I was making some progress on the commissioned painting. I had the image drawn on the watercolor paper and I'd masked out the subject areas and painted the background. I was pretty happy with the background as a matter of fact.
BUT...
When I removed the masking noticed that the masking fluid had left a stain. Since I've had a painting ruined by just such a stain which darkened over time, I've decided to start over.
Today I finished making a tracing of the final image and made 2 copies on tracing tissue...one of the entire image and one of just the areas that need to be masked out. I've thrown out the bottle of masking fluid (obviously it doesn't have a great shelf life) and bought a new bottle.
Tomorrow I'll start again!
5 comments:
Oh no! I've never had masking fluid stain before, thankfully. What do you think caused it? Can old masking fluid leech stains into the paper (especially the tinted variety)?
The fluid I was using was "Incredible White Mask" but it was more than a year old and had been through a few temperature changes. It wasn't tinted originally but it had changed with age.
If you have a large area of white that you are masking out, I would test the masking fluid on a scrap of similar paper before you use it on the painting.
The bottle I was using was more than a year old and had a very slight tint to it when I used it although it should have been colorless. It was my mistake really and I should have tested it first. The stain was very faint but after my previous experience where the stain became much worse over several years, I was not about to take any chances!
I would advise that you buy masking fluid in a small size and never keep it too long. If there is any hint that it is turning dark on the paper, remove it immediately.
I also think that the paper I was using it on had a softer sizing than the average watercolor paper. While I thought that I was using Arches 300 lb, it was actually a handmade sheet that I pulled out of the drawer in error. I'm sure that made the problem even worse.
I would definitely recommend erring on the side of caution, however, rather than having a beautiful painting be ruined by it after a number of years.
I've used masking fluid very successfully on a number of paintings so I wouldn't give up on it entirely.
Ah, the "Incredible White Mask" is the same type I use. It's a wonderful brand, I think, and I've never had any trouble with it. I even left it on a piece for a month (I know, something you should never do with masking fluid!), and it still came up with no problems.
This is a bit unrelated, but what brand of watercolors do you use?
I have a mix of brands, mostly Windsor Newton and Daniel Smith Extra Fine (house brand). I also have some M Graham & Co. I received as a materials award from a New Mexico Watercolor Society show.
I really don't have a favorite among the three.
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