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Keeping Your Whites, White
In graphite drawing, white and lighter shades are achieved by withholding graphite from certain areas and letting the white paper show through. One way to keep areas truly white is by masking them with a frisket. Friskets come in two forms, liquid and film. Each serves the same purpose, but which you use depends on the shape and size of the area you are protecting. Since its purpose is to protect, it allows you to do your shading without tinting the lighter portions of your drawing.
Liquid Frisket usually is made of some mixture of natural latex. This is commonly used for water color painting, but are very useful for protecting areas that you need to keep white in your graphite art. It works especially well for small areas, like highlights in the eyes. Always make sure the liquid Frisket is for use on paper, easily removable, and non-staining. Friskets are usually applied with a tool called a "Nib", which is a pencil shaped stick with either a pointed or angled end. The "Nib" is dipped in water, and then into the Frisket, which thins it slightly before application on your paper. You will need to allow the mask to dry completely before trying to work on you drawing, or remove it. This may take 30 minutes to an hour. If it is not completely dry when you try to remove it, you may damage the surface of your paper. Once Liquid Frisket dries however, most remove easily by being rubbed with your finger or an eraser.
Another method of masking is Frisket Film, which is commonly used for air brushing. Frisket Film is sold in sheets that have a slightly adhesive back. They can be cut in any shape or size and applied to the areas you want to protect. This makes it best for masking large areas. Most Frisket films peel easily from paper when you are done. There are also several types of Artists Tapes which can serve the same purpose, but be sure you get the kind that will remove easily from paper. In conclusion, Liquid Frisket, Frisket Film, or Artists Tape are useful tools to mask and protect areas in your drawing that you want to keep white.
After masking, it is time to start laying pigment. Usually it is easier to begin with the darkest areas of your drawing. But how do you get those dark shades of black? This will be covered in the next article.