How to use Masking Fluid (Top 10 mistakes to avoid!)
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- Опубліковано 15 лип 2024
- How to use masking fluid! In this video I walk you through the 10 most common mistakes I see my students making with masking fluid. If you are unhappy with your results and struggling with torn paper, smudging and unrealistic results this is the video for you. Suitable for beginners or improvers this video will help you get it right with masking fluid.
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Do share any other masking fluid tips you have in the comments :-)
Hey Michele new viewer here :) I wanted to share a tip. For masking without harsh lines Although I do it with gum Arabic layers as a masking fluid. once I get to the area I want masked, as long as you don’t over saturate the area with water to reactivate the gum it will keep Its whiteness but have a feathered edge .Finally to remove the gum Arabic you wait till the painting is bone dry and wet the gum Arabic with a moistened brush and dab the layer off gently with a dry sheet of kitchen roll :)
@@Xanderful209 Thank you! I have to say I haven't had success with that method but I know it works for some people :-)
When I put masking fluid on with a brush I just rub in some liquid soap into the bristles before dipping it in the fluid. As soon as I have finished I wash it off immediately and it comes clean no problem at all
Thanks for the tip!
I use an old stiff brush with liquid soap on the bristles before dipping & using my masking fluid. I does help cleaning up the brush afterwards. I also used toothpicks for drawing fine lines of masking fluid for hair details or flower stamens. Thanks for sharing this wonderful video with more tips and uses for fixing masking fluid mistakes.
Great tip!
I use q-tips sometimes instead of brushes. Also, using industrial q-tips in different sizes for larger coverage is helpful. Just toss when finished.
I use old brushes too, then cut them to the point I want for next use. But the soap sounds great, I'll try that right away :)
I just finished two hours using masking fluid with a nozzle. It was a wretched experience. The nozzle kept clogging and the fluid came out of the rim of the bottle. Then I found your video (wish I had seen it before wasting all my time) and I am SO appreciative of this information in your video. I really do not like the masking fluid at all and am going to avoid it in the future. Your videos are FABULOUS. I have learned a great deal about watercolor painting from them. Thanks for making the videos and being so generous with your time for UA-camrs.
No problem Karen. Masking fluid can be really useful in very small amounts for specific things. But it's always a good idea to test on a scrap of paper first to make sure it will come off. And the nozzles are terrible!
Thank you. I love hearing about your teaching experiences. It’s much quicker to have you tell what to do and what not to do than it would be for us to learn on our own. I can imagine many people learning from this video. 💙🌵
You are very welcome :-)
Thank you so much Michele! I have a bottle of MK fluid and, I am new to WCs. You are so great to explain the ‘why’s” in your tutorials, which help so much. Appreciate the knowledge that you share.
Thanks so much for this. I've only used it once and liked it. I used a silicone stylus the kind nail artists use and it worked pretty well.
Helpful! Many thanks.
Since I can only “like” each video you do just one time, I’m just going to have to comment each time I keep coming back to rewatch so that it counts toward interest in you lessons. I’m learning so much!
I appreciate that Sophia, thank you!
My one tip would be... if the detail is something you can later add with a white gel pen, dont use the masking fluid, just use the pen. You'll have more control, specially if you want white lines or small white spots.
Also, if there are large areas you want to protect, protect the edges with masking tape and extra paper if you want to protect areas from splatters or drips, but you'll have to be mindful of water poolingon the edges and getting under the tape. For large areas it's always better to avoid painting it, but puting masking tape is a nice alternative if you absolutely need to mask a big area.
Great tips, thank you!
I really like point #9 about using is appropriately for sharp edges.
I got myself into cardmaking and was just looking for information on the difference between masking sheets and masking fluids (other than the obvious😉). Your video is exactly what I needed, so thank you so very much! (And I will always remember how I shall like my fluid materials- stirred, not shaken... I really laughed out loud. Much needed!😍)
Wonderful!
Thank you for making this video
Thank you this is super helpful information. Thanks!
I really like the no-nonsense way you put these instructions! I got a new masking fluid and checked this out before I'm going to try. And it's a good thing I did.
Glad I could help!
Thanks for a really useful and clear explanation, and your dedication to helping others.
The other thing I have noticed is that, if the paint being applied over the masked area is too watery yet dense in intensity, it almost pools on the edge of the masked area. This creates an unnatural feel to the reserved area.
