YUPO REVIEW

YUPO PAPER - Synthetic/plastic paper/ you can't tear it  - My Notes only

If you are wondering about trying this new paper, you may be prepared to wade through these notes that I made for myself.

Yupo is great fun to use and experiment with.  I love it.  You get textures you would never be able to do any other way.  So each painting is unique.  Here are some things I have learnt over the past few days, either from my own experimentation or looking on the internet. 

I hope you like my latest proper painting on Yupo.  I feel it's a big improvement on my first, (previous post) and it took no time at all.  I found you need to paint thicker than normal (well I did for watercolour).

Finished painting Silver Birch trees and water movement  taken out with damp tissue

Watercolour before taking out trees

You can't build up glazes or paint over your work as anything damp will affect paint already on the paper. You may find good effects by doing this though?

Good for practicing composition etc as you don't waste your usual paper. Wipe off when finished. If you do get grease on paper eg fingerprints or over use the paper, clean with soapy water.

Staining colours still stain eg. Alizarin, Winsor Violet also pen and ink drawing will leave an indentation on the paper.

Apparently you can spray with fixitive at least 15" away or you will disturb the paint or you can use a hair dryer but it will move the paint around. Haven't tried either of these.

Would be great fun or economical for children as you can paint and wipe over and over again.

For detail use less water but take care as any contact may still affect paint already on paper.

Store in clear sleeves to save painting from damage when you have done a masterpiece!!!

My experiment to remove when paint dry/damp to bring back white of paper, or alter composition etc.,  I used water on a tissue, a damp or wet brush.  A rubber didn't work:-

Watercolour wiped off easily

Acrylic ink impossible

Acrylic tubes easily

Water soluble oils easily

Drying time:-

Acrylic ink pooled and was very slow.  Tacky for ages and dried very hard. May be an advantage.

Watercolour took well over an hour

Water Soluble oils took forever (but oil does) well over 24 hrs

Acrylic tubes dried the fastest.

Mixing the colour on the yupo:-

Watercolour flowed and mixed well but left a trail of brush marks, this gave the texture.

Acrylic inks didn't flow freely with each other

Oil  the most difficult as brush strokes were very pronounced, hardly covering the paper even when thick.

I wouldn't use oils or acrylic inks. That is just my personal opinion.

Apart from the Red Ink I managed to wash off easily the other colours.

You can buy the paper from SAA(in the UK) or Amazon

Go to Google Images 'yupo paintings' some artists have created some wonderful paintings. Worth a look.

It really is like being a child with a new toy.  It will take a while to sort of control the paint on this paper, if ever, but if you like it then it would be another string to your bow.

Happy Yupo Painting!