3 Masking Tapes For Watercolor That You Will Love!

As a Sketchbook Artist, I use a lot of Masking Tape and in this post I’m sharing my favorite 3 tapes that do not damage the paper easily. It is super satisfying to attain those clean white page borders to our sketchbook pages.

Masking tape is super useful whether you are creating watercolor art or acrylic paintings. I especially love using it to protect my Sketchbook Pages and masking tape is one of my basic Watercoloring Supplies.

Watercolor Rainbow Tutorial by smitha katti

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Every artist is different, and every sketchbook is different right? Below are the three Masking Tapes that I have reordered multiple times because they work the best for my needs.

The BEST Masking Tapes for Sketchbooks:

The ABSOLUTE best Masking Tape I have used is the Mr. Pen Masking Tape Roll. It comes as a pack of three tapes, and measures 0.6 inches wide. It is easy to tear and remove and best of all is tacky and not too sticky at all. This means that it adheres to the paper just enough to stay there till we paint and is easy removable afterwards.

I have used this tape multiple times in my Strathmore Mixed Media Sketchbook and I love how clean the page borders turned out!

the best masking tape

Now if you want to create thinner white stripes to add journaling, I like to use this Dalus Washi Tape that comes in a rainbow of colors. This tape is approximately 0.3 inches wide, and again leaves no residue on the paper. It peels of super easily!

MAsking lines using tape in your sketchbook

In my Tape Resist Painting Tutorial, I used this even thinner VIVIQUEN Washi Tape that measures just 0.12 inches wide. This tape creates the thinnest white stripes and is SO much fun to peel to reveal the beautiful crisp lines!

Washi tape resist

TIPS FOR PEELING MASKING TAPE:

Masking tape is a great tool to have in your art supply kit. I love using masking tape to create crisp white borders on my sketchbook pages. More than anything else, peeling the tape off gives great satisfaction! But using the wrong paper/tape combo can yield frustrating results. Here are a few tips to keep in mind while using Masking Tapes.

It works best on paper that does not have too much of a tooth.

masking tape for your sketchbooks
  • The masking tape you use needs to have low tack. What that means is that it should adhere to the paper enough for us to paint over it, but should be easily removable.
  • While peeling your Masking Tape off the page, kinda fold back the tape and pull it at a right angle.
  • I always get the best results when I peel off the Masking Tape before the paint dries 100% completely. Whenever I have let the paint dry overnight, I have had problems peeling the tape off. You want to really peel the tape off when the paint is almost dry and just a touch damp to the touch still. If the paint dries thoroughly, chances are the paint will cake onto the tape and a chunk of the dried paint will pop off upon peeling.
  • If you are unsure how sticky your masking tape is- here is an easy hack. Place the entire strip of masking tape you have torn onto the leg of your jeans and lift it off. This will remove some of the stickiness and help peel off easily.
  • Always peel your tape super slow. Even if you accidentally rip a portion of the paper, don’t lose your cool, continue slowly and it might not turn out as bad as you think!
  • If you find that the Masking tape is tearing the paper while you are peeling it, bring a heat gun or a hair dryer to the tape. Heat the tape a little and then gently peel. The heat will melt the adhesive a bit and will peel off easier.

masking tape for watercolor painting

Using a Masking Tape to create art in your sketchbook can give great results. I love using to create neat white page borders and also to protect the blank sketchbook pages beneath. You can also use Masking Tape to create stripes in your art or to make a shaped piece of art like a star. I also love using Masking Tape to create neat white lines to add journaling. Finding the right tape for you will require a bit of trial and error and I hope today’s post helped you a bit. Happy Painting!

Watercolor Rainbow Tutorial by smitha katti

Hi I’m Smitha! I live in Minnesota with my husband and two daughters. You’ll always find me painting florals in my sketchbook. And I love the sheer joy of making something with just my hands! But my bigger love is capturing it all on camera Read more.

Thanks for stopping by today! If you learnt something from this tutorial, do share this post with a friend or on social media! Tag me @smithakatti #smithakatti I’d love to see what you create!

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