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ANSWER TO MYSTERY TECHNIQUE #158:

Masking fluid and waxed paper are the stars of this mystery technique! First I tore rock shapes out of junk mail and temporarily attached them to the paper with tape. To create the effect of waves crashing against the rocks, I used a wadded up piece of plastic wrap to apply masking fluid and save the white of the paper. I waited for the masking fluid to dry before painting the sky with a graded blue wash. After this layer was dry, I painted the water with a slightly duller blue. Next I removed the torn pieces of paper and painted the rock shapes with a mix of browns and dark gray. While the rocks were still shiny wet, I pressed wrinkled wax paper into the wet paint and put a heavy book on top. I waited until the next day to remove the waxed paper, which left a series of intriguing shapes. I then added touches of darker colors to make the rocks more dimensional.

Next I removed all the masking fluid.

To create more sense of motion and depth in the crashing waves, I used a small piece of a cleaning eraser (the Target brand) to soften some edges and also added a few touches of blue gray.