I have recently ripped two sheets of watercolour paper by removing masking fluid , the paper was bockingford 425gm extra rough and SAA practice paper extra rough ,

Is this because i was too careful removing it , i used an eraser and my finger but i did this very slowly , or was the fluid too thin and seeped into the thread of the paper .

I usualy shake the bottle , although it does not tell you to do this , it is not the cost that is the problem but the time , and not knowing why .

Can anyone help

regards

peterdbryn

Hello Peterdbryn!

This may sound very obvious, but was (a) the watercolour paper dry when you applied the Masking Fluid, or (b) was the painted Watercolour paper damp, or not quite dry when you rubbed off the masking Fluid?
I apologise for stating the obvious, but it is worth stating for anyone else reading this reply.
generally, I would shake the bottle of Masking Fluid prior to using it, as its slightly thixotropic, and so by shaking it, the flow is improved.
I've rubbed the surface of watercolour paper before today because I've been impatient to get to the next stage, but these days I wait until the surface is totally dried, also to the extent of ensuring that the paper is not kept in a damp, cold place when its drying.

If there is something different from the above, then come back to me and we'll try to get to the bottom of the problem.

Very best wishes,

Steve Williams
RSC Wigan / Warrington area

Hello Peterdbryn

Just a couple of thoughts, leaving masking fluid on your painting for more than a few days will make it very difficult or even impossible to remove - could this be the problem?

A couple of years ago a student of mine was sold 'permanent' masking fluid and didn't discover this until he used it in a lesson - it had us fooled for a while until we checked the bottle!

Hope this helps

Gordon Brady