Today I’m going to show you how I use masking fluid and frisket to protect areas of my paper when I airbrush a background. Technically you can use this even if you’re not airbrushing, but as the colored pencil hits the masking fluid, it would cause it to lift a bit. If you’re careful though, you can use this to keep areas like the shine of the eyes extra white.
I’m using Winsor & Newton Art Masking Fluid, slightly pigmented . I purchased mine from amazon and it was fine, but I’ve seen these in the stores that were bad, meaning the liquid inside was a nearly solid mass. This won’t work and if you receive one like this, send it back or return it to the store you purchased it from! I use one that has a slight yellow pigment to it. This yellow doesn’t stain the paper at all, but it does make it easier to see where I’ve applied it.
I don’t generally apply the masking fluid to large areas because it does warp the paper. If taped down along each edge with masking tape, a quality paper will go back into it’s original shape if you mist it with water and take a hair dryer to it, but I find it to be easier to just use the masking fluid along the edges of my subject, then use Frisket for the larger inside areas. Frisket is a low tack tape that is sold in sheets or by the roll for airbrushing.