Step 6: Start painting each shape.

Typically, I paint from light to dark except for one dark spot on the painting.  I find a place where I can paint my darkest dark.  Here it is at the top of the photo, see below.  It stands out and gives me a reference point to use to judge the lightness and darkness of all the other