I was told I could use rubber cement in place of liquid masking film (Frisket) for masking off areas in my watercolors. Is it gentle enough that it won't rip the watercolor paper when removed?
I don't know for sure. It's pretty harsh stuff. And most papers don't stand up well to having adhesives removed from them. As another possibility, 3M have a range of masking tapes for interior decoration (painting) that might suit you better. Imagine the sticky stuff from post it notes, but a little stickier, and in tape form. Just as easy to remove, though. And they claim their tapes don't leave marks or residue. I've seen them at hardware stores, but art suppliers might stock them too. Good luck finding something.
The solvents in plain old rubber cement will eventually damage watercolour paper, even if it's only on for a short while. As well, many watercolour pigments react badly with foreign chemicals. Latex liquid Frisket isn't that expensive... it is worth the extra $ if you want your art to last. If you're doing large areas and are worried about cost for that reason, use artists masking tape to secure a sheet of saran wrap or butcher paper to your paper to mask large areas.
No. That is, yes, you can use it, and it may not rip top quality papers. But rubber cement is a very bad choice if you want your art to last. It is harmful to cheaper papers and to all work over time. That's why Frisket, and other fine art masking fluids were developed. So if you care about the long-term preservation of your art, do not use rubber cement. For student quality work, or something you plan to toss once you're finished, fine.
yes you can use it as a frisket, it might turn the paper color after many years because of the chemicals and alcohol in it. make sure to get a descent thickness to make it easier to remove. it is difficult to get a smooth edge line with it. there are rubber cement erasers that will help remove the paste but a ball of used cement works just as well
