The Advantages Of Masking Paintings!…

Masking, eh! How do I implement that with my painting? Well, here we go with the guide. This is a clever method of making good effects on your work which is easily achieved. With this you can cover and protect various segments of your painting while you paint other areas.

Obviously it could present a mammoth task if you have a piece of your art that has much detailing on and yet needs the background covering and would also take up so much time. It would require a lot of patience too, if you went on to paint round the detailed subject with a fine brush and at the same time struggled to get the paint pretty even and without patching.

These days it is much easier, I find, to just mask out the subjects first. This way you can paint over them to get your flat background. When you remove the mask, the space beneath will be white and the outlines clearcut.

This medium is absolutely great say when you are painting landscapes using watercolours. It is absolutely ideal for blocking out trees, stark branches in winter scenes, for example.You would need to use a brush with a fine point. The masking can work in different ways effectively, sometimes very clear and well defined shapes, textured and often subtle.

If I want to mask tell me what I really need? Ok, this is it! Masking tape and masking fluid, a 2B pencil, watercolours and watercolour paper. To paint on the fluid, an old round brush plus another round brush.

Masking tape is a self adhesive tape which you can buy in different widths. Not only is it tough, but it is also strong. It will fix firmly to canvas or paper. It will also stick fast and there is no problem when you want to remove it.

So, say you are wanting straight lines, the tape would need to be pressed down very strongly, as you wouldn’t want your paint creeping underneath it and the paint used would have to be a thick colour. When you tape it, it can produce a very hard edge, but you could always tear or cut it to gain a softer edge. Allow the paint to dry before attempting to remove the tape, if at all possible.

This could be difficult if you happen to be painting with oils. I wouldn’t go as far as to recommend it. You could so very easily have smudges. The only way round this would be to stand away from the painting and carefully lift one end of it.

I am now going to write about masking fluid, which can be put on in several ways. You can use a pen, a brush and even a cocktail stick. This will leave a fine sort of film which is of a rubbery texture, although it can be easily removed. It can be used just to protect parts of your work from a wash, but is also brilliant for pinpointing little details or blocking out areas.

Sometimes the results achieved are suprising, so it is best to try it out first on some scrap paper before you work it on your painting. Wait for the paint to dry, then paint over the masked parts. Once the paint is dry, you can take off the mask with your finger or even a soft rubber. This usually works well, leaving the underneath white.

After you have used the fluid, your paintbrush bristles will be rubbery too, so you do need to give your bristles a very good wash. That is why I said an old brush. It is quite possible too, in some instances, that it could ruin your paper. Basically you do need a smooth paper, but really, you can use the fluid with any paints. If you chance using rough paper, the fluid will be likely to bed itself into any crevices and you could find it difficult to remove.