Purple Echinacea Cone Flowers Watercolor Painting Demonstration on 11x14 Yupo Paper

How many times I have looked at the swirls of color mixed in my watercolor palette and sighed, "I wish I could paint on my palette!"

Unlike paper, the palette's ceramic surface does not absorb paint, so the colors run freely and remain brilliant.

Well! No more wishing. I finally tried Yupo...


Yupo is an ultra smooth synthetic paper that does not absorb paint or water. It is environmentally friendly and acid-free (important). The colors flow together in unexpectedly beautiful ways and remain brilliant, like painting on my palette (also important). I'm hooked.

To begin this cone flower painting, I use pale pink paint to make a faint outline of my subject with my brush (see above). Then I apply the first washes partly diluted with water and let them mingle as they will. Click images for a larger view


When this is dry (it takes some time since the wet paint sits on the surface), I paint lightly over the first wash with thicker paint for details. It takes a delicate touch to keep this second layer from removing the first wash, but it can be done!


Paint can easily be removed back to the original white of the paper with just a few strokes of the brush. I did that below to get the white spots on the butterfly. How awesome is that?


To keep the painting protected and the paint in place, I spray it with clear fixative as a final step. The paper is impervious to moisture and remains perfectly flat with no buckling no matter how wet it becomes which is another nice thing about Yupo!

Below is the finished 11x14 inch version, one of my first Yupo paintings.

Purple Cone Flowers Original Watercolor Painting 11x14
This painting is sold.




I'm happy to take custom orders. Contact me for a custom painting of your pet, home, garden, grandkids, favorite vacation spot or whatever your heart desires.
To receive my posts by email, fill in your email address under FOLLOW BY EMAIL in the right hand column and click Submit. You'll receive my posts in your email inbox at the end of each day that a post is made.

No comments: