Experimenting on watercolor surfaces - Wallis paper vs. Aquaboard

Last night our (very democratic :) figure group decided to skip the gesture drawings and go right into a long pose! Few! Thank goodness I warmend up the night before!

The fabulous miss D wore her very long hair down and struck a powerful pose - full of confidence and attitude.  I worked with watercolor pencils on Wallis paper, not know if I was going to stick with just that media or layer on some pastel as well.

Well I was haveng WAY too much fun with the watercolor pencils! The Wallis paper worked great - I blotted my figure drawing a little (NO rubbing or the paper towel falls apart and sticks to the paper!), let the water drip and pull color down the page, layered several colors, and even up until the very end was able to "erase" any spots I didn't like with just a little bit of water rubbed into a spot.  I need to invest in some good watercolor "cakes" to really start playing!  If you have a favorite brand, let me know!

The second pose of the evening we shall refer to as "the fainting couch" - the studio has this sofa/love seat set that sucks you in so you NEVER want to get up. Very dangerous spot.

So our model sank into the sofa and I asked for a pose with her arms raised, and she came up with this great position.  I love the angles, the way the light fell on her torso, and the gestures of her hands.

I was using an "aquaboard", which was more slick than textured, like the Wallis paper.  It took me a little time experimenting to really understand how to work with the surface.  It seemed to absorb the water very quickly, and didn't allow for a lot of dripping.  So, maybe I need a better brush - one that holds more water.

I was able to layer quite a bit with out getting muddy, and the drying time was very quick.  Also, I was able to "erase" right up until the end, when I adjusted the shapes of the shadows on her torso.  So, overall it wasn't a bad surface!  But I think I'm having too much fun with the wallis paper :)