Two destroyed pictures with masking fluid! Help

I have destroyed 2 emerging images, I am totally depressed. I wanted to paint 2 birch pictures again, and already had a lot of trouble with the first one: I cover the trunks with WinsorNewton Masking Fluid (9-12 trunks close to each other). Already painted the background, 2 layers. When removing the masking, the paper constantly tore, not once, not twice, but constantly, with each trunk. The picture was broken. The next picture the same problem. Once I took paper rough Hahnemühle. The other painting picture I used Hahnemühle smooth paper. It made no difference. What I look for in Masking Fluid: no heat, no hair dryer. Apply thinly. Make sure the paper is completely dry when rubbing it off. Use watercolour paper 200-300mg thick. I think I have avoided all the pitfalls. And yet, 2 paintings in the making are now ruined and I'm just crying. All I keep reading on the internet is how Hahnemühle paper is praised for how great it is. I have now used 5 different papers from Hahnemühle papers (given to me as a birthday present) and every one without exception was of poor quality. Even the masking tape (I do the trick and rub it over my trousers first so that the glue is no longer so strong) tore off the paper, destroyed it. I'm careful, by the way, and don't tear like a wild woman, - but it's clear that it's the paper that's bad. I think if I don't use masking fluid and the papers no longer tape at the edges, then I certainly wouldn't have a problem with the Hahnemühle papers. But damn it, I want to make these birch logs now! Do you have any advice on which paper will stand up to this, should I use satin or rough, are there any advantages? I'm at the end of my tether, thank you very much in advance!

Thank you Alan! I think I need to find a way without the rubbery sticky stuff! Don't want to get addicted to something like that which ruins my whole image! That was a lesson for me now. I'm already thinking of trying other techniques! As you say, it's good for small areas, but the birch trees are almost 50% of the whole picture, so .....it's just too big a risk....thanks for your assessment!

First of all, thank you very much for writing to me. I try to respond to everything, excuse me if I am missing something/someone: I have tried to investigate the paper, but unfortunately Hahnemühle does NOT specify in any way what kind of paper it is, they only write: real handmade paper (handmade paper is a term that says nothing about what material it is made of) and they write it is acid-free. Basta. That's all they write. I have meticulously examined the paper, the back, the side of the cover, there is a lot written, but ZERO information. Here is a screenshot of both papers; one is "Rough", the other is "Smooth". Excuse me, my fat black felt marker was in such a rage at that moment that he wrote something rude, you are welcome to look away :) I then tore up both papers, out of anger and sadness. Well.... The adhesive tape: I also have 2 different types there. because I couldn't believe that even something like that could damage the paper, even though I am ultra-cautious about it: One was from Scotch, a very simple "removable" tape, so on normal printer paper in the office for as long as I've been alive, it has NEVER damaged any paper, you like to use it to tape something down and remove it again without a trace! Unfortunately I didn't take a photo of it. The other one is a masking tape, for painter's work, it is not specifically for artist's use. On the cheap watercolour paper from Boesner (a Swiss artist's shop similar to Gerstaecker) it also worked without problems, only Hahnemühle paper breaks! Question: Why can't you just paint the background around it? Yes, it's kind of for 2 reasons: 1. You are free with the brush, you can splash, blot, splash. If you have a birch forest right in front of you, and every 0.5 cm a white tree trunk, 9-12 white tree trunks (I painted such a birch picture recently, I had a lot of damage, but the picture didn't break, it's in my gallery), if you see how many birches there are, then it's already much easier to mask everything first. 2. I would have to mask after every 5 mm. 2. I would have to be careful not to paint the other trunk after every 5 mm. distance, I would be in a very tense state, whether I would enjoy it then... Yes, I rub very very carefully; of course only in one direction, but after the first 2 seconds the top layer of paper already sticks and they irrevocably tear the paper, there is no rescue there! I'll try to learn another technique, then I'll really paint "around it", have to be careful, but I'll learn! I will never again! destroy my painting with masking fluid! Never again! My assessment (in layman's terms) is when I feel the paper with my fingers: it feels strangely roughened (both types, rough and smooth) it feels like a microfiber cloth, a strange feeling. Neither feels smooth! I believe, that the rubber liquid will soak so deeply into this strange microfiber paper that it will drag everything along, there is no stable, water-repellent top layer of this Hahnemühle paper. There are many other quality papers from Hahnemühle, maybe I just got really bad quality here (my niece gave it to me for my birthday, she bought it in Konstanz). Edit: Just discovered in a small german watercolor forum this: Caution: handmade papers without surface sizing do not tolerate masking medium at all - the medium can no longer be rubbed off because it seeps into the paper fibers too much. The technique works best on fine-grained or finely rough paper that has good surface sizing.

I'm in the process of reconciling myself with the paper....poor camera light; It also works without masking fluid! WIP, first wash 🎨

Dear Robert Thank you very much for your great understanding! I have decided to completely avoid this covering with tapes. I still do this for very small postcard formats, but I don't want to do it in the future. I get heart palpitations almost every time I remove a finished picture from the tapes, a stupid tear, a stupid hand movement, and bang: the picture is broken. For me it ends at this point. I would be very interested if you would also take a closer look at Hahnemühle if it ever comes to that. There are also different qualities at Hahnemühle, I don't want to demonize the whole company, God forbid. I now believe even more that it has to do with surface gluing. This has less to do with the quality and more to do with the surface treatment. One day I will go to Boesner and ask a specialist about it live on site. Thank you at this point for all of you who showed me understanding about the nuisance; Then you don't feel so alone anymore :)