I have painted a number of sunflowers in pastel which I find very easy to work with. I found I had trouble with the yellows in oil, but I was happy with the outcome.
I was trying a new painting surface with this piece. It has about 4 layers of modelling paste on it, sanded completely smooth in between coats and then a final coat of marble dust to give it some tooth. It is a nice surface but a lot of work to prepare. I would rather buy a board!