Have some fun just playing with yupo!
While I have several blogs on using yupo, most of them are with a fluid acrylic pour underneath (a process called "independent layering"), and not with watercolor only. This one will be dedicated to ways to use yupo with just watercolor.
(the other process can be seen on May 22 and 31 of 2018)
YUPO (I've always pronounced it yoo-po) is made of polypropylene, and is a slick white non-porous surface that can be used front or back. It picks up grease easily from fingertips, so you wash it completely with soap and water or alcohol. Otherwise you will run into areas that resist the watercolor because of fingerprints.
You can experiment with the paper until you get the hang of it. You can always wash it off with soap and water and start over again. (Try not to use a soap with "moisturizer" in it)
Advantages of yupo:
1. Colors stay bright because the paint is not absorbed into the paper, but sits on top of the paper.
2. You get a lot of fun textures and reactions when one color touches another.
3. You can easily "erase" parts you don't like with just water.
4. You can paint large backgrounds and then "carve out" your shapes with water.
Disadvantages:
1. Because paint sits on top, it takes a long time to dry.
2. You don't have a lot of control over where the paint goes.
3. You cannot "glaze" because a second layer of paint will move the first layer.
4. You shouldn't erase...it will leave a residue on the paper.
Here are a few ideas:
Experiment #1
Lightly draw a sketch with WATERCOLOR pencils. These will erase with the water, so you don't leave residue on the paper. You don't have to match the color of pencil exactly with the paint either.
Fill in the red color on the apple. Don't water down your paint too much. Here I've used a warm red, Alizarin, and a purple to paint the apple. (Or cherry) Let the paint dry. The longer it dries on its own,
the more interesting reactions you will have. You can, however, dry with a LOW blow dryer. High heat will warp the paper permanently.
Remove paint around the stem and leaf. Also lift a highlight.
Paint in the stem and leaf. When dry you can use a thin brush or watercolor pencils to make veins in the leaf. Paint in a shadow when the apple is dry.
Experiment #2
Use watercolor pencils to draw and color a small image. Use a small wet brush to dissolve the pencil.
Here is a morning glory. When using pencils DO NOT press hard. It will dent the paper and make it hard to paint over it.
Experiment #3
Wet the yupo lightly or spray lightly. Drop several colors of paint onto the paper, and
tip the paper side to side, top to bottom, to make the paint run.
You can either let it dry or try other things, like run a squeegie (or credit card edge)
through the paint to make lines or trees.
Experiment # 4
(Making a "flat wash" look)
With a large brush, spread your paint onto the paper. Use a small sponge paint roller
to spread the paint from edge to edge. This will give your paint a smoother, more even appearance.
For texture, lightly spray a few water drops. If sprayed while wet, the water drops will
spread the paint a bit like salt. If sprayed on dry paint, you pat them off with a tissue or paper towel.
Experiment #5
Use a stamp. Spread a little paint on a stamp and stamp into the paper.
Experiment # 6
Make a background and let it dry. With a damp brush, carefully remove a shape and blot it.
Paint in the shape. Dry it.
Add a few more details after the paint dries.
I made the aquarium picture by making the coral area first and drying it. (using the 3rd method)
After it was dry, I removed shapes and painted them in.
To do this bird:
Make a background of your choice. For this one, I used yellows and blues,
used a roller over the entire thing, then put on some webbing for texture.
I had some gold powder, which makes the color look a bit off.
When it was nearly dry, I used a brush to wipe out the branch.
I used a cotton ball to remove the main shape while it was still slightly damp.
Then I dried the entire thing.
I used cerulean blue for the wings and tail; light orange for the belly; ultramarine for accents.
I painted the belly first and let it dry. I then painted the head and wings and tail with blue.
Dry.
With a tiny brush I removed white lines between the flight feathers. I made tiny brush marks to indicate downy feathers. With a darker orange I used the tiny brush to make the feathers on the chest. I removed the white around the eye. I used neutral tint to paint in the thin dark lines, the legs, etc.
The branch is burnt orange and ultramarine blue painted on the bottom only. The berries are alizarin painted right over the green to dull the color.
There is a little pale gray underneath the bird, made with orange and ultramarine. The beak is a blue/gray made from ultramarine and orange with some dark accents (neutral tint)
Finally, I took a thin brush and removed paint from around the head and back of the bird to
make him stand out just a bit more.
Once you think your painting is at a "keeper" stage, you need to spray lightly with
a sealer to keep the paint from getting wiped off.
Experiment with "tools" you might find around the house to remove or add paint in interesting ways. A plastic fork or a hair pick for creating squiggles works well. Webbing can make interesting patterns. You can use salt, but I prefer the look of spritzing with water for yupo. The lids from your water bottles (or milk bottles or jars) can be set on the damp paint until it dries to create perfect circles. You can set string on top of the wet paint until it dries. You can use masking fluid, just as you do for other papers. Just be cautious about actually scratching the paper, because that leaves a permanent dent in the paper.
