Supplies needed:

1. Watercolor paper, cold press, about 140 lb. 11" X 15" (1/4 sheet)

2. Art Masking Fluid, any brand, but I prefer Winsor Newton.

3. One No.2 cheap pointed brush (for the masking fluid.)

4. Water colors to paint the ocean and waves, your favorite colors.

5. Your favorite brushes and sizes. If you do not have a two inch wash
brush, you may wish to purchase an inexpensive one. A very soft regular
paintbrush will also work.

Lesson:

This lesson is intended to demonstrate a looser use of masking fluid. The first lesson was much more ridged. This time just relax and play with your brush strokes. Intermix laying down masking fluid and washes. Don't worry if the fluid and washes overlap. This will add the motion to the painting.

If you follow the next four steps, you will learn one watercolor technique used to add motion and depth to your painting.

The Sketch

Sketching the Wave:

1. You may print this image to use as a sketch model.

2. Sketch the waves and background. If you would like to speed things up, you may want to print this image at 5X and trace it onto your watercolor sheet with graphite paper .

3. This sketch is really light lines on white watercolor paper. It appears
darker because of the exposure required to bring out the light pencil lines.

Art Masking Fluid and Color Washes

Applying Masking Fluid:

Protect the white spray and tops of the waves with masking fluid. Paint on the fluid using brush strokes that curve with the waves. Spatter the masking fluid at the tops of the wave to add foam and spray. Loading an old tooth brush with masking fluid and running your thumb nail through it while the top of the brush is pointed at the tops of the waves works well.

When the fluid is dry, dampen the paper and add the first and lightest
background washes. Let dry then add more masking fluid to preserve the
lighter tones of the waves and background. Proceed in this fashion until
you reach the darkest tonal values. Let dry completely.

Removing the Mask and Repeating the Process

Applying Frisket:

After the painting is completely dry, remove the masking fluid by rubbing with a art gum eraser or a clean finger. Washes covered with masking fluid may lighten. Make a mental note of the degree of lightness and use that information in the next painting when you use this technique. You may now add more masking fluid and washes if you desire. Continue steps two
and three until you get the shapes and tones you desire.

Don't Worry, if you allow each step dry completely the colors will stay bright and you
won't produce "mud".

Finished Painting

Dry Brush and Spot Washes:

Add Spot Washes and Dry Brush to complete Painting. Here I used a liner brush and a raised rule to get the horizontal lined effect. But that's another
lesson.

If you have questions, suggestions or comments, please drop Liisa a note via Email. Please suggest additional lessons you would like to see addressed in this series of instruction.

Born in Finland, Liisa has always loved and respected nature, now she specializes in river and wildlife paintings As a young lady, Liisa moved to California where she studied and received her degrees in art and early childhood education. Later she moved to Brussels, Belgium. Here she studied watercolor and then later Liisa taught her own watercolor techniques at the Brussels School of Arts. Next, to England where she lived in a classic English cottage in the Penn, Bucks countryside. While living in this beautiful rural area, Liisa developed her wildlife and scenic watercolor talents. Here she taught local artists her style of watercolor. Returning to the United States, (Nashua, New Hampshire) Liisa
studied commercial advertising art while teaching advanced watercolors.

Now Liisa lives in the Tennessee Valley, and here she plans to stay. Her studio is on the banks of the Elk River where she paints for galleries and produces commissioned art work for her clients. Thanks to the World Wide Web, Liisa can live in Alabama, display her artwork, work on commissions from all over the world and teach. All without leaving her studio.