Diane M Kellogg
The Spring Leaf

By J.Sivanvitha

This leaf is pictured reaching for the sunlight towards the sky. The sunshine reflects upon the leaf. Upon completion of the painting, we can see the sun glow and lights on the leaf which give life to the entire painting.
SUPPLIES:
White canvas board 10x10" #B07QG9VBVW Homestrap Art & Craft or any arts & crafts store.
PAINTS:
Plaid FolkArt:
Classic Green Multisurface 2917
Daffodil Yellow Multisurface 2912
Titanium White Multisurface 2938
Lime Green Multisurface 2914
Burnt Umber Multisurface 462
Pure Black Multisurface 2957
Yellow Ochre Multisurface 2910
Cobalt Blue Multisurface 2926
Look at Me Blue Multisurface 2924
Liquitex Paints:
Burnt sienna - PBk9
Prussian blue - PB153
https://cadenceboya.com/en/ (Editor's note- As this is a company from Turkey, I suggest using a paint similar in color from a paint company readily available in your area.)
Medium Yellow Multisurface H-008 Cadence
MEDIUMS:
Blending gel - 867 Folkart
Matte Sealer/ Finish Spray AS-13-7 Decoart
BRUSHES:
Flat Brush 3/4th inch 50603 Plaid
Flat Brush 1/2inch 50603 Plaid
Rigger round Size 0 BRAMBR12 Brustro
Flat brush Size 6 1059 Plaid
Scruffy brush 3/4th inch 1059 Plaid
Filbert brush Size 10 1205 Plaid
Flat brush 1 inch 50603 Plaid
Miscellaneous Supplies:
Paper towels
Pencils
Water bin
Pallet paper
Grey transfer Paper
Masking Tape
Preparation:
Initially place Prussian Blue, Cobalt Blue, Look at Me Blue, Titanium White as shown in the figure. Blend all the colors starting from light color (white) towards Prussian Blue in a circular direction. This will act as a bright sunny sky. When it is dried transfer the pattern.


Instructions:
Twigs:
Load the rigger brush #0 with Burnt Umber and paint the stem line and few twigs coming from outside branches.
For the fat twigs, load flat brush #6 with Burnt Umber and stroke them. These dark twigs appear to be front side.

Now a few twigs will be behind. For these backside twigs, load rigger brush #0 with Burnt Umber (80%) + White (20%) and paint them.
Highlight the twigs by loading rigger brush #0 with White (90%) + Burnt Umber (10%) and just paint some broken lines on a few twigs. This acts as a sunlight effect on the branches.

For the small fall leaves on twigs load the flat brush #6 with Burnt Sienna (90%) + Burnt Umber (10%) and with the corner of the flat brush, stroke a few random leaves. Now highlight by adding little medium yellow to the above mix and finally add little White to highlight those leaves.

Leaves:
There are orange and green shaded leaves here.
Orange shaded leaves:
Load 3/4th inch flat brush with Yellow Ochre (80%) + Burnt Umber (20%) and paint the complete leaf.
Sideload the 3/4th inch flat brush with Burnt Umber and stroke on the top side of the leaf with a tapping motion. Follow the shape of the leaf at the edges.
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Load the dry filbert brush #10 with very little Yellow Ochre (80%) + Medium Yellow (20%) and brush on the leaf till the dark color, without covering it completely. This paint should just lie on the canvas threadings.

Load the same dirty filbert brush #10 with more Medium Yellow this time and again brush in layers to form the highlights on the leaf. Finally, add a little White to the Medium Yellow and add the final highlight on the leaf.



Green shaded leaves:
For the green shade leaves basecoat the leaf with Classic Green. Sideload the 3/4th inch flat brush with Classic Green (70%) + Burnt Umber (30%) and add a shadow to the top edge of the leaf.
Load the dry filbert brush #10 with Medium Yellow in increments and brush in layers on top of the leaf towards the shadow. Add a few layers to form the highlight on the leaf.


To paint veins on the leaves load the rigger brush #0 with Burnt Umber and stroke thin veins towards the edge of leaf from the center vein.

On a few leaves, we see the sunlight, for this load the dry filbert brush #10 with a small amount of Medium Yellow and stroke a small portion on a few areas of the leaf. Incrementally add White to the Medium Yellow, stroke in layers, and form the sunlight highlights on the leaf. This should be done on the veins.


Bottom Leaves:
For the bottom small leaves, blend colors i.e., Medium Yellow and Burnt Umber (80%) + Burnt Sienna (20%). Highlight the top portion of the leaf with Burnt Sienna and the bottom side of the leaf by adding bits of White to Medium Yellow.




For the last final detail, load the 1-inch flat brush with blending gel. Sideload this brush with White and stroke along the outer edge of the leaf. Use the 3/4th inch scruffy brush to smooth out the shading.
Finishing:
Following the manufacturer's direction seal the surface with several light coats of Matte Spray Varnish, allowing appropriate drying time between coats.
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD ORIGINAL WORD FILE
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD LINE DRAWING