George James Demo

George James is a California artist known for his amazing paintings on the synthetic paper, Yupo. The Tennessee Watercolor Society was fortunate to be able to schedule him to judge the 32nd Biennial Exhibition in Chattanooga, Tennessee. A week before the opening of the exhibit and just prior to his week-long workshop he gave a demonstration of his approach to working on the challenging surface of Yupo.

Pencil should not be used, because it cannot be erased without ruining the surface of the Yupo. George uses a Derwent watercolor pencil to make a few marks to define his composition. The watercolor pencil can be removed with water. It is necessary to use more pigment than water when applying paint to Yupo. George began with a flat brush, making strokes that did not overlap. Overlapping causes the paint to lift. He put in a cerulean mix at the top and sides, saving white areas at the top for clouds and changing the blue to a light green toward the bottom. A walnut-colored mix in the center will become the ground and sides of houses in a tropical village. Whites were saved to become the roof tops of the houses.

A brayer is used to roll over and smooth the paint areas. After each area is painted, it is dried with a hair dryer or heat gun. Drying the paint will allow additional layers of paint to be added without lifting the previous layer. If a fresh addition of paint is too deep a value, it can be partially lightened by laying a non-perfumed tissue over it. The use of tissues allows a good variation of values.

In the above photo light and dark greens
have been added to create foliage and a darker walnut hue has created the sides of the houses. Each addition of pigment is carefully dried before proceeding.
Islands have been added in the background and clouds have been defined.

Finishing touches can be seen in the roof detail. the clouds, and the activity in the bay. Notice that the closest island has been given form by varied layers of pigment. When George is satisfied that the painting is finished, he uses a Krylon spray to fix the pigments.

Without protection the entire painting could be washed clean. This demo was an introduction to working with Yupo. There is so much more to the paintings of George James. He has mastered a very challenging product that resists the application of watercolor. The generous sharing of his approach gives me courage to try using the piece of Yupo I have been ignoring for at least two years. The 32nd Biennial Exhibition of the Tennessee Watercolor Society that George James juried is a beautiful show. I am very proud to be a member and to have an opportunity to observe and listen to George James.