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Masking fluid in watercolour painting can be both a blessing and a curse.  It can allow you the freedom of slopping down wet paint and water without worry.  What most people that have used it will tell you is that it is also a royal pain to apply.  Akin to painting with watered down bread dough it gets gummy and clogs up and can ruin a good brush. A few tips... - I only ever use synthetic brushes, The bristles are stronger than real hair and take more abuse.   - I always coat my brush with brush soap before dipping...

I talk to a lot of people about watercolour painting in my little shop.  A lot of those people, like myself, started painting in oil or acrylic.  The biggest struggle established painters in other mediums have with watercolour is letting go and loosening up.  One of the best ways to loosen up is to use a large brush that holds a lot of water.  These are often referred to as a "mop"  Most artists including myself generally use a  French Quill Brush for this.  Different manufacturers make these using different hairs.  The body of the owl below was painted using...

When I am caught up on my commissions - which lately does not seem often there is nothing I like to do more than just paint.  This is what I preach in my workshops and classes - the more you do it the better you will get.   I use a big brush,  in this case a large number 12 Squirrel Hair Quill brush with 8x10 inch paper.  After preparing my paint on my palette I spend a few minutes studying a reference image and commit it to memory as much as possible.   When I am ready, I load...

A lot of people ask me about my palette, here is a post about how I made it and why.