The debate rages on...

Study of Margo- Arches 140# hot press 8" x 10"

Study of Margo Arches 140# cold press 8" x 10"

I am working on a traditional watercolor portrait this week. It has been a while since I've painted a large picture in watercolor.
I am used to working on hot press paper. Recently I got the chance to admire some amazing watercolor portraiture. Many of these pictures were painted on cold press paper. I like the way the pigment settles into the texture of the paper and gives the flesh tones a dimensional feel. Paintings on cold press also have a slightly lower sheen since more pigment is absorbed into the paper. One also has to be careful not to apply too much pigment too early as it can be difficult to lift out.
These issues gave me a lot of trouble working on the darker sides of the face. After two or three glazes of color and value, the paper seemed to give up. Each subsequent glaze lifted everything off of the paper leaving a sort of muddy yellowy tone. I tried spraying fixative onto the picture which seemed to help a bit, but I am not sure if watercolor is ok to fix.
It was a relief to try the same picture on hot press. I am much more comfortable with the finish on the paper. I am betting hot press paper has more sizing. The paint doesn't get absorbed into the paper as quickly as cold press. This being said, I still managed to overwork the dark areas and burnt out the paper like in the first attempt. I really must get the dark values correct in the first or second pass of paint. This is hard to do- maybe it will come with practice or maybe I can find a way to safely fix the glazes between washes.
I don't feel much closer to my painting goals today. Each practice painting has good and bad qualities. I am going to spend the rest of the day working on a digital image and will get back to this later.
Tomorrow is another day.