Curious about the techniques used here? You can learn more next month if you’ve signed up for email updates! 

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.

Curious about the techniques used here? You can learn more next month if you’ve signed up for email updates!

ANSWER TO MYSTERY TECHNIQUE #137:

This one uses 3 different masking techniques! First I cut the leaves and egg out of clear contact paper and attached the shapes to the watercolor paper; this kept those areas free of paint while I worked on the nest. I started with pale golden brown. After this layer dried, I used a Molotow Grafx art masking liquid pump marker to mask thin crisscross lines inside the nest. To create the thicker grass on the outside of the nest, I used a Colour Shaper dipped in Incredible White Mask. When all the masking had dried, I painted the nest with a darker brown and let that dry; then I painted the background and branches. The next step was to remove all the masking fluid:

I added more texture with a piece of shelf liner and a .005 Micron pen. After finishing the nest, I removed the contact paper and painted the egg and leaves.