masking with an image in iOS

I'd like to take an image and use it as a mask for a view on which I add numerous image views. I know of the quartz CGContextClipToMask() call but what would be the best way to approach this? Can I override the drawRect method of a container view, call CGContextClipToMask() within it, and then expect its subviews to adhere to tha开发者_C百科t clipping region? It doesn't seem to work.

Do I need to instead add some blocking mask image over top?

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Instead of subclassing or overriding drawing functions, I chose to overlay the images with an image that had transparency in the viewable portion. i.e., if my 'surface' was an image of a parchment, and I aimed to draw a bunch of images on it. I would have the parchment image, then a container UIView for any images to be put on that parchment, then a masking image over top of that which was the original parchment image but with the parchment itself converted instead to full transparency, while the surrounding area is left exactly as the background the parchment is on (then all other UI widgets over top of that).

This seems a viable solution in all cases except if one were to need some image to visually animate around and behind the parchment (not my case).