I WENT TO A YUPO DEMONSTRATION THIS PAST WEEKEND, AND WOULD LIKE TO SHARE SOME TIPS I’VE LEARNED ABOUT USING THIS PAPER FROM YUPO DEMO TEACHER JOAN FRASER FROM B.C.

Yupo, is a synthetic paper made not for watercolour painting but for the printing industry. Somewhere along the line artists decided it would be fun to paint on this surface, and they were right!
Yupo is waterproof, strong, and has a ph rating which means it can be around for a long time.

You can paint on it with watercolour, colored pencils, water soluble crayon, inks or acrylics.

Depending upon your point of view, it can be either a frustrating or a liberating experience painting on yupo paper. You can put the colours down, wipe them off with tissue, sponge or wet brush, creating interesting images and textures. Or, let the colours run together on their own. If you make a mess, just wash off the whole thing.

Watercolour paints take a long time to dry and you can’t use a hair dryer unless on low setting as the paper buckles if it gets too hot. When this occurs you can’t restore it to it’s original flatness.

Supposedly all colour can be removed from the paper; but when I washed colour off under a tap withou scrubbing, some staining colour remained. This provided unexpected and exciting results. I could leave this abstract work as it is or go back and work some more . Here are more tips:

Since the paper is receptive to the oil on one’s fingertips I handle my paper with cotton gloves while preparing to paint on it.

Information from the yupo company states that it can be laminated.

You can work dark to light on yupo similar to the way you work with oils or acrylics. Add your darks first and then remove colour ro regain your lights.

Masking is possible with care. It can be hard to find the mask once the painting is finished and if your rub too hard to remove it, you may remove colour you didn’t want to.

Felt pen, watersoluble crayons and pencils are all fun to explore.

Yupo can be used as a plate for monotypes. Paint on the yupo, let it dry and then place damp paper such as Masa on top and rub hard! You can also make prints directly on Yupo.

Yupo paper is made in layers. Masking tape may remove the top layer if it is used to tape the paper to a support. A better way is to tape the paper just under the corners.

You canuse plastic wrap the same way you do on regular watercolor paper. However, it takes a long time to dry underneath especially if the paint is thick and wet. Let the paint dry slightly before pressing on the plastic.

Yupo come in several weights; from 144 lb down to a 54 lb. I’ve painted on several weights and although I didn’t find much difference inhow the surfaces reacted, for some reason I preferred the heavier weight.

Colours can muddy quickly. I suggest using a limited palette.

No one type of paint is better than an other for painting on yupo: Experiment with different brands.

When framing it’s important to use at least one mat. Treat a yupo painting as you would a pastel, especially if you don’t fix it with spray.

Caution buyers that pieces should be handled carefully if not framed and shouldn’t be allowed to come in contact with moisture.

Yupo allows total freedom to be creative. You can’t paint on it like normal watercolour paper. Let yourself go and explore. Leave a piece to dry and come back to it. You will find it has done amazing things, especially if you left it slightly tilted on a support.

It’s not necessary but yupo can be sprayed with a fixative to protect it from handling. Use a varnish that has a matte finish and one that won’t yellow with time. Lay your painting flat in a well ventilated area. Spray it lightly so as not to disturb the paint underneath.

Some artists and dealers are concerned that yupo paper will not stand the test of time. If you concerned about this too, why not use yupo for experimental purposes only, have fun, let it teach you new things to use on regular watercolour paper. It is my humble opinion that all new watercolourists should paint on YUPO first before going to other surfaces.