Smooth or Bumpy....What Side of Canson do you Like?

'By the Sea'                     9x12              pastel                  ©Karen Margulis
available $175

 I'm taking a poll. What side of Canson Mi-Teintes paper do you prefer?  Answer in the comments if you'd like to share. I am curious to see what most artists prefer.  If you aren't familiar with Canson there is a bumpy side with a honey comb-like texture and a smooth side. Officially the bumpy side is considered the right side or the painting side. If you purchase Canson by the sheet the label is on the smooth side which is considered the back.

Can you tell what side of the paper I used for today's painting of these wildflowers by the sea?

The bumpy side is on the left and the smooth side is on the right

I chose to tone my paper with some bright artificial greens

Here is another poll question: How many times have you started a painting only to discover you were using the bumpy side?  Most artists I know prefer  working on the smooth side of the paper. It is challenging to fight the bumpy texture. I usually work on the smooth side.

So imagine my surprise when I began applying pastel to my wildflower painting. It was the bumpy side! How did I manage to do that! I am usually very careful but in my excitement to start the painting I didn't check.  I had a decision to make. Should I turn the paper over and start again?  I really didn't want to because I had already started toning the paper. Usually that wouldn't stop me. It is much easier to start over at an early stage of a painting.  But  this time I had a 'what if' moment and decided to see what would happen if I continued on the bumpy side. In this case I liked how the bumpy texture enhanced the texture of the flowers.

A close up of the flowers. Can you see the bumpy texture?