EASY CHRISTMAS TREES ON YUPO

CHRISTMAS TREES ON YUPO - EASY

You will need: yupo paper cut into 5 x 7 or so, 2 pieces; a brayer (roller); tube paints in colors you like; a pieces of plexiglas or wax paper; tar gel, if desired

On one sheet of yupo paper start dotting some small bits of paint

straight from the tube in the shape of a tree. (or any other shape you want).

Lay the other sheet of yupo directly over your painted shape. Cover with wax paper or plexiglas to protect your surface and brayer from paint.

With a brayer, roll firmly in a top to bottom motion. (This creates those

tree-like swirls) Gently pull apart your yupo pieces. You should now

have two prints.

If the paint is too thick, blot it with a paper towel. If it is too dry, mist it lightly.

If you don't like your results, wash it off and start over again.

To finish the tree:

When it is completely dry, use a small damp brush to shape it. From outside of the tree,

gently brush inward to create the branches, then blot with paper towel or tissue. To remove larger

areas of paint, use a larger brush. IF THE BRUSH IS TOO WET IT WILL MOVE THE PAINT TOO MUCH. You just want it damp.

You can remove small round areas in the tree with a damp round brush and blot to make

colored ornaments or lights.

If you want extra pizzazz, drizzle some clear tar gel over the picture in swirlls and let that dry overnight. Finish off your tree by spraying with acrylic sealer. If you do not, any amount of

water on the finished project will ruin it. 

FINISHING THE PUPPY

TO PAINT THE EYES:



Make sure you have drawn the eyes the same size and the iris is very round. Paint the entire iris with quin gold and dry. Dampen the eye area, and, starting at the top of the eye, paint with burnt orange and gradually add some french ultramarine blue to make it more brown. (Painting from the top down allows some of the quin gold to show at the bottom and makes the eye rounder as it moves from dark to light) When the eye is dry, darken the pupil. Pick out a small hilight with the point of a razor.

THE NOSE:

The nose is sort of a plum color made from cobalt violet and some quin burnt orange (or burnt sienna). The nostrils are darker at the tops, and there is a little highlight on the tip. It is darker on the right side and on the bottom.

BACKGROUND:



I wanted the fur to have a golden-red hue, and the background to bring it out. But a pretty blue, the complement of orange, would be competing. So I used cerulean mixed with German Greenish Raw Umber (raw umber with dull green) to make a more subdued and granulated background. I have some work to do yet, but I'm happy with the overall effect.

FINISHING:



I needed to continue to paint in some of the curls in the fur. When I got it the way I wanted, I began lifting hilights. Starting with the ears I lifted some of the areas to soften. Soften the areas that may have hard edges from the miskit.

Use a razor blade to get back some of the fine hairs that may have been lost in the fur. Also pick out hilight in the eyes if that has been lost and the whiskers if you want them to show.