Working with Watercolor on Yupo

Preparing for teaching the Yupo Class

First small sketch w/grid lines, second tiny color sketch (on Yupo scratch paper), 

and final drawing on  13 x 20 half sheet of Yupo

If you are planning on taking my Sept 18 Yupo paper WC class I want to remind you to bring your watercolors and brushes and water container...I like several size flats brushes and whatever else you like, a box of tissues (non lotion kind), a roll of paper towels, scissors, masking tape, an old shirt or apron (it is messy), newspapers and/or plastic to put down on the table.  Bring a ruler and a yardstick (or T-square), pencil, and please choose your subject ahead of time.  

The key actually is to pick things that have simple lines in them...a simple still life, a simple figure or figures, etc.  Remember we are going to play with "textures" and it will be more fun if you have some larger less complex subjects. It is especially fun to have a "border" around your subject out of which the objects can emerge.  Optional.  

It would be VERY helpful to actually have your subject drawn on tracing paper or very thin drawing paper ahead of time as well. Then we can tape up the two papers and trace the subject onto Yupo. The dimensions of a half sheet of Yupo that we will be using are: 13 x20 which is a half sheet.  

The idea for this drawing/painting came from a poem written by my son-in-law who is a poet.  I would hope that the painting might turn out well and I can use it for Christine Alfrey's poetry in WI project next month.

Here is the poem:

A Burr Oak We Pass

by Mark Nesslar (Madison, Wi)

A tree will sometimes grow in a way such that it appears unnatural.

Say it grew around another tree and that one died, was cut into pieces,

and hauled from the forest by draft horses and log chains,and of the scars,

where it pealed the earth, none remains.

If you choose to look, not at the tree, but the space it describes,

you see where two shapes entwined.  The powerful barked limbs

curled to hold the air as delicately as the lover holds the beloved,

while the space, remembering most patiently the years embrace,

extends outward to encompass all.