Pumpkins and Tree Trunk on Yupo

Pumpkins and Tree Trunk on Yupo
Originally uploaded by BYarborough

It's that time of year again! I love Autumn -- the season of harvest. I love the color changes and the cooler (but not cold) temps. I haven't posted in a long time. . . just not been able to paint anything post worthy. It's been a long slump, but I feel like I'm coming out of it. There's several things about this little scene I'd do differently, but at least I felt some creative juices flowing while I worked on it. And I do so LOVE Yupo and all the little surprises that just "happen

Wordle
Originally uploaded by BYarborough

This was fun! I popped in on some blogs I haven't visited in a while and read on Felicity's blog about "wordle." You type in the url of your blog and Wordle takes the most used words from the recent posts (I don't know what their actual definition of "recent" is) and then they put the words together. You can't save the finished product, but you can print it, scan it and then post it as I've done here. If you look back on my recent posts, you'll see how they've come up with my custom wordle!
I've been in the midst of an artistic slump. I've been painting, but nothing is working, nothing is postworthy!! I've gone back to the basics. . . thumbnails sketches, preliminary sketch/wash, and still I'm failing. I've tried looking at art blogs, looking through some of my art books, using different mediums and still. . . nada! I absolutely adore Yupo and am so frustrated that I don't seem to be able to paint on it anymore. I did this wordle and somehow it's inspired me to keep on keeping on, I've got to just hope that this slump will not only end, but that I'll grow in my skill through this process.

Joshua Tree on Yupo

Joshua Tree on Yupo
Originally uploaded by BYarborough

American Journey Paints on 9 x 12 Yupo. Love my new AJ paints, very creamy. I have a limited palette, so did a whole lot of mixing for this. The scan didn't turn out too well, the sky is Arctic Blue (which is Cerulean). I'm really not fond of Joshua Trees, but a friend of mine wants me to paint one for her and I'm practicing!!

Fruit WS Pastels

Fruit WS Pastels
Originally uploaded by BYarborough

Change of pace! This is just a little exercise I did for the Watermedia Forum on WetCanvas. It's in my Raffine Sketchbook and done with Stabilo Carbothello watersoluble pastel pencils. I wanted to see how these pencils would work if I blended and burnished with a tortillon before I applied water. Worked great! The basket is wonky (as it was in the ref photo) and the red apple looks like it's ready to topple out (NOT as in the ref photo) ha ha. A fun change, but I've gotta get back to my Yupo - LOL!!

Beach Hammock 2 - on Yupo

Beach Hammock 2 - on Yupo
Originally uploaded by BYarborough

If you look closely, you can see the leaves from the acrylic painting on the backside of this sheet of translucent Yupo. This wasn't as different and interesting as I thought it'd be. Possibly a different scene with maybe just distant background painted on the backside with acrylics and no watercolor on top of it on the frontside. I'll try again. Also, the translucent Yupo is 104 lb and yet it is flimsier than the 74 lb regular Yupo--doesn't make sense to me.

Beach Hammock 1

Beach Hammock 1
Originally uploaded by BYarborough

This is the first step for my first Translucent Yupo piece. I painted these trees on one side of the Yupo with fluid acrylics. Then I let it dry and turned the sheet over and proceeded with the watercolor.

Beach on Yupo

Beach on Yupo
Originally uploaded by BYarborough

DS paints on 9 x 12 Yupo. I found this ref photo on WetCanvas and thought it was a simple scene to try the lighter approach on. I ended up using George James' paint roller technique , but did stick with Kevin Davidson's lighter layers technique. I still can't quite get the smooth coverage Davidson gets! I'm not ready to give up, will try, try again! I'm pretty sure he must use a thicker water/paint mix -- maybe the consistency of cream. I'll try that on the next go around.

Blooming Desert on Yupo
Originally uploaded by BYarborough

DS Paints on Yupo 9 x 12. I saw some of Kevin Davidson's work on Friday at the Laguna Beach Art-A-Fair and absolutely LOVED what he is doing on this support! I started this piece out trying to emulate his lovely handling of watercolor on Yupo and failed. I reverted back to mixing a little bit of George James' and Taylor Ikin's techniques. I'm not giving up -- but absolutely couldn't get his clean strokes and oh-so-light layering on this piece. I think I need to use a very simple composition --which believe it or not, I thought I was doing with this desert scene. . . but it grew and grew and grew. LOL! The photo ref just had some sage and distant junipers. . . I decided it was going to BLOOM.

