‍🎨 🎨🤴🏻

Thank you Thomas, wonderful lesson. I appreciate the time you have given to this. I notice the big juicy ‘puddles’ of watercolour. Do you maintain that through out the painting and adjust with additional pigment for the mid and dark tones as you go. Thank you again

Bonjour et merci pour vos partages si instructifs. J'admire particulièrement votre travail depuis que j'ai commencé à m'intéresser à l'aquarelle, je pense avoir regardé toutes les vidéos vous concernant pour essayer de comprendre la particularité et la magie rendue par vos œuvres ^^. Sans vouloir chercher à vous copier je cherchais à comprendre les beaux effets de clarté, l'efficacité des contrastes et des couleurs complémentaires. J'apprends beaucoup de vos conseils et point de vues et j'ai été très enthousiaste lorsque vous avez annoncé vouloir partager plus de contenu 😊 J'ai vu dans plusieurs vidéos que vous parliez d'être attentif à "connecter" vos sujets et vos couleurs. Pouvez vous nous en dire davantage ? Tres bon week-end

Great demo for beginners and experienced. Did you feel the earthquake?

Thank you so much for your videos. Where can we purchase your neef brushes?

Did I Thank You? Thank You. ❤😊

Wow… I ended up watching the whole thing on its side …lol…so I’m glad that it got fixed …but when I got through, I couldn’t find it again …and it said it had been removed and I couldn’t find it anywhere ….so thank you for putting it back so I don’t have to tilt my head to the side to watch it again, ha ha

Hello Sir Please.. it seems to me yellow-Naples and turquoise are opaques ? Do you use often opaques colors? (Sorry for my bad english) ...

As\ *you* use the terms, what is the distinction between "shade" and "shadow"?

Thanks Thomas for this presentation. Anyway, Cover (City) Image seems to be some 'misleading' (as Graeme Stevenson would do !) the viewers.. ; you know !

This was like having you hanging out in my studio with me. Love it! As mentioned by @bouvmama1279, below, it is a gift. I feel doubly gifted to have attended one of your Architecture of Light workshop several years ago, and so happy you are doing this. Thank you again, Tom 🥰