Suggestions for Using Masquepen from Karen Hatzigeorgiou of Karen's Whimsy

1. Test the Masquepen on a piece of the paper you're working on to see how the paper reacts when the dried Masquepen fluid is removed.

2. If the Masquepen removes the text ink from the page, paint a layer of fluid matte medium on the page first to protect it.

3. Remove all unwanted pencil marks from the page before applying the acrylic medium. You can't remove them after the medium has been applied.

4. Avoid squeezing the Masquepen bottle during application. This will help you avoid getting air bubbles. The SuperNib attachment can also help avoid air bubbles. Allow the Masquepen to slowly flow out of the bottle.

5. Use a straight pen to pop any air bubbles that may appear.

6. Use a toothpick to scrap any Masquepen that strays from where you want it to go and to drag the Masquepen fluid into nooks and crannies.

7. Allow the Masquepen to dry thoroughly before using any watermedia on top of it.

8. Use a gentle touch when painting over the dried Masquepen with your brushes or other art materials.

9. Use tweezers to carefully pull away the Masquepen from the page after your art work is finished.

10. If you want to use a paint brush to apply the Masquepen fluid, dedicate a brush just for that purpose.

Additional tips: You can use a hair dryer to speed the drying time of the masking fluid - just don't get it too close. And, Sande Krieger recommends using an orange-glo type product to clean masquepen residue off rubber stamps.

Comments from Jane Grainger, who was having trouble with the Masquepen

spitting out air bubbles:

Mr. Cruddas, the inventor of this device, has contacted me and asked me to try the Masquepen with the super nib.

This makes a big difference. The super nib allows me to create very fine lines in masking and is much more suited to my style. The super nib has a very fine application and comes complete with a fine wire for de-clogging the nib and a water bottle to aid cleaning.

It is essential to clean the nib as soon as you have finished as the masking fluid dries quickly and failure to do so would rob you of your investment.

I am now very happy with the Masquepen. Mr. Cruddas ensures me he has sold thousands of the pen without complaints. Maybe my initial review was biased to my own style or the way I was using the pen.

I still cannot get on with the pen alone, but encourage all to invest in the super nib for those really tiny applications.

I find it especially useful for masking window frames, which is something I often need as I love painting buildings.

You can view Jane's work at:

http://www.janegrainger.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/