Resists & Masking
with Cherril Doty & Marsh Scott
The use of resists and masks can add a great deal to artwork—visual interest, the appearance of texture, and more. There are many products that are marketed just for this purpose; however, you can create your own using a little ingenuity and things you most likely already have in your basic supplies.
Materials
• Rubber cement
• Art gum eraser
• Brushes
• Purchased stencils or masks
• Acrylic paints
• Cosmetic sponges
• Scissors or scalpel
• Masking film
• Pencil
• Manila folder
• Magazine images
• Crayons
• Watercolor paper
• Watercolors
Rubber Cement
Rubber cement works in the same way as masking fluid. This resist technique preserves layers beneath a painted surface. Watercolorists use this technique to preserve white areas.
Step One Paint the rubber cement in the design you’d like to preserve and let dry.
Step Two Paint over the rubber cement with thinned paints.
Step Three When the paint is dry, rub the surface with an art gum eraser to remove the rubber cement. If the rubber cement is thick, you can peel it off by hand.
Stencils & Masks
Stencils
You can use the inner portion of the stencil as a mask or simply on its own for a repeating pattern or outline.
Step One Lay the inner portion from your stencil on top of a painted surface. Lightly tape down a corner to help keep it in place.
Step Two Apply paint in a solid color around the mask using cosmetic sponges. You can repeat or reverse the mask across the surface to create a pattern.
Masking Film
Masking film is a flexible, low-tack film. You can draw on it or simply cut out shapes to use as masks with scissors or a scalpel. Once your shapes are cut out, they can be adhered to a painted substrate or you can follow step two above to create a reverse outline.
Magazine Images
For those who do not consider themselves to be traditional artists, this is an easy way to introduce figures into your mixed-media work.
Step One Find an image from a magazine that you would like to use in your piece. Using acrylic gel, adhere it to a manila folder.
Step Two Carefully cut around the image with scissors or a scalpel. You now have a stencil and a mask to use repeatedly in your work.
Wax Resists
Wax resists create a loose and sketchy feel. While there are many ways to use wax resists, the simplest technique can be done with a box of crayons.
Step One Draw an image or design using crayons.
Step Two Brush on a wash of watercolor paint using one or several colors. The crayon line allows you to easily paint right up to the edges without bleed.
