Playtime in the Studio

I have been playing with watercolors the last couple of days, and today I decided to try my hand with Yupo paper.  It is definitely a challenge--especially since I haven't painted with watercolors in a long time.  And Yupo paper is not even paper--it's plastic. Not one tree died to make Yupo!  But, this means that the watercolors actually sit on top of the paper, rather than being absorbed into it.  You can get some great effects though, by rolling your paper around and letting the colors drip and slide into each other.  And fixing mistakes is a lot easier, because you can just wipe the area with a tissue or Q-tip, and paint over it without losing the tooth of the paper. 

It will be interesting to see how this holds up.  The photo above shows my very first painting on Yupo.  Since the paper lends itself to loose painting, I decided to just go with that and not worry so much about getting tight and detailed.  The expression on the dog's face, I think, fits perfectly with the looseness of the whole piece.  I may go back in later and darken up the background some. And I need to decide whether or not to use a fixative once the paint is dried.  I'm not sure how well Yupo holds up over time, especially under glass.  Since the paint doesn't really sink into the paper, I imagine exposure to moisture would cause problems.  Still, I'm having fun and plan to continue playing with it.
I've also been painting some ATC's--again, just for fun. It's a good way for me to get back to watercolors without getting frustrated -- I don't feel guilty tossing out a teeny piece of paper!  To the left and right are a couple I've completed.  I'm all about having fun this week!



I am still working on a couple of commissions, but sometimes you just have to take a break.  Thus the watercolors....
Don't forget May is National Pet Month. I'm still offering a 10% discount on any commissioned pet portrait, so be sure to contact me if you're interested.