Thursday, Dec. 19, 2019:
Demo by Jim Turner – Watercolor on Yupo
Jim Turner uses liquid watercolors on YUPO although he likes to add a favorite color, Andrews turquoise, which comes in tubes. He prefers liquid watercolors rather than alcohol inks. Both give the intense colors, but watercolors can be lifted.
He begins by dropping some paint, spreading it out and letting it blend, run and “play.” Then he adds dark colors creating an abstract pattern.
He also likes to use stamps, stencils and bubble wrap to add texture, either wet into wet or dry. He may use a heat sensitive sponge to make stamps as it retains its shape. Or he may use a squeegee to lift paint or Magic Eraser to go back to white. Spraying water into the liquid watercolor keeps the paper wet for up to an hour.
Turner uses 80 pound YUPO in 20×26 sheets purchased in packs of 10 which comes to about $3.10/sheet. YUPO stays perfectly flat, so blending of colors will not have any wavy areas. A glaze can only be applied if the paint is completely dry and can only be done once.
Turner’s specialty is to make an objective painting out of a nonobjective design. He uses stencils cut from Tyvek. The subjects are cut out and placed in an overlapping pattern on the page. The Tyvek stencils will not tear and can be reused over and over. They can be attached using masking tape.
Once placed on the YUPO, he uses a roller to apply gesso over the stencils and painting. The gesso will pick up some of the color but will produce a muted background for the main subject once the stencils are removed. Then, some stencils may be removed and a second layer of gesso applied to add depth before removing the final stencils.
Once all the stencils are removed he adds some finishing touches, scraping out some areas after spraying with water. He may use crayon over the gesso or black gesso in some areas. Once the painting is complete, he uses archival spray varnish. The panting can be matted and framed without glass.
NOTE: Jim sent this after he had finished the demo painting back in his studio: