Agave, In Progress

I am starting my next watercolor on aquabord. This is a larger (12x12) version of the smaller study done in September (currently on exhibit at the Torpedo Factory, Target Gallery). I begin by painting in what will be the lightest values, adding just a touch of color to cover the off-white of the clay. Each area is dampened and then paint applied. I tilt the board to encourage the water to run and the paint to granulate and dry in a pattern that will give shape to the agave leaves (?). I chose for my coolest blue, manganese blue hue because of the pigments granulating properties. Once dry, the pebbly texture of the aquabord combined with the granulation of pigment give a nice earthy texture.