When I'm teaching my painting classes, I first do a demonstration for the class. Then, as the students settle in to their own project, I do some experimenting. I play with different brushes or papers, or I severely restrict my methods in some way to explore the possibilities of a particular brush, color or paper.
Lately I've been carrying with me a pad of rice paper. Having painted on traditional watercolor paper for many, many years it has been challenge to work with rice paper. I have found that I must paint very directly with simple strokes and a well-charged brush. There's no working of a large wash, one of the things I love about my usual paper.
In this example, I worked quickly, with no preliminary drawing. I have found, as can be seen here, that I can do a second wash over the first with some good results.
So here is a simple, quick scene done with watercolor on rice paper.
The tractor.