You are welcome Naseema. Yes, this can happen even without masking fluid. If the paint sits in a pool it will push the pigment to the edges as it dries. It's sometimes done on purpose in Chinese and botanical painting to create a delicate outline.
Great video Michele. So great isn't it when something you filmed 4 years ago is still helping people ;)
Can't believe how many videos I have made, I guess I will keep going for a bit!
I'm so very happy to have found you ... i was almost at the point of giving up on watercolours, but can at last see some positives. Your no nonsense style suits me to a T, so thank you 🎉
I've just tried using an ink pen nib with masking fluid ... and voilà lovely delicate white lines ❤
I'm pleased! Don't give up :-)
This was very helpful, thank you!
I'm so glad!
Now I know where did I go wrong with my first time using masking fluid! Too big area! This was very enlightning!
That's usually the cause, so glad this helped you figure things out!
Very helpful.
Glad to hear!
thank you concise and to the point you saved my artwork
You are welcome Claire!
Very good advice, thank you.
My pleasure!
Thank you for your tips. My only tip is to ensure that the lid is on properly and store upright! Just spent way too much time clearing up the mess from a leaking bottle 😢!
I think we've all done it 😭
Appreciate this info
No problem!
Hi Michele, I just want to thank you for this video. I had my masking fluid on my painting forth day and on large space over the painting. It took me an hour to take it off the painting. But thanks to your advices, I could take it off (my hand hurts) without tearing up the paper. Thank you!
Glad it was helpful!
Good info, thank you!
Very welcome ☺️
Omg, I was just about to cover a very large space with masking fluid, I spent 4 hours just tracing the lines because it has a lot of detail, thank goodness I saw this first, you saved my painting, thank you 😭💖💖💖
No worries, I have seen loads of people do the same. My most recent video will give you lots of options for masking without fluid. So glad you found the video helpful 🙂
In the Studio with Michele Webber thank youu!! I will definitely watch it 😁😁😁
Very useful tips, Michele - thanks for sharing. I agree with you, we don't need masking fluid as much as we think!
Thank you Kerrie, my heart always sinks when beginners discover it. Not because there is anything wrong with it but because I know they will chuck it everywhere and make a mess, sometimes you have to learn the hard way though!
@@IntheStudiowithMicheleWebber You are right - sometimes it has to be the hard way! 😝
Great tips as always, thank you Michelle. I reckon I've fallen foul in the past of at least 7 of these mistakes you mention here. Oh, if only I found you here 2 years ago!
I usually apply masking fluid just for highlights or some small figures. To apply the fluid, I use rubber tipped "brushes" or an old, poor quality brush with cut down bristles.
Glad it was helpful!
Great info for a beginner like myself. Do you have any videos on using masking fluid with a pen nib ?? e.g. veins on a leaf ?. thanks a lot.
Large areas: Use masking film for most of it and use the fluid to fill in the gaps, layering over the film.
I've found that at least one kind of airbrush cleaner will get the dried fluid out of brushes if you let the brushes soak, but still, use only older brushes that you don't mind becoming (or that you want to become) frizzled.
Yes I am sure some things get it off, but it's a matter of how much of a faff it is!
@@IntheStudiowithMicheleWebber You'd be surprised. It makes the dried frisket kinda gritty and loose, but it just rolls down the bristles.
Thanks for this! I tried masking fluid the other day and it didn’t seem to work. I’m gonna try again and these tips will help.
Also, this is the first video I’ve seen of yours and I think you look like Mary Steenburgen :)
Had to google her. But actually I think you may be right. Am always told I look like Nana Mouskouri!
I bought my first bottle yesterday, and gave it a try. It was fun! I need finer brushes, though. Not sure what kind works best.
I'm unable to link it in the comments, but if you look for my video 'Masking Fluid - THIS tool gives amazing results!' I test out lots of different tools to see which works the best :)
@In the Studio with Michele Webber Thankyou!
This was very informative video, as per usual! I’ve only used masking fluid a few times. As I was painting Christmas cards, there was no way to get too much on and I had no problems. I’m hoping to try painting bigger scenes soon so this was useful to me. Does the age of my masking fluid matter? I bought mine four years ago when I decided to try painting. I’m just getting back into painting and wondered if the masking fluid might be too old.
Masking fluid does sometimes go off, you will know because it will smell foul. It may still work though!
