dear Ilia,
thank you....i think i probably pushed it a little over that edge on the painting i just did...well live and learn.
at the beginning, when first starting to transfer the drawing and to paint, is there a way to tell if the plaster is too wet to start....when i started last time it seemed that this could have been the case as it was very soft. when i looked at the plaster from an angle it had quite a bit of moisture in some areas of the surface, like it was "sweating"....after applying the plaster, assuming that the mixture is correct, is there a period of waiting before one should begin....