Yupo Paper!

I bought some yupo paper (GR Brand, 10"x7", 116 gsm/79lb).  There are so many things you can do with this crazy paper I thought I needed to check it out.  For my artistic sanity and so I could sleep I bought it.  I go to bed thinking of it hoping I can remember all that I can do with it.  

What is yupo paper?  You can go get the technicals out there on the net. I will describe it.  It is an ultrathin polypropylene "paper" that sort of has a feel of vellum or really thick artist tracing paper.  It's flexible, semi transparent and does not largely absorb whatever you put on it (as I understand). It does absorb some pigment to a degree. If the pigment is high staining, you will see a shadow even if you wipe it off with alcohol.  It is not impervious.  You get your skin oil on it, there will be no paint going on that spot.  It repels it.  

So more on the qualities as I discover them.  I decided for my first foray into yupo magic, I would watercolor a lovely outline from  "Painting Woodland Watercolors" by Rita Gould.  A terrific watercolor instructional book I would highly recommend. 

I can attest to its amazing erasing power and ability to swipe mistakes away.  The paint does not absorb.  It sits on top.  That can be a good and a bad thing.  It is great that if you dump paint outside where you want, you can wisk it away.  Removing a mistake from your work will likely end up really ugly because you have to make it blend in to the area you didn't wisk away.  Until I can sort how to do that, I will (hence forth) wisk away the entire area and then go scream in frustration over a carafe of wine  steamy mug of tea.  

See that image above?  I wiped part of the stump away and repainted it.  You can do that!  You can do that😒

This pic below is where I started.  I used a lightbox and a mechanical pencil and made no effort to keep the sketching lite. I'm glad I didn't.  It acted like a water flow buffer and I think it looked better in the end with the pencil.  A personal preference.  Rita (the book author) has step by step of very helpful instructions for painting this mouse on a stump.  I had to abandon it after a while because yupo paper does not behave like watercolor paper, but I still enjoyed the effect AND painting on it.  There is a learning curve. 

Some learning curve things: I wore gloves (my quilting gloves - haha) while painting.  Body oil. Oh your blouse button snags the image?  Tough luck bozo, that paint is now gone.  So watch your step or your arm or hair or cat... whatever might to decide to go rogue and take a little journey across your paint. Once it's completely dry it seems willing to stay put even when you get rascally with it. UNLESS you get it wet in any way, then it is back to minding your moves around it.

You will need a drier brush than you think.  Wet on wet I think might have to be approached as more of a damp on damp.  If you get too sauce, just sop it up  and proceed. 

 The good news is that because whatever you put on the paper can be wiped away, if you are practicing or messing about with the paper and hate it or you are a frugal little thing like yours truly, you can theoretically reuse the same paper over and over.  Like an etch--sketch (look it up young peoples!)

 Will I keep this sweet mouse on a mossy stump?  Maybe.  I think the one I did on regular paper came out better, but that one is gone to my neighbor's daughter so maybe. I usually keep the firsts of all artistic ventures.

I think yupo paper is going to be popular on my little blog because it is versatile and fun.  Hopefully this blog will help me remember what experiments I have done with it.  My memory is only flawless when it comes to food and what someone drinks.  Drat it all.

Have you tried Yupo paper?  What did you do with it?  What did you think?  Tell me everything!

Sue S, if you are reading this, we are going to get together and yupoize!