To paint a miniature watercolor on paper requires a perfectly smooth surface so that the watercolors will smear evenly. If the paper is dimpled, the brush cannot evenly pass across the paper. Historically, the Bristol board was used to smooth the paper. Personally, I think the best examples of watercolor technique are the works of Edward Hau. Moreover, his best work is the portrait of Natalia Goncharova. The technique he used involved using specialized equipment to brush layers of transparent colors. It took a great deal of skill and demanded watercolors made of special pigments. I have not seen such colors. This technique can be termed "Academic watercolor works of the 19th century."

My work is a realistic painting of a body using watercolors.

The Bristol board did not satisfy my requirements, I am convinced of this after having used it to paint a number of works. As a result, I transitioned to a "Whatman". This tool has been tested many ways, right up to use as a factory press. Eventually, I used a steel counter top with a perfectly smooth surface. I laid a wet Whatman sheet on the steel plate, and expanded it by use of a special device and with a polished steel roller. It took a while and a lot of effort and some careful consideration to ensure uniform punching. Further, this paper was not stretched on a wooden plate, as is customary, but on a smooth and solid basis so that the paper could be rolled using an agate. All these techniques were worked out during a long period of trial and error. Note that I haven't mentioned the painting itself as this is a different and complex matter.

The end result is not a conventional decorative image, and not a 19th century academic work. Instead, it is a picturesque realistic body image, made with watercolors used sparingly.