Desert on Yupo

Desert on Yupo
Originally uploaded by BYarborough

DS paints on Yupo and this time I tried something new! I used YES! paste and tissue paper on the Yupo to get a "collage" type texture for the foremost bush and also the one in the back left. I let this dry and then proceeded with applying the layers of paint. I used the George James technique of smoothing with a sponge roller not just on the first layer, but also on subsequent layers and especially for the ground. I thought it really gave me a good "dirt and sand" look. I used Taylor Ikin's technique for the sky and also for the large bush on the right and back. I tried something new with the prickly pear cactus and just did regular brush stroke painting, very carefully so as not to disturb the underlayers, and then I speckled it with a stippling method. This works only if you make ONE stroke. In the George James DVD, he tells that it is not the water or the paint that causes the underlayers to lift, it is friction on top of the new wet layer which can be caused in several ways, one of which is the brush. All in all, this was a fun project and I just keep striving for more Yupo knowledge!!

Waterwheel on Yupo

Waterwheel on Yupo
Originally uploaded by BYarborough

DS paints. Photo ref from WetCanvas. I continue to experiment with painting on Yupo. I tried one of George James techniques on this one, I'm still trying to figure out how I want to meld some of Taylor Ikin's and George James' techniques into my own style. The technique from James that I used is spraying with a mist of water, laying a tissue over the area and then rolling over the tissue with a small sponge house painting roller. This removes the pigment and creates a white splatter effect. It's all just part of the journey!

Abstract Cactus on Yupo

Abstract Cactus on Yupo
Originally uploaded by BYarborough

I just wanted to have fun with Yupo -- I know absolutely NOTHING about abstract painting, but I'm going to call it that. LOL! I sectioned off nine uneven squares and painted them with the same colors and really just let the paint do what it does best on Yupo -- whatever it wants! After all the squares dried, I did some cactus plants. . . it's DIFFERENT, that's for sure!! And I did have fun watching it flow and form interesting shapes.

Fountain Revised - on Yupo

Fountain Revised - on Yupo
Originally uploaded by BYarborough

The more I looked at the first fountain, the more I disliked it. So I decided to wipe off all the foreground and much of the middle ground and redo it. After all, wiping off COMPLETELY is one of the advantages of Yupo! I wanted to save the fountain, so was very careful about wiping around it with water-wet brushes and Qtips.

Fountain on Yupo

Fountain on Yupo
Originally uploaded by BYarborough

DS paints on Yupo. I've worked and worked this one and feel I just have to quit because I'm getting too fussy. I laid out the first layer and then wiped out the area for the fountain. Because I thought the fountain was going to be the most difficult, I painted it first and was quite happy with the patina I got using the UM Turqouise mixed with a tad of Manganese Blue Hue and then touches of Quin Gold -- really shooting for the look of copper that has verdi patina from age. After it dried, I dripped some water on with an eye dropper and then blotted with a tissue. Then I wiped up and defined my "drips" using a very small scrub brush. I used very diluted Indianthrone Blue on the "drips" and the water in the fountain. Next I tackled the trees and the fg grasses. The tree branches were laid in on the very first layer and the one on the left dried just perfectly! I didn't do anything more to it and the way the paint dried determined where my sunlight was going to be coming from. I struggled with shadows and shade -- this seems to ALWAYS be my struggle!!

Canadian Lake on Yupo

Canadian Lake on Yupo
Originally uploaded by BYarborough

I used several new DS paints on this. Their newest triad, Sand and Surf, provided the Indianthrone Blue that is the distant mountains, the Ultramarine Turquoise which is used on the lake and Goethite, which is the brown areas in the foreground. I also had bought Shadow Violet, which I used with the Indianthrone on the mountains and for the tree shadows. The lake also has a bit of manganese blue hue and ultramarine. The foreground has buff titanium (the lighter areas). The photo ref for this is from WetCanvas and is, in fact, a July challenge.
I really had a difficult time with the sky on this! I wiped it completely off and tried again. I'm still not thrilled with it. . . I think I REALLY need lessons on clouds!! And then I found myself getting too fussy with the trees and made myself STOP.

