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What is masking? Well you may ask! Masking is a method of covering certain areas of a painting, so they are, in fact, protected while you apply paint to the other parts. In principal this is a fairly easy way of gaining effects to your work that otherwise seemed not possible.

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.

I would strongly recommend before you begin your background, that you go ahead and mask out your subject. This makes life so much easier! Then paint your background easily, don’t worry about going on top of the masking. You will have achieved a nice flat background. Nice clear outlines will show when the mask is removed and the underneath will still remain white.

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.

Let’s start with masking tape, a good strong adhesive, which is sold in the shops in different widths. It is tough and will firmly stick to canvas or paper, yet it can also be removed without too much trouble.

If you want to do very straight lines, press the tape down hard so you will not suffer with the paint seeping underneath, but you will need to use a thick colour. Taping leaves a hard edge, but you can get a softer look by tearing or cutting it. It is better before you remove the tape to let it dry, but you cannot always do this.

Well, you could not do this with oils, for instance. If you were painting with oils, you would have to be careful to lift one end and hold the tape away from the painting to stop smudging.

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.

It is advisable to give this method a go on some paper in the first instance, but be sure to remember to let the paint dry before painting across the mask. Saying this, when the paint has dried, try removing your mask either with a soft eraser or your finger. The underneath section will be white.

You do need to have an old brush for applying the fluid as the texture tends to ruin brushes, particularly the bristles, so they need a good wash afterwards. Sometimes it can also spoil your paper. If you apply it to a rough texured paper it may not be removable as it can stick in any cracks, but you can use this on any smooth paper with any paints.

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