Paschke Online
Designs Ink Publishing
Article Archive and Research Library
Chris A. Paschke,
CPF GCF
"Yupo Part
1: What To Do With Yupo"
November 2015
Synthetic papers are known as durables, synthetics
or plastics, but are not paper. They include various grades of plastics
including polyvinyl chloride (PVC), polystyrene, polyethylene, polypropylene
and polyester/nylon. These synthetics are more familiar to us by their
manufactured products and names: foamboard is polystyrene; Tyvek is
polyethylene which feels like fabric, may be sewn or glued and is used mostly
for packaging, but may be painted with acrylic; Yupo is polypropylene, which is satin-coated and feels like a coated
paper; Evolon is polyester/nylon that is tear proof, lint-free and doesn’t
stretch or expand, used for printing and painting; and TerraSkin is calcium
carbonate/polyethylene resin for printing and art that is water and tear
resistant.
Having been developed as an eco-friendly wood
alternative, synthetic papers were originally designed to be more “green” for
the printing/signage industry, and since they are receptive to paint, it stands
to reason that artists would embrace them too. All of these products are
currently being sold by art, paper and printing suppliers as roll, single
sheet, tablet, and/or sketchbooks, the most popular being Yupo.
Once completed, synthetic
original paintings still need to be protected and configured into a wall display,
but here is where things vary from the traditional. Artists may still mat,
glaze and frame synthetic paper as they would any watercolor paper, but may
also opt for an open-air float frame, cradled box, or mounting to some other
rigid substrate for the no-frame look. And the larger the art—Yupo is available
60” wide x 10 yds--the more contemporary the presentation becomes, occasionally
requiring cleats or stand-offs as hanging hardware.
About Yupo
Yupo is a neutral pH, ultra-smooth,
non-absorbent/waterproof, 100% recyclable, tear- and chemical-resistant,
tree-free sheet with properties that make it perfect for a variety of marketing,
design, packaging and labeling needs. Yupo is extruded from polypropylene
pellets. There are three layers to the material: sheer surface (top) and base (bottom) layers formed during the
extruding process, then bonded to a heavier central core which create a
dimensionally stable substrate. These layers may be split if not handled correctly,
which may occur most frequently when attempting to remove ATG. (photo 1) It is available in various text and cover weights--translucent and
opaque--with 74# white, 144# white and 104# translucent being favored by
artists for watercolor, gouache, alcohol ink, and acrylic. (photo 2) Alcohol ink and acrylic are
permanent and do not wash off.
photo 1
Yupo
consists of three extruded polypropylene layers fused together into a sheet.
Thin
top and bottom layers are fused to a heavier weight center core.
photo 2
(L-R)
TerraSkin made
of calcium carbonate/polyethylene resin;
Yupo
polypropylene opaque white 74# and 144#;
and Yupo translucent 104#.
Unlike conventional papers, the Yupo surface may
be totally wiped clean to restore the original white of the sheet long after
water based color has dried, so painting is sometimes created by painting the
negatives, applying pigment then taking away color to create the finished
image. Challenge Yourself by Tina
Dille is a 26x40" watercolor on opaque white Yupo. (photo 3)
photo 3
"Challenge
Yourself" mouse by Tina Dille is a 26x40" is
watercolor on opaque white Yupo.
The
vast expanse of white negative space surrounding the image is a formal part of
the
painting and cannot me cut or covered. This smooth unpainted white area allows visible
undulations from adhesive application or substrate choice to be visible.
The artist has left a vast
expanse of negative white—unpainted paper--surrounding the mouse as an integral
part of the completed painting, as often occurs with letter press and
hand-pulled lithographs. This smooth unpainted white area is what allows
undulations from adhesive application or substrate choice to be visible after
mounting. When the painting color or texture fills the entire page, mounting
irregularities are better camouflaged. The second Dille sample shows heavily
textured mixed media on translucent Yupo mounted to 1/8" hardboard. (photo 4)
photo 4 - This heavily textured mixed media by Tina Dille on translucent
Yupo
better camouflages paper irregularities and color ghosting
once mounted to 1/8" hardboard.
Removing ATG
Artists often use ATG two-sided tape to hold their Yupo to a
painting board. Since Yupo is a multiple ply laminated sheet, it the bottom
layer may be split from the core if the P-S adhesive is not softened or
dissolved with a solvent prior to removal. Chemical solvent does not impact
water base pigment, and water as a solvent won’t impact chemical base pigments
(alcohol ink), but solvents near original art is not something a framer should
be considering.
A recent project came in where the artist had mounted the
completed painting with double-sided tape to a piece of slate as part of their
no-frame look. When it was decided that heavy slate was not easy to display,
they attempted to peel the Yupo from the stone—rather than using a solvent--and
the back layer of polypropylene remained adhered splitting the layers at the
corner. If there remains a layer of paper on the back corners of the Yupo, sometimes
Windex or Dirtex helps remove the adhesive tape as a gentle solvent. However it
is the ammonia in the contents that works as the solvent and will also remove dirt,
grease and latex (acrylic) paint or sealer, so framer beware. All too often
repairs end up being far worse than the original damage. These details should
always be noted in the condition report written when the original is first
brought in, and should always be pointed out as damage to the client or artist.
