Portrait Sketch of a Young Woman - oil pastel portrait drawing

This was not the model, but a participant in the drawing group.  Sometimes the other people there make for some of the best drawings!  She was listening intently to her drawing neighbor, so I had a few minutes for the sketch.  It's on 12 x 9" Strathmore 403 paper, which, despite their claims, is no longer a paper for oil pastel.  I have a lot of it, though, so I'm using it.
It seems I've been spending SO much time preparing panels for painting!  I thought this would be a money-saver, but I don't think so, plus the time involved is crazy!  I hear a lot of artists talk about applying gesso, etc, on panels and I thought it would be such a good idea.  First there's the stuff that blocks support induced color changes, two coats, and then the gesso - three or so coats.  Any thoughts out there on this?  I'll probably just go back to buying panels that are already prepared for painting.  Oh my poor arm!  Thanks for stopping by!