Lesson 32 Creating textures using masking fluid

Masking fluid is often used to save white details in watercolor paintings but it can also be employed to create a variety of textures. For this lesson we experimented applying liquid mask with twigs, sponges, crumpled paper and anything else we could find to draw or stamp with. When the mask was dry we painted a simple landscape scene and used the textured areas to suggest foliage, flowers or trees. Here are some examples.


Celine dabbed mask in the foreground to suggest flower shapes and she also used it to create snow patterns on the mountains.

Alice drew fine lines of masking fluid to show ridges in the mountains and trees in the foreground.



Herching stamped on mask in different thicknesses to create a feeling of flower clumps receding.


Chris applied quite a bit of mask in the initial stages and was able to develop foreground detail as well as to suggest distant flowers