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Illustrating With Winsor & Newton Water Colours and Masking Fluid

Fashion illustrator Scott W. Mason recently hosted a series of in-store workshops for us, demonstrating some of his favourite ways to use Winsor & Newton watercolours and accessories. In this tutorial Scott shows you how he uses masking fluid to enhance his watercolour illustrations…

Step 1: Once you’ve sketched out your initial illustration the very first step is to think ahead. Masking fluid is such a useful tool for painters. Put masking fluid down where there are details that you want to highlight. In this case I want to bring to life some details on the dress, such as sparkles and highlights. I use circles and crosses to mimic a shimmer effect.

Step 2: After the masking fluid has dried I use Winsor & Newton Water Colour Red Series 1 and start applying it to the dress, experimenting with layering strokes, adding more of the watercolour pigment and also using a drier brush to give depth and texture to the dress.

Step 3: Next, I use a Winsor & Newton Water Colour Marker in Alizarin Crimson Hue to add more details and depth to the dress. This includes criss crosses, colouring the creases of the dress and sketching lines that go in the same direction as the fabric, then going over with a wet brush and blending the marker lines in so they aren’t as bold.

Step 4: After this, I grab a Winsor & Newton Black Water Colour Marker to add colour to the hair and define the dress edges. Then, with a wet brush I start from the line and work up to add darker folds and depth to the dress fabric.

Step 5: Now for the really fun part! I make sure that all of the paint I’ve added is dry, then I use a pair of tweezers or rub my hand across the page to get rid of all the masking fluid and, like magic, reveal the white paper underneath.

Step 6: I want to add a bit more sparkle to finish this piece, so I layer over iridescent medium. Don’t worry about how much you use of this as it dries opaque, meaning the image underneath is still visible. I also added some extra sparkle to the earrings and dress, which looks fantastic when placed against the light.

Click here to view our entire Winsor & Newton range

Want to know more about working with watercolours? Explore these other engaging blogs:
Discover Watercolour Painting Techniques to Try
Explore Limitless Creations with Watercolour Mediums

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