Painting The Fig Leaf Castings

Getting the look that I thought I was after on the leaves was easier than I thought it would be.  I used acrylic paints,  a 2" brush, a small brush, and a small natural sponge.  First I thinned the paint with water so it was more like a stain. I painted everything light green with the 2" brush.  Then I stained the veins with a dark green (sap green) using a narrow brush and sponge-blotted the dark green over the rest of the leaf.  I decided I wanted to darken the edges to give it a richer look using burnt umber.  I brushed it on the edges then blended it using the sponge.  They need to dry then I will seal them.

Fig leaves stained/painted

I was surprised at how easy it was to move the color.  I was able to blot the leaves with my sponge to remove any extra paint.  I applied the thinned burnt umber with a small 1/2" brush and blotted it with my sponge to blend or fade it out so it looked more natural.  I will post pictures of the stages of painting with the next leaf painting.  I wasn't exactly sure of what would work and what wouldn't when I painted these leaves, so I didn't think about taking pictures.