The most tedious and arguably boring part of the process. Applying the liquid mask. Its only workable for a short time and it smells but its so satisfying to peel it off when its time.
Liquid mask is waterproof so when you paint on top of it, everything stays white and untouched underneath. If you apply it to an area that's already painted there's a solid chance when you remove the mask it will lift some of the pigment along with it.
It dries rather quickly, but I still leave it sit for about an hour or so before I paint.
I use silicon tipped brushes, which are pretty cheap on Amazon. If you use regular brushes you'll most likely ruin them before long. I use an 18 gauge blunt tipped needle to help me apply the mask to the smaller areas and then the brushes to fill in the smaller details. The needle isn't a necessity but it makes it much easier to apply.
When tis time, I'll use a mask eraser to start lifting it up around the edges. You can use a rubber eraser too but it will erase some of the pencil lines underneath as you go. Some brushes have a slanted, rounded off end that is also suited to take the mask off too.
Started blocking in some colors, a light wash of yellow ochre all over will give everything a slightly warmer tone overall and since most of this will end up being brown and deep reds I think this is a good starting point.
I've been doing a daily sketch / paint for just about 5 years now and I've only swapped out my pens once. I think I might treat myself for this one and crack open some new Micron pens.