The divot created by the loss of the paper layer could show after mounting.
Archival (extended-term) Mounting
Sometimes you can’t have it both
ways. Yupo may be sealed, permanently mounted and displayed with stable inert
materials and no frame; or it may be preservationally framed with hinges, rag
mats, glazing and be fully reversible. The biggest rule never to break is that
original art should not be mounted, but the raw, unpainted, virgin paper may be
mounted. Photos are best displayed when mounted. Rippled or cockled photos just
look wrong and Yupo may end up being the same.
Synthetics do not absorb or react with other materials to
create a new chemical reaction, rendering them stable and inert, which is good,
but since that cannot absorb the adhesive options are limited. Artists often
demand archival mounting, stating they want acid-free, 100 year term bonding
that is non-invasive. It is not the
adhesive that makes a mount non-archival, but the adhesive residue that remains
if removed. Invasive mounting is non-preservation when adhesive is remaining in
the art once removed, but since polypropylene cannot absorb, it would remove
cleanly.
Dry mounting any valuable original
art, photograph, or document is not a recommended procedure, but sometimes it
may be the only way. Museums are accepting face mounted digital art these days,
directly from artists, but generally not creating that mount themselves. When
the artist wishes to display art unglazed, floated, or applied to a cradled box
it requires a mounting method to hold it to the substrate of choice.
Static Mounting
Basic non-starch paste preservation methods--such as corner
pockets or edge strips--are a mount option, but static and cockling may be a resulting
issue particularly with larger pieces, and flange hinging across the top may
cockle the polypropylene. Yupo is prone to collecting static
so maintaining at least 42% relative humidity helps control it.
Think of Yupo like polyester Cibachrome, different plastic
base but similar issues. Cibachromes easily show substrate orange peel when mounted
to a substrate, so might Yupo. Unfortunately the benefits of
static mounting as a preservation application will not work with Yupo as the
polypropylene does not maintain a charge adequate to hold to acrylic sheet the
same as polyester.
Though dimensionally stable, hinged
and matted Yupo may bow and react to in-room static allowing the sheet to buckle
into the window of the mat. When white unpainted portions of Yupo paper are
allowed to touch the glass, dark grey splotches appear. And since artwork should
never touch glass, efforts must be made to establish an adequate space between
the art and the glazing, which may mean mounting. It is a known fact that paper
will expand and contract with moisture and temperature changes, the same is
true with polypropylene.
Fixatives
Krylon
Gallery Series UV Archival Varnish is a favored product for sealing, so originals may be mounted and displayed with no
glazing. Open-air paintings on Yupo require sealing by the
artist to protect the medium, but one under glass with mats not be sealed. If
unsealed, Yupo should be treated as gently as a pastel. And like a pastel,
artists are resistant to applying fixatives as they can alter the surface pigment
colors.
At times they are only sealed when being
taken to a framer to help protect it from fingerprints and accidental damage. Yupo is highly susceptible to
fingerprints, and once a fingerprint has been sealed over, it will remain
forever, so extreme care should be taken when handling Yupo paper and wearing
gloves is highly advised.
It is an
acknowledged fact that white Yupo paper will yellow over time when exposed to
UV light. So do not place the artwork in direct sunlight or expose it to
florescent lighting and all glazing, whether glass or acrylic, should be UV
filtering to minimize and slow the yellowing damage.
Afterthoughts
Watercolor paintings on Yupo should
be delivered in a clear plastic sleeve, possibly with a glassine cover. If they
are not
protected when delivered, again treat as a cibachrome and
place it under a Mylar sheet prior to designing. Always fill out a condition
report and always discuss all of the options.
Look for "Mounting Synthetic
Papers - Part 2” in the PFM September 2015 issue.
Original artwork
“Challenge Yourself” compliments of Tina Dille, artist.
http://DilleyArt.com
END
Copyright
© 2015 Chris A Paschke
Resources Items
http://legionpaper.com Yupo distribution and information
http://neschen.com Neschen gudy 870, 831, 802
http://dkgroup.com Expression Wide
Format Laminators and SuperStick adhesives
http://kooltack.com InstaMount Gatorboard, InstaMount Mighty Tough
http://codamount.com Laminators, Cold-Mount Gatorboard
http://drytacusa.com JetMounter Roll Laminators,
HT pressure-sensitive adhesives
http://encoreproducts.com MightyCore, MightyBull
http://standoffsystems.com Gyford Standoffs
http://framewareinc.com Standoffs
For more articles on
mounting basics look under the mounting section in Articles by Subject.
Additional
information on all types of mounting and creative applications in:
The Mounting
and Laminating Handbook, Second Edition, 2002,
The Mounting And Laminating Handbook, Third Edition, 2008,
Creative Mounting, Wrapping and Laminating,
1999.
Chris Paschke, CPF
GCF
Designs Ink
Tehachapi, CA 93561
P 661-821-2188
chris@designsinkart.com
http://www.designsinkart.com/library.htm