Q: I used masking tape to mask out the border of my watercolor painting but it abraded the surface when I tried to remove it. What did I do wrong? Should I have used frisket?

A: Two things may have contributed to your problem with the masking tape sticking: 1) the tape was left on the paper too long; or 2) the wrong kind of tape was used. A good type of tape for this function is the blue tape found in hardware stores for protecting wall trimming and ceilings when painting a room. Frisket would work, but its application would be more involved, and because most brands of frisket is tinted so the artist can see where it’s been applied, leaving the frisket on the paper too long can stain it permanently.

Comments

You can also use a hair dryer to loosen the tape.

The same issue applies when painting room walls. The blue tape, though it costs a little more, uses a better adhesive that's not so quick to dry out as other tapes do.

Drafting tape works much better than masking tape. Since it is made to be repositioned, it has a lower tack rate than masking tape and therefore can be removed more easily. I have found that it makes a consistant bond with the paper and therefore is great for masking.