Art Tip of the Month #6: Masking Fluid

Thursday, January 25th, 2018

There’s so much to learn when you’re slinging paint and pencil, so here’s the sixth installment in my new monthly segment, Muddy Colors: Art Tip of the Month with Jeff Miracola. Each of my short videos will share a handy tip to help you create magnificent art.

My art tip this month is: Art Masking Fluid

When you need to mask off a part of your surface that you don’t want to get paint onto, art masking fluid is versatile enough to block off both broad and complex areas. In this video, I give you tips to using this timesaving product.

 

Featured Video

Featured Posts

Recent Comments

RELATED POSTS

Review: VR Sketch Transfer

Review: VR Sketch Transfer

I hate transferring my sketch. I hate it. Every method I have found is tedious. Projectors and transfer paper lose important small details, and to get out of the way of the projection, I lean and bend in unnatural positions for long periods of time. There's more, but...

Creativity and Well-Being: Creativity Hangovers

Creativity and Well-Being: Creativity Hangovers

It's no secret to anyone that's been following Muddy Colors awhile that I am really deeply interested in the psychology around why people become artists, and how becoming a "professional" "full-time" artist affects that. For example, I've written posts on the...

Short Take: Rim Light

Short Take: Rim Light

During my classes online, I’m asked by students over and over again, ‘show me how I can improve my paintings.’ Besides needing to get better at drawing, paint mixing and application, composition, and value control-- handling light is the most overlooked aspect of...

10 Comments

  1. Avatar

    Thanks for another great video of awesome tips!

    There are bottles of Golden Acrylics visible in the background, are these your favourite acrylics to use?

    • Avatar

      Hey Nico. Yes, they are my favorite acrylics to use. I love them 🙂

  2. Avatar

    Golden fluid acrylics, the medium of the gods.

    • Avatar

      Absolutely, Bill 🙂 LOL

  3. Avatar

    You kill me how comfortable you seem on-camera 🙂 I bought a bottle of this based on your recommendation on the acrylic how-to, and I’m about to FINALLY start using it this weekend hahah. Can’t wait.

    • Avatar

      Thanks, Eric. I’m getting more and more comfortable with it for sure. My wife, who has decades of experience in front of the camera as a TV news reporter, anchor, and talk show host has been a huge help in coaching me. Glad you’re finally gonna use the masking fluid. Let me know how it turns out.

  4. Avatar

    Oh, great tip. I’m excited to try this out. I had a piece that I used a homemade paper frisket on. And try as I might to be careful with the pressure, I cut too far through the paper and into my illustration board. It got the job done, and no one else seems to notice the groves on the final painting, but I know they’re there and they drive me slightly insane. Since oils are my preferred medium these days I’ll do a test and be sure to share the results!

    • Avatar

      Yeah, I have a lot of older illustrations on illustration board that have all those grooves and cuts from frisket or stencils. Mostly they are just annoying to see when you look at the piece at an angle. Sometimes they have opened up over time and need to be repaired 🙁 The art masking fluid is much better.

  5. Avatar

    Hey Jeff, question about the masking fluid – does it lift off any paint if you apply it over an already painted area? I’ve been using tracing paper and spray adhesive as masks for painting which makes it easy enough to go back over a spot that may already have paint down but I’m wondering if the masking fluid can do the same or if it’s really only best for masking off an area you haven’t hit with paint yet.

    • Avatar

      Hey, Andrew.

      I have had no problems using the art masking fluid over already existing acrylic paint. The masking fluid does not pull up any of the paint. But of course you need to make sure the acrylic paint you put it over is already very, very dry. And I have only ever tried it with acrylic paint, not oils, watercolors, gouache, etc.