Masks are square windows in paper used to surround the area you’re drawing on both the reference photo and the drawing. Drawing masks help you learn the essential skills of placement, scaling, and getting values just right.
1. Make a square hole (1″ to 2″ sq.) in a sheet of white paper or an index card. This size mask works well on a 3×5″ or 4×5″ photo.
2. If you want to draw at twice the size of the reference photo, make the second square twice as large as the first. Of course, you can use any reference to drawing ratio.
Be sure to keep both windows perfectly square. I cut them out with an Exacto knife for neat corners.
3. Use paper clips or low tack tape to hold the masks on your photo and drawing paper.
I use magnetic white boards as drawing boards and use magnets to hold my reference photos and masks in place.
Surrounding both areas with white gives you a reference point for seeing and drawing value. The windows break down placement of details into small bites, and scaling happens naturally.
A Caveat
Masks work wonderfully to keep a drawing absolutely correct, but most of the time it’s only necessary to use them for the focus point or most detailed part of the drawing. Using them over the entire drawing can be hazardous to your art health, because art isn’t so much about getting things precisely correct as it is about expressing the scene according to your perception. So masks are just another tool in your drawing toolbox.
I’ve Evolved Past My Use Of Masks
I used masks when I began drawing, and they helped me learn to see things realistically. I don’t use them now because I draw from a reference photo on my iPad.
Keep those pencils moving everyone!
Carol
