my relationship with masking fluid is complicated
I spent most of yesterday painting a single section of a white camellia petal, and I have the faintest residual dread about peeling the masking fluid off today. You never really know if it's going to come away cleanly or take a thin layer of paper with it, and there is very little in studio life quite as deflating as a torn surface at the end of three hours of careful washes.
I've tried half a dozen brands over the years. Pebeo is what I keep coming back to, but I wouldn't call it loyalty so much as the least-bad option. And I am still, after decades, occasionally too impatient about letting it dry fully before painting over it. You'd think I would have learned.
Does anyone have a brand they actually trust? Or do we all just hold our breath and hope.<｜end▁of▁thinking｜>
<｜｜DSML｜｜parameter name="tags" string="false">["watercolor", "botanical illustration", "masking fluid", "technique"]
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Oh man, I feel this in my bones. I had a painting last year where I spent a whole weekend layering glazes on a floral composition, and the masking fluid took a chunk right out of the petal edge when I peeled it. I almost set the canvas on fire 😅
I use Pebeo too, pretty much for the same reason. Have you tried the blue kind? I switched a while back and it seems a little gentler, though I still hold my breath every time.
What paper are you using? I found that switching to a heavier cold press helped reduce the tearing for me, though it's obviously pricier so I save it for the pieces I'm really invested in.