A well designed plane with a low wing loading allows this style of flight, making the pilot look better than he really is. A slower pattern can give you more time to correct. I like the way it makes the plane seem to be in more defiance of gravity, more effortless.
On a light enough plane, a 11x4 / .46 combo will work very well. The target weight / size would be 4.5 pounds and 600 square inches. Start out by adding up all the known weights of the onboard equipment and everything that is left over can go towards the airframe. This is what is fun about building your own model with a design objective in mind.