Yupo

Yupo is an exciting surface to paint on for any subject giving good brilliance and vibrant colors.

The paint seems to float on top of the surface which it should well do because it is not a typical sheet of paper, it's a sheet of plastic.

The paint sitting on the glossy surface allow the artist to remove, adjust, with one swipe of a damp paper towel and the brush strokes are gone, one brush stroke and it can be back again.

It is available in sheets of bright white or translucent. I have found the pigment applied to the bright white retains their true clarity and brilliance. On the other hand, a translucent sheet allows for special layered effects.

I have seen paintings started many time over and wiped off, this has a downside in that it is difficult to build up washes without disturbing the underlying layer.

Before you start painting on any sheet, remove any finger prints, dirt or any other matter with soap and water before painting.

So let's now take out a sheet and begin to paint.

Tape around all the edges of the sheet of Yupo to a flat surface.

Moisten the surface with water. Don't let it dry. We are going to use just three colors, Red, Yellow & Blue. Using Dr.Martins Hydrus Fine Art Watercolors. They come in bottles with droppers attached. Now drop four to six drops of Red paint. Now drop four to six drops of Yellow paint and maybe drop in two drops of Blue onto the wet surface in very random fashion.

Try not to drop one color over the other, create a variety on the paper rather than in one area. Leave areas of white showing. In this case try to avoid tipping the board back and forth.

Now for the fun

You have three colors on wet paper, now place one or more sheets of Saran Wrap, just large enough to cover the surface. The object here is not to have the wrap tight, the more wrinkles and bubbles the better it's going to look. I personally like to wrinkle up the sheets in my hand placing about three sheets of wrap on each painting. You can play around with this to see what suits you best. This will give you all kinds of texture.

Don't move the painting board around. It may take several days to dry. This is how you test it for dryness, pull a small corner up, if you see the paint move under the wrap, put it back and try another day.

Even if it's dry, it can be wiped off so be careful. You can apply a clear spray to the surface. Read the instructions on the can. I normally apply two or three coats letting each coat dry. Do not spray indoors.

Other play ideas:

Try different colors, different number of drips, try manipulating the board, tipping etc. Then try removing the wrap when half wet, if there is such a thing. Try adding salt, try dropping in alcohol, try placing another piece of Yupo over it instead of the Saran Wrap. Wait a few day for drying to take place. Test the corners to evaluate it every once in a while. If you see the paint move - WAIT.

But if the paint is not completely dry, pealing the top sheet, whether it be Saran Wrap or another sheet of Yupo, could produce some very interesting textures. Try pulling the sheets off diagonally once in a while for a change.
Air bubbles are great if you can form them between the painting and the top sheet.

Dr. PH.Martins Hydrus Fine Art Watercolors sent me this winning entry in one of their contests, did not mention the artists name, whoever it was did a wonderful job. What will it cost to do this fun idea. Incidently it does not have to be abstract work, you can paint any subject matter.

A sheet 9"x12" costs around $0.75, a 26" x 20" costs $1.89. You can buy Blick's liquid Watercolors for about $3.00 per bottle. Dr. Ph Martins watercolors, a set of 12, costs around $37.68.  This all can be found by clicking on the logo below.

Nobody knows the life expectancy of Yupo and some of the paint. I have not seen any change in my early paintings. But be aware, who knows what will happen 100 years from now.

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