Extreme Masking Tutorial

I have called this Technique Extreme Masking as I have never done so much masking on one project before.
It did take a little planning to get the effect of layers, so I thought I would share with you how I did this.
TIP: Use a good quality smooth white card stock like S.U s whisper white card, you don't want it fluffing up and looking like suede when you work with your markers.

I stamped the cotton reel evenly over the card.

I also stamped the cotton real onto scrap paper eight times and cut them out and put a spot of 2 way glue on the back of each cotton reel mask and allowed it to dry. I marked each mask with an M as it made it easier for me to see which images were masks and which where going to be the final product. The last thing I wanted to do was to accidentally stamp over an image on my card.

When the glue was dry I placed the masks over the stamped images at one end of my white card. I then began stamping between and over the masks the images I stamped first off.

Safe in the knowledge that the masks would protect them. I stamped more reels. As I stamped each new image I covered it with mask until I had filled the area with cotton reels.




Once the area was filled I began moving the masks from the completed end and sticking them over the




reels stamped in the area I was going to stamp next. I continued to do this until I had worked my way right across the sheet of card. When the card was covered with cotton reels I removed all the masks and began colouring the images.

TIP: store your masks in with your stamps that way you won't have to go throught the process of re stamping and cutting them out again.





I like to draw a line with my chosen colour around the inside of the cotton reels before I begin colouring, it helps me to stay within the lines. It also gives me a head start on the shading. Then I coloured them in using quick strokes using the brush end of the marker going across the reels following the lines of the thread. I do several before going back to do the shading to give the ink a chance to dry out as I don't want my card to start fluffing up.

Once dry I go back and draw downward strokes along the sides of the reels. I usually do this two or three times allowing the ink to dry in between. There are plenty more to colour while you are waiting for the ink to dry.





Be careful to get the colours in the right places , it's easy to get lost. Especially when it comes to filling in all the white spaces in between. You'll suddenly notice a few cotton reel tops you hadn't coloured and they may end up black if you are not careful.

If you love colouring try this it's more fun than colouring in scribble pictures. ha ha.