I just painted a beautiful wet in wet sky one of the best I've ever done and then used a hairdryer over the masking fluid, RUINED. All not lost though as I've managed to remove the rubber but it's left a stain so it's time to get the Acrylics out and continue with a mixed media painting. I'm not losing that sky and also it took 2 hours to draw it all.
There's always something you can do to rescue it, keep going!
Thanks for these tips. You did not mention the problem of finding large solid lumps of rubber in your masking fluid bottle. Have you experienced this and if so what do you do about it? It tried stirring to break it up and re dissolve it but was not totally successful. Would this make the remaining liquid phase less effective? I had an old bottle that had some lumps in it so I ordered some new product. Unfortunately Amazon delivered it to my outdoor mailbox and it froze solid overnight. When it thawed it had a big lump in it. ☹️
Oh, bad luck Doug, must be a temperature thing. It goes off really easily unfortunately, not an item to stock pile. As for the remaining liquid, a test on a scrap of paper is the only way to find out.
Hmm, thought this was going to be about masking fluids for doing aircraft canopies on models :)
Oh! I've no idea about models sorry :-)
Thank you Michelle.....how do we apply it for very thin lines or dots please.
Hi Star, just use a small brush. For very fine lines like animal whiskers you might find white acrylic ink easier to use as it's a bit more fluid.
@@IntheStudiowithMicheleWebber I just heard a great tip for applying masking fluid in fine lines and that is to use a glass pen. Waiting on the pen arrive to try it. Just thought I'd pass it on - hopefully it works.
Michele, would you recommend masking fluid for thin blond hairs or is there a better method. I see other artists recommend using toothpicks or q-tips but wouldn't that make thick and thinner areas on the hair?
I personally usually go into gouache (mixed with watercolour) and a dry brush for hair, if you look at my video on fur it's a similar technique. I have never seen masking fluid look natural for hair, but happy for you to prove me wrong!
The kind of video I should've watch before buying my masking fluid... At least I have it now... 😅
Ah, such is life! Glad it helps :-)
I used the Pabeo drawing gum and ruined 2 paintings. The white got stained with blue and did not come off with the masking fluid. I had to paint the polka dots on the dress blue instead of keeping it white on the second painting. I shook the bottle before using and it was brand new. Not sure what I did wrong
You may not have done anything wrong. It may be the paper, the humidity, it's always a good idea to trial a new fluid on a scrap of paper just to see how it reacts before using it on a painting.
Can I use making fluid on all watercolor paper. Thank you .
Yes you can, but some papers may tear, especially cheaper ones, and each brand of fluid behaves differently. I always suggest testing on a scrap before risking your painting.
Hereelllllll My masking fluid has been on for YEARS! Is there no hope to remove it now ?
It might come off, there's no saying, just try very gently, a craft knife can help.
Is there a way to revive masking fluid that went lumpy and stringy? I never shake it but I often use it, yet it lumped regardless. It's a waste seeing those lumpy volumes from the bottle...
Unfortunately masking fluid goes off quite easily. You can usually tell by the smell. Make sure it's sealing properly, if it gets round the screw thread/lid air can get in causing it to set. If it's still good I would filter out the lumps.
Watching this video as I'm rubbing off masking fluid that is taking way too much effort to remove after using a hair dryer to help speed along the paint drying....
"Number 6, don't use a hair dryer."
Me: Closes eyes, hangs head in defeat.
Lol, we don't know what we don't know. But now you know so future success!
@@IntheStudiowithMicheleWebber Still, your videos are dead useful. Thank you!
Can I use masking fluid on top of an already with a line art drawing?? Or it will remove the lineart with it too?
It depends what you are putting it on. Pencil and watercolor may lift slightly. Permanent dry liner pen should be ok, but relief liners like cerne and pebeo may well come off the paper. Best to always test on a scrap of paper first.
@@IntheStudiowithMicheleWebber Thanks for the fast reply I'm testing it out now it faded the line art a bit but it can be retouched so I guess it should be fine... Next time I'll remember to do the masking fluid on pencil first hahaha I got too excited that I went inking 1st before I realized that I need to do the masking 1st
What about using it on canvas?
Hard to say, canvas is usually used for acrylics and oils. If you're using it for watercolors you will need to test it out.
6. Hair dryer or heat tool.
Yes always a dodgy combination with masking fluid!
i´m a bit puzzled cause my paper tears anyway, -no large areas covered, -high quality paper and -high quality masking fluid, (if you can say so, at least its a bottle from one of the best art brands out there and was probably wildly overpriced for what it is tho..) I asked someone ,who uses masking fluid on a daily basis before, she told me that it also can not stay on the paper for long and that will also cause it to tear off the surface. maybe it´s that. I can´t recall how long i left it on the paper, cause it´s been a while and due to that I had kinda given up on trying. I´m willing to try again. One other concern I have is that the fluid bottle I suppose is 20 years old (becaus eit still was pricetagged with before EU currency.....and I had that with several items from the shop, like when I couldn´t identify the watercolors numbers I had and the company told me those were 20 years old and their system and colors changed since then several times. I bought a cheaper masking fluid from them before, which prolly was years old as well since it was all seperated part liquid part solid. They brushed it off as a manufacturers mistake lol I got a new one that worked only slightly better, aka only a small portion was usable. The little of it that I could use did work. Then I went on to buy the expensive fluid and it just keeps tearing my paper, while it looks despite its age in perfectly fine condition and applies normally. Ok this got really long but I find it pretty frustrating especially the shop, which doesn´t exist anymore now, probably for good. leaves me with zero art shops in the area but hey, im tired of overpriced and ancient stuff, just sometimes it was better than online order ,especially for the papers.
Unfortunately it's a bit of a lottery with which masking fluid likes which paper, they shouldn't be left on more than a day or two.
How much masking fluid should you actually use? I've had problems with torn paper a few times and I tried using less, but it did the same thing. I thought the painting had dried enough.
Must be bone dry. There's no easy answer to how much, as little as possible. It depends on brand, paper, humidity, time left on and so many variables. I am having very good success with Shmincke at the moment, it comes off easily, I suggest the white though, the blue stained my paper!
@@IntheStudiowithMicheleWebber Thanks! I will wait a bit longer before I try to remove it.
hello! Thanks for this informative content! I have an urgent question to which I am not able to find any answers so far; IF you need to block a larger area of a delicate painting so you can put in a smooth watercolor gradient wash in the background what would be the best way? I'd really really appreciate any suggestions! thanks so much~
Hello :-) It's a really tricky thing, there are various work arounds... but if you had to go over the whole area, plus you need a really sharp edge to the masked area with no bleeding underneath I would experiment with different types of tape. Scotch tape can work and I think there are various tapes that graphic artists use that might work too. If you don't mind some soft edges then masking tape, but you will need to remove some of the stickiness by pressing it onto some cloth first.
@@IntheStudiowithMicheleWebber thank you so much for your help Michele! I did not know you can use scotch tape but I think those matte ones that remove easily might actually work pretty well. It's still gonna be a tedious thing to cut out all the shapes but it's definitely worth a try! thanks :-)
Great video :) Here's a tip that works for me. I use masking fluid with cheap brushes, those that you get as a set of three for 1 € or else with brushes too used up for painting. Once I've used them with the fluid (and it is ruined, obviously), I clean as much as possible, then next time start cutting the stiff brush hair to the form I want it to be, which is usually a fine tip, but can also be a bushy point, whatever is needed. Some of them have become perfect to make little round dots, some are thin and fine to make the narrowest marks. That works phantastic, because the tip stays in form while applying the stuff , yet it is still flexible, not like a stick. So I do that up to 8 times with each brush before no more can be cut off, then throw it away. That way such a set of cheap brushes goes a very long way. I'll always prefer the fluid over the white pens or gouache I see used a lot recently. But larger white areas are better preserved with tape or painting around it anyway and it is not so costly either. Btw, I use the W & N masking fluid and it needs to be shaken violently if not used for a while, gently stirring doesn't quite do the job. But if you do it 10 minutes before use, then there won't be any bubbles.
Interesting method, thanks for sharing :-)
I am soo upset. How do watercolour artists get those perfect circles for their art wprkd
I aplied a pen masking fluid because it seemed to come of the satin paper the best when rubbing with an erasor. Well i left it for weeks. Its removal day. Its not giving me a hard edge. Its stuck and refused to be removed without tearing the paper. Help
There's not much you can do once it's stuck, other than take it off a little at a time really carefully. As a guide try not to leave it on more than a day or two.
@@IntheStudiowithMicheleWebber any hints on how watercolourartists get those perfect watercolour circles?