Testimonials for the Masquepen

" The new Masquepen is a dream come true! While masking fluid has been around for a long time, this innovation allows you to mask much more detailed areas than before. This, of course, opens up a myriad of possibilities for stampers and other artists.

In case you are not familiar with masking fluid, it is a light blue fluid that dries clear and rubbery, and easily peels off any surface. It is used to mask off an area that you want to protect while working on surrounding areas. Up until now, masking fluid was applied with a brush.

The Masquepen is a fine-tipped bottle of masking fluid. The fluid flows nicely through the tip, which has a slanted opening. You will have the most control if you hold the tip against the paper with the opening facing up. The Super Nib attachment is optional, but you need it to achieve those really fine lines...

Do you enjoy creating your own backgrounds? With the Masquepen you can create any pattern you wish, and then add color by stippling, painting, or brayering over it. By masking off parts of images in different stages you can create stamp art with great detail and depth.

The Masquepen is truly a panacea for any stamper, and especially for those who enjoy scenic stamping. No more cutting out finely detailed masks! And think of all the times you have been coloring an image and had ink or paint get into an area where you wanted no color. Eyes, for example, will always get the Masquepen treatment from now on whenever I color people or creatures. The Masquepen is one more item to add to the stamper’s list of must-have tools!"

Viveca Eliscu

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This product may have been around for a while now, but I have only just heard about it. Working with watercolour you invariably get to work with masking fluid (or 'frisket'). Larger areas are not a problem, I have old brushes reserved for the job, but over the years I have tried lots of methods with varying degrees of success and frustration to get clean, fine lines. I have heard of people using an 'oiler boiler' - perhaps this is a similar idea? Anyway, after posting details of how I paint light hair over dark (I use opaque paint), I was told about the masquepen and had to give it a go. I thought it might be of interest to others to hear how I got on with it and have included some trial doodles below:



I ordered a regular pen and a 'superfine' nib as well (shown at left on the picture above). It certainly pays to experiment with it before launching into a painting. It takes a little while to get used to having a bottle attached to the pen, but the applicator is long enough for you to hold comfortably and draw. The fluid is thinner than normal masking fluid (and blue) - more like the consistency of thick ink. As the flow is dictated by gravity, you need to adjust the angle and speed that you work or you will get 'globs'. The regular nib is shown at the top of this doodle, and the superfine nib at the bottom.

It is quite fun to work with, and I can see how it would be useful for craftwork too. The results were pretty good and there is no question it will be helpful for things like whiskers, leaf veins, grasses etc - infact anywhere that you need a fairly precise thin line that you can control. Of course if it didn't go on right, you can just wait for it to dry and remove it in the usual way.

I think it will pay to mess about with it some more, but my first impression is very good and I will be using it again. Whether you need the superfine nib as well will depend on how fine you want your lines. It does what it says, no mess and no fuss - and no more ruined brushes.

From a blog by Tracy Hall, Scotland
http://watercolour-artist.blogspot.com

"I guess the stuff isn't really rubber cement but it's very similar (I have used rubber cement on big jobs with very porous surfaces (bone or leather) because it's cheaper). The stuff I have in my art trunk is Masquepen Artist's Masking Fluid and it's the only good thing I got from my watercolour class. You put the masking fluid on areas you want to keep white when doing colour washes. The stuff peels off the medium like rubber cement off a credit card, leaving behind a perfectly clean and crisp white space. I started using it on pencil sketches to protect small white spaces that would be challenging/impossible to touch up with an eraser. I can't keep my paws the surface when I work so I tend to smudge things especially with softer pencils or even colour pencils. I've never tried it on bristol board but I imagine it would be fine. I've never found it to stain but did lift the surface on a very loose raw paper.

Genghis Con

"I found the new Masquepen from Cruddas Innovations a delight to use. At last there's a masking fluid with a sensible and workable strength. The Masquepen is so simple to use. Pull off the cap and wipe the stainless steel. Hold like a pen and use for curved, thick or thin lines, dots - indeed any statement you wish. I have used it successfully both under layers, and on top of inks, watercolours and washy acrylic paints. There's no waste, just remember to clean the prong before re-inserting it into the nylon nib. It's very portable, and does not leak, so you can keep it with your other art materials, whether in the studio or on location."          

Wendy Jelbert

 

"Thanks for the Masquepen. I do a lot of botanical painting and find it easy to use, very easy to see, and it removes cleanly, without damaging the paper"

Mrs. A, Surrey England