Stone Bridge on Yupo

Stone Bridge on Yupo
Originally uploaded by BYarborough

This is the same photo ref I used a couple of months ago for a "traditional" watercolor. I just had to give it a go with the Yupo and DS paints. I'm trying to combine some techniques. . . and here are my goals. I want to create texture with both the natural flow of watercolor on Yupo as well as some stippling and other brush strokes. I want the vegetation to be "fluffy" and the water to be "flowing." I'm having so much fun trying to "go with the flow on Yupo" and also reining it in with brushstrokes and more pigment in certain places. It sure has been a fun challenge thus far and I'm constantly thinking of things I want to try "next time!"

Country Shack on Yupo

Country Shack on Yupo
Originally uploaded by BYarborough

This photo ref was one I used recently for a painting on regular watercolor paper. I'm trying to get some detail on the layered Yupo and find that if the layers are thoroughly dry AND if there is the correct ratio of water to pigment (it's about the consistency of thick cream) then fine lines can be laid down without lifting the under layers. The roof on this was too thick and I couldn't get it to develop into interesting texture by spraying it with water. After accidentally lifting too much pigment off and having to re-layer, I dabbed it very lightly with a waded piece of tissue. At first I didn't like the effect, but now that it is finished I think it made it look aged and I DO like it. Here again, I'm using the DS watercolors and the shack is primarily painted with the new Goethite that is part of the Sand and Surf Triad.

Hydrangeas on Yupo

Hydrangeas on Yupo
Originally uploaded by BYarborough

If I didn't have a title, no one would be able to figure out that I was trying to paint hydrangeas! This was much harder to pull off than I thought it'd be. I am still having fun with Yupo and have some ideas for something a bit different. . . we'll see how it goes. One thing about this support, if you don't like it, just put it in the sink and wash it off - ha ha.

Hummingbird and Wild Flowers on Yupo

Hummingbird and Wild Flowers on Yupo
Originally uploaded by BYarborough

DS paints on Yupo. I masked the area for the bird, then I sprayed the sheet with water. I applied the gray background, smashing of pigment onto the Yupo as I've done the previous works. Then I used the side of the flat brush and painted in the leaves. Just before it was dry, I used the same brush and wiped out some lines in a few of the leaves. I let the piece dry completely before painting the flowers. Then I finely misted the flowers (using my hand as a shield to keep from getting water on the leaves. I pulled the mask off, which was hard to do on this because you can't really rub the painted area too hard. Truly, it would have been easier to just use a brush and clear water and wipe out the area for the bird. Then I painted the bird.

CA Wildflowers on Yupo

CA Wildflowers on Yupo
Originally uploaded by BYarborough

I wanted to see if I could do something besides a dark forest scene! The ref photo for this was one taken near the little town of Gorman. During "good" wildflower years, the mountains there look like someone flew over in an airplane and poured gallons and gallons of colored paint all over the mountains and valleys -- it's just beautiful! Someone asked how long it takes for my layers to dry on Yupo and I'm afraid I can't answer that. The first layer is the wettest because I've sprayed the Yupo pretty heavily with water and then add pigments. The successive layers are heavy pigment and then a fine spray of water (from an empty hair spray bottle) and I work under a light so I make sure I'm not spraying too much water. Sometimes I don't spray enough and after that first spray has dried, I'll spritz it again. I live in a very dry climate so my Yupo paintings probably dry faster than the norm. I do a layer and then go do housework, laundry, run errands (really whatever it is I need to do). It usually takes me about 6 hrs to complete one painting -- but the ACTUAL painting time is only about 1 hr.

Stream in the Forest on Yupo

Stream in the Forest on Yupo
Originally uploaded by BYarborough

I think I'm getting a handle on this technique. . . my paintings are looking at least a little similar to the photo refs. I'm still using DS paints. I truly love working on Yupo, it's so unpredictable and spontaneous.