Hi there, watercolor artists.
I am painting a magpie and I used blue masking fluid for the first time (for the chest and belly and a highlight in the eye).
I’m not done with the painting yet, but decided it was time to remove the masking fluid.
That is when I realized I made a rookie mistake: I had used a hairdryer on one of the layers of paint.
Now there is light blue residue all over the white, and I have no clue on how to remove it.
Looks like it soaked into the paper (Arches, 100% cotton).
Is there a way to remove it, without damaging the paper?
Or do I just live with it?
Bea
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Do you think white watercolor will cover the blue?
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I don’t think so, because it is still masking ‘fluid’ (latex) and will repel the paint.
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Oh, I thought you meant just the color remained. You might want to test on a scrap , but sometimes reapplying the fluid over might help. I did this when I forgot that I had used it and let it dry for days. Reapplying it seemed to reactivate it and it was a lot easier to remove. I am still at the learning stage with this as well, but I don’t do a lot of detail work so I hope someone else can help you.
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I use an eraser similar to this to remove my masking fluid
Can you post a picture of what you’re seeing?
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(It’s time for my afternoon rest of 3.5 hours. So I won’t react until later. Thanks!)
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Which brand of masking fluid is it?
I used Daniel Smith’s masking fluid before reading that it leaves behind a permanent caramel color. 
Now I use it when I want that particular color but otherwise am super irritated with that fact.
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Ah I think I see what you’re referring to in the body of the bird. You could try Linda’s suggestion to put a bit more on top and see if that’s enough to make it removable but unfortunately you might have to try to incorporate it into your painting or start over.
I tend to find masking fluid more trouble than it’s worth and only use it when I absolutely have to and usually for very small sections. Sorry you’re running into issues. You might want to look into frisket (masking) film for larger sections. I haven’t used it but I think it’s intended for larger sections although I’m not sure if it can withstand heat.
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I use a putty kind of eraser as I tend to be impatient and damage the paper! I just roll it around. I still have to be careful because who knew you can roll too hard and still damage the paper! Yeah, I have not had a lot of success in using it. I have tried several brands: I bet they are dried up now from lack of use!
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Oh no..glad to know. I saw a video of a watercolor artist who just leaves it on, but I always wonder if someday it will fall or chip off and change the look…
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Thanks for your advice, @AIMR, @photojenn and @MamaRhi !
I’ve tried a couple of things, but I don’t think I’m able to remove it without damaging the paper (it seems like the top layer of the paper really absorbed the latex).
So, I’ll just live with it.
Another lesson learned.
I thought I had been smart buying the blue masking fluid, so I could see where I put it.
I now wish it was white, lol.
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I hated the white winsor and newton masking fluid, paebo’s blue isn’t go-to when I need it. I’ve never had it leave any color behind (but I don’t leave it on for more than a couple days and haven’t used a heat tool with it).
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I’m pretty sure it was the heat tool that caused the problem.
I knew I was not supposed to use that when the masking fluid was on, but I forgot that for a moment.
I might do some more testing with that masking fluid on a spare piece of paper, to be absolutely sure it was the heat tool and not a problem that would have occurred anyway.
The brand I used is Schmincke.
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The green background is so lovely. Maybe you could save those to be used in another project. I love the mottled effect.
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By the way…, this was my first time using salt (in the background) too.
You might have noticed that I didn’t get the effect people usually go for, lol.
But I’ve decided this effect will do for now.
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Typed at the same time.
I will finish this painting anyway. After all, this is how I learn.
I might give the same subject another go at another time.
Hopefully I don’t mess up the cocky bird any further, because so far I’m rather proud of him.
(You can’t see the entire painting in this picture. Its orientation is landscape.)
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I saw a video recently showing how different types of salt react to watercolor paint. It was really interesting and sort of explained some of the times I didn’t get the result I was hoping for.
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I used plain sea salt.
I know I used too much of it. Way too much.
And I think the next time I will wait a little longer to sprinkle it on. Let the paper half dry first.
This is another technique that I want to test on spare paper.
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The blue appears pretty faint in your picture. Two options: you can use a fine grade sand paper to very lightly remove the blue. You have to be careful with this though because you can cause weird rough patches if you aren’t super gentle. Second option: make the blue mottling work for you. It’s in the same color family as the dark blue on the wing next to it. Do some light washes and detail with a watered down color that’s similar to add dimension and I bet no one will ever know it wasn’t intentional.
The painting is looking great!
Regarding masking fluid in general: I’ve used it several times without issue, but like Photojenn I never leave it on more than a day or two. I have very lightly used a heat tool with it, but I wasn’t blasting that area. I only use it for small areas and I tend to use white ink or white gouache more when I want highlights. Frisket is a great idea if you’re doing large sections.
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