a quick practice session to get back in the saddle- i'm trying brush pens to experiment a little but i don't think my sketchbook paper works well with it
You know, greatest works on your brushpen sketches on your figure poses in terms of fluidity, flow, flexibility and movement in them. However, it's OK that your brushpen ink lines aren't always accepting of your paper type, because you're not here to make a slick, very pretty, and very perfect drawing all the time, every time. May I recommend you sketch more poses in notebook and memo papers? So that you can and get the most grind mileage in your lines of action and lightest lines of rhythm? For more and most all the tips and tricks, here is this oldest video from Alphonso Dunn:
Very cool and dynamic shapes. Not super naturalistic or perfectly measured, but narratively strong and just the right kind of funky. Brush pens are quite lovely to work with, unless the ink flow starts to develop hiccupps.