Today I have discovered something new about this masa paper. I started the same way, with a sketch in india ink, followed by painting the ship and sails in watercolor. I next brushed hot wax on only these painted parts plus some highlights in the water. Adding the remaining color to the sky and water, I brushed hot wax over the whole piece. After carefully crumpling the painting into a ball, and brushing off any wax that crack off, I found the wax cracked and popped off better. This masa paper has been resistant to the flow of paint until now, as if the wax was just not coming off well enough in the cracks. The difference? With our "arctic blast" moving in, it is colder in the house than before. Thus, the wax reacts so much better! The watercolor flowed into the cracks more efficiently and spread in a webbing type of motion with little effort. I have had to work to get this effect before now. Even at my parent's house in Ohio, I noticed how poorly the wax was behaving - in one instance, it hardly worked at all! Well, they keep their house considerably warmer than mine ever is. So, on those days when the temperature is up, I will try popping my painting into the fridge or freezer, to help that wax do it's work. So rewarding to learn something valuable while painting! Painting number 682 in 682 days.
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