All rights reserved © The Watercolour Artist.com
Masking fluid - How to use it effectively.
Masking fluid is a fantastic medium to have in your supplies kit. It can also be used in a variety of ways that you may not have thought off.
The traditional method of using masking fluid is for when you need to reserve the white of the paper for whatever reason. Basically just apply the masking fluid to the area you want to reserve then allow it to dry (usually around 5 minutes depending on how thickly you have applied it). When dry the area underneath is protected allowing you to paint over the area as much as you like with the security that the masking fluid will resist the paint. Once your painting is completely dry just rub away the masking fluid with a putty eraser or a clean finger and hey presto you are left with a white area on your paper completely free from paint.
This technique can be used for buildings, fence posts, window frames etc.
Try this: Get an old toothbrush dip it in your masking fluid, aim at your sky area then rub your finger across the bristles. This causes a spray of little globules of masking fluid to be applied to the paper. Wait for the fluid to dry then apply a thick wash of cobalt blue or another cooler colour to your sky. Wait for your wash to dry then gently rub a putty eraser across the area. You will then be left with tiny white highlights in your sky that look like snow falling or depending how dark you have made your wash these highlights could be stars in the night sky. You can also use this technique to depict spray from a wave, rain or foliage catching the sunlight. In fact there are numerous applications and with a little practice this technique can be used extremely effectively.
Try this: Leave some on!! Yes that's right. Practice this technique first before you use it on a painting as it can be fairly difficult to master. Lets say you want to paint a wood scene where the focal point of the painting is an old oak tree. Here is a great way to get those bark textures.
Put a little masking fluid in your palette then apply a fairly thick layer to the side of the tree where the light hits it then allow it to dry. Then apply your first washes of colour and allow to dry. Then, use the toothbrush technique mentioned previously to apply masking fluid at various points over the tree trunk and finally when it's all dry add your darker colours.
Masking fluid is a fantastic medium to have in your supplies kit. It can also be used in a variety of ways that you may not have thought off.
The traditional method of using masking fluid is for when you need to reserve the white of the paper for whatever reason. Basically just apply the masking fluid to the area you want to reserve then allow it to dry (usually around 5 minutes depending on how thickly you have applied it). When dry the area underneath is protected allowing you to paint over the area as much as you like with the security that the masking fluid will resist the paint. Once your painting is completely dry just rub away the masking fluid with a putty eraser or a clean finger and hey presto you are left with a white area on your paper completely free from paint.
This technique can be used for buildings, fence posts, window frames etc.
Try this: Get an old toothbrush dip it in your masking fluid, aim at your sky area then rub your finger across the bristles. This causes a spray of little globules of masking fluid to be applied to the paper. Wait for the fluid to dry then apply a thick wash of cobalt blue or another cooler colour to your sky. Wait for your wash to dry then gently rub a putty eraser across the area. You will then be left with tiny white highlights in your sky that look like snow falling or depending how dark you have made your wash these highlights could be stars in the night sky. You can also use this technique to depict spray from a wave, rain or foliage catching the sunlight. In fact there are numerous applications and with a little practice this technique can be used extremely effectively.
Try this: Leave some on!! Yes that's right. Practice this technique first before you use it on a painting as it can be fairly difficult to master. Lets say you want to paint a wood scene where the focal point of the painting is an old oak tree. Here is a great way to get those bark textures.
Put a little masking fluid in your palette then apply a fairly thick layer to the side of the tree where the light hits it then allow it to dry. Then apply your first washes of colour and allow to dry. Then, use the toothbrush technique mentioned previously to apply masking fluid at various points over the tree trunk and finally when it's all dry add your darker colours.
Once your painting is completely dry here comes the tricky part! Get your finger and rub of the second stage of masking fluid you should be left with highlights of the colours you applied first. Then, gently rub the flat of your hand across the first application of masking fluid making sure however not too take all of it off. This will if done properly leave you with a textured surface that you can then blend into the painting by adding in some darker highlights. This is what you should end up with (fig 1)!
Fig 1
Fig 2
Try this: Why not try mixing a little masking fluid on your palette with a little water or paint. This can be fairly hard to control but if you practice it can lead to some very unusual effects. One way this technique can be used to great effect is when depicting stormy skies (fig 2).
Try this: Use masking fluid to depict dappled light (e.g. On a road or a riverbank under overhanging trees). Paint in your lightest wash or leave white paper then use a small brush to produce irregular marks on top of this area with masking fluid. Leave to dry then apply your darker washes over the top. When your painting is completely dry remove the masking fluid and you will be left with lighter/white patches that look like light shining through the trees. (fig3)
Some words of caution: Never! We repeat never shake the bottle!! If you do this will create small bubbles in your fluid that when applied to the paper may not be immediately apparent to you but will pop when the masking fluid is drying. This will cause little circles to appear in your masked area that will be unprotected from
Some words of caution: Never! We repeat never shake the bottle!! If you do this will create small bubbles in your fluid that when applied to the paper may not be immediately apparent to you but will pop when the masking fluid is drying. This will cause little circles to appear in your masked area that will be unprotected from
Fig 3
any paint you apply. To avoid this stir the fluid gently with a brush handle this is sufficient to ensure it is properly mixed.
Do not under any circumstances use your expensive brushes to apply masking fluid!! They will be ruined beyond repair. There are a variety of ways you can apply masking fluid including glue spreaders(like the ones you used to get at school), brush handles, colour shapers, ruling pens or with your fingers. However, if you must use a brush please use an old one and remember to coat the bristles with washing up liquid first. You do this by squeezing a little out on to your finger then gently rubbing the bristles between your fingers. This applies a thin protective coating to the brush hairs but you need to ensure that as soon as you have finished masking to wash out the brush immediately with warm (not hot) soapy water. Never allow masking fluid to dry on the brush.
*TOPTIP* The easiest way to test if your masking fluid is dry is to lightly touch the surface with a scrap piece of watercolour paper if the masking fluid sticks to the paper or starts lifting its not dry enough to paint over and will end up getting stuck in your brushes. If it doesn't stick its dry.
Like anything else worth doing practice makes perfect so why not get some masking fluid and give it a go!
Contributed: By Artist Greg Howard Website: Derbyshire Watercolour
Buy Winsor & Newton Masking Fluid
Buy Daler Rowney Masking Fluid
Do not under any circumstances use your expensive brushes to apply masking fluid!! They will be ruined beyond repair. There are a variety of ways you can apply masking fluid including glue spreaders(like the ones you used to get at school), brush handles, colour shapers, ruling pens or with your fingers. However, if you must use a brush please use an old one and remember to coat the bristles with washing up liquid first. You do this by squeezing a little out on to your finger then gently rubbing the bristles between your fingers. This applies a thin protective coating to the brush hairs but you need to ensure that as soon as you have finished masking to wash out the brush immediately with warm (not hot) soapy water. Never allow masking fluid to dry on the brush.
*TOPTIP* The easiest way to test if your masking fluid is dry is to lightly touch the surface with a scrap piece of watercolour paper if the masking fluid sticks to the paper or starts lifting its not dry enough to paint over and will end up getting stuck in your brushes. If it doesn't stick its dry.
Like anything else worth doing practice makes perfect so why not get some masking fluid and give it a go!
Contributed: By Artist Greg Howard Website: Derbyshire Watercolour
Buy Winsor & Newton Masking Fluid
Buy Daler Rowney Masking Fluid