Masking Fluid for your Watercolor Projects
The interesting supplies that artists often pass over in the art store may become your favorite supplies. Masking fluid was one of those items for me. The purpose of masking fluid is to preserve a space on your watercolor paper as you paint. In this project, masking fluid was applied to the poppies to preserve the space for painting them at the end, after the background.
Supplies used in this project:
Watercolor paper
Watercolor paints Winsor Newton Brand: Cadium Red, Yellow Ochre, Sap Green, Lemon Yellow, Cerulean Blue, Sepia, Cadium Orange and Van Dyke Brown
Winsor Newton Liquid Mask
Brushes
Pencil
Eraser
1. Prepare your watercolor paper and attach it to the surface of your choice. Sketch your poppies with light pencil marks. The paper used in this project is 160 lb, cold pressed, cut to 16 x 20. My blog post for creating a tool to cut watercolor paper is available at this link:
https://tanyascreativeside.blogspot.com/2018/04/watercolor-artist-alternative-to.html
2. Use a small older brush. Make sure you do not use a new or one of your favorite painting brushes. The masking fluid may damage the bristles, occasionally the material is difficult to remove. To avoid getting the masking fluid stuck in your brush first dip the brush in liquid soap and rub the bristles together to make sure that the soap is applied to all the bristles before using the masking fluid. There is no need to let the soap dry before beginning the project.
The brush in the above photo has a rubber tip at one end. This brush was designed to be used for masking fluid application and removal. You do not need this specific brush for this project, this is just one option. Using your art eraser will remove the masking fluid.
3. The masking fluid changes colors when it dries. Do not begin painting until the masking fluid dries.
4. Begin painting the background of your project. I preferred to leave the circle for the sun blank. No paint, no water and no masking fluid. I intentionally painted the sky and sunset and did not apply water or paint to the circle I created for the sun. The background for this project is abstract in nature, with an indication of grass and water in the field. The sky is lightly painted in, merely with an indication of clouds.
a. Determine where your sun will be in your horizon. I used a bottle top to draw my sun.
b. Apply water to the top of your paper. Using a small amount of Cerulean Blue for the clouds. Apply with a wide brush using sweeping motions. Lightly apply the paint, not much color only at the top of the paper.
c. Add Lemon Yellow and Yellow Ochre for the next layer. Do not let this layer dry. Continue painting so all the colors blend.
d. Using a microscopic amount of Cadium Red to the next layer. Let this section dry.
e. Apply water to the bottom section. Add a section of Sap Green to the bottom lower left of the painting. On the right of this section apply Cerulean Blue. Let this dry.
5. Add the stems and additional grasses to the painting. Use Sap Green for some stems and Sap Green mixed with a small amount of Sepia for some. In nature, grasses and stems are usually green but rarely are they the same shade of green. Use a couple different brush sizes for different types of grass.
6. After the paint is dry from the previous step, remove the masking fluid. Using an eraser and gently rub the masking fluid. Take care not to tear or damage your paper.
Enjoy working on this project. Show me your work and let me know what you think.
If there are other art supplies that you would like demonstrated let me know.
Thanks for reading,
Tanya
The interesting supplies that artists often pass over in the art store may become your favorite supplies. Masking fluid was one of those items for me. The purpose of masking fluid is to preserve a space on your watercolor paper as you paint. In this project, masking fluid was applied to the poppies to preserve the space for painting them at the end, after the background.
Supplies used in this project:
Watercolor paper
Watercolor paints Winsor Newton Brand: Cadium Red, Yellow Ochre, Sap Green, Lemon Yellow, Cerulean Blue, Sepia, Cadium Orange and Van Dyke Brown
Winsor Newton Liquid Mask
Brushes
Pencil
Eraser
1. Prepare your watercolor paper and attach it to the surface of your choice. Sketch your poppies with light pencil marks. The paper used in this project is 160 lb, cold pressed, cut to 16 x 20. My blog post for creating a tool to cut watercolor paper is available at this link:
https://tanyascreativeside.blogspot.com/2018/04/watercolor-artist-alternative-to.html
2. Use a small older brush. Make sure you do not use a new or one of your favorite painting brushes. The masking fluid may damage the bristles, occasionally the material is difficult to remove. To avoid getting the masking fluid stuck in your brush first dip the brush in liquid soap and rub the bristles together to make sure that the soap is applied to all the bristles before using the masking fluid. There is no need to let the soap dry before beginning the project.
The brush in the above photo has a rubber tip at one end. This brush was designed to be used for masking fluid application and removal. You do not need this specific brush for this project, this is just one option. Using your art eraser will remove the masking fluid.
3. The masking fluid changes colors when it dries. Do not begin painting until the masking fluid dries.
4. Begin painting the background of your project. I preferred to leave the circle for the sun blank. No paint, no water and no masking fluid. I intentionally painted the sky and sunset and did not apply water or paint to the circle I created for the sun. The background for this project is abstract in nature, with an indication of grass and water in the field. The sky is lightly painted in, merely with an indication of clouds.
a. Determine where your sun will be in your horizon. I used a bottle top to draw my sun.
b. Apply water to the top of your paper. Using a small amount of Cerulean Blue for the clouds. Apply with a wide brush using sweeping motions. Lightly apply the paint, not much color only at the top of the paper.
c. Add Lemon Yellow and Yellow Ochre for the next layer. Do not let this layer dry. Continue painting so all the colors blend.
d. Using a microscopic amount of Cadium Red to the next layer. Let this section dry.
e. Apply water to the bottom section. Add a section of Sap Green to the bottom lower left of the painting. On the right of this section apply Cerulean Blue. Let this dry.
5. Add the stems and additional grasses to the painting. Use Sap Green for some stems and Sap Green mixed with a small amount of Sepia for some. In nature, grasses and stems are usually green but rarely are they the same shade of green. Use a couple different brush sizes for different types of grass.
6. After the paint is dry from the previous step, remove the masking fluid. Using an eraser and gently rub the masking fluid. Take care not to tear or damage your paper.
7. Apply cadium orange to the petals of the poppies then begin layering in the cadium red to the petals. Apply the paint in the direction that the petals would grow in nature. Add a little more or less paint on the petals to indicate shadows and highlights. The poppy buds that have not bloomed are painted using sap green, sepia and yellow ochre. The stems are a combination of sap green and sepia.
Enjoy working on this project. Show me your work and let me know what you think.
If there are other art supplies that you would like demonstrated let me know.
Thanks for reading,
Tanya
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