I'm an experienced watercolorist so I went a different way with my painting projects, exploring my own experiments and advanced challenges.

I've been using masking fluid for a while now and have already settled on my favourite kinds, tools and papers. I like Arches 140 lb paper with a rough surface, or if I'm treating myself I use Arches 300 lb paper. I like Winsor and Newton's masking fluid the best, but also use a Pebeo pen, and some Pebeo fluid sometimes. I'd like to get some of those silicon "brushes" as they survive the masking fluid quite well!

I wanted to try a technique with masking fluid where I mask multiple layers of colour, sort of like batik fabric painting or Ukrainian Easter egg painting. Each layer of colour is masked in some areas, then covered over with the next layer of colour, masked again, and so on, until the grand reveal at the end when I removed all that sticky rubber to show the layers of colour. So I played with that for a while.

Then I made two paintings, both using masking fluid in significant places. The mushrooms painting has masked areas in the background sky and some of the mushrooms themselves were protected with masking while I worked around them. The pomegranate painting had masking fluid on the membranes between seeds, and on the highlights of the jewel-like seeds themselves. Both of these paintings were a significant challenge for me and took a long time to make.

I am definitely incorporating masking fluid into my watercolour practice more and more, and enjoyed seeing the fun and easy activities that can be done to introduce these techniques to painting students. I am a teacher so I will definitely use some of these activities when teaching watercolours. Thank you!

Keep teaching, keep painting. You obviously get tremendous joy from it all.

Cheers

Caroline Stengl

growing with watercolours - image 1 - student project

growing with watercolours - image 2 - student project

Caroline Stengl

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