| As watercolor artists, we know that the
"white of the paper" is important. It creates the LIGHT in the painting.
It can easily get lost and once lost is hard to get back. Watercolor
paints and paper have minds of their own - that quality of "happy
accidents" is what makes this medium so much
fun! But also so difficult, some say the hardest, to
master.
A lot of artists will never use masking and others swear by it.
Anything goes and whatever works for you to create the painting you want is
okay. Experiment with all sorts of masking aids to find what works best
for you.
Shown to the right are two images from Penny Soto's
book Painting Glowing Colors in Watercolor. This painting is
particularly special to me because I was with Penny when she took the
photograph. The yellow areas in the nearer image is where the masking
fluid was applied.
On page two of this article, you will see details of this
painting. |
Sketched watercolor paper with masking
applied |
San Juan Baptista Shadows
by Penny Soto
15" x 22" |
| Masking fluid is the
most common masking agent. It comes in colorless and in colors. Most
artists use the colored so they can see where it has been applied. Others
say the colored fluid is distracting or can cause them to alter the color
of paints they use. All artists will tell you to apply masking fluid
to dry paper and to make sure it is well dried before you begin painting over
it. Penny Soto says to wait 20 minutes. Lian Quan Zhen uses a hairdryer,
while another artist might tell you that will ruin the paper when you take
the masking off. Don't let it dry in direct sunlight, as it will
adhere to the
paper and pulls paper up. You should remove the masking fluid within 24
hours, so plan ahead and know where you are going with your painting
before you begin.
Use an old brush and dip it in soapy water before using
it for masking fluid. This will enable you to remove the dried frisket and
maybe save the brush for another use.
Also, don't shake the bottle. This creates bubbles that
make a strange mottled effect when they burst on the paper. Unless of
course, that is what you want!
|
Catherine Anderson (Signature Member of the
American Watercolor Society, National Watercolor Society, Rocky Mountain
National Watermedia Society, Watercolor West, California Watercolor
Association and Knickerbocker Artists) credits her experimentation with
black gesso and masking fluid for the wonderful effects in
Magic of the Night, an award winning painting.
What to buy: Masquepen Artist's Masking Fluid
(has a nib); W&N MASKING FLUID (colorless);
Daler Rowney Art Masking Fluid (colorless);
SAA Blue Mask
Masking Fluid; Miskit; Cheap Joe's Masking Fluid (very reasonably price!);
Art Maskoid; Graphix Prepared Friskit Film; Pebeo Drawing Gum; Water Media
Polyester Film Overlay; Incredible White Mask
Most of these and other
masking aids can be found at the major online art suppliers.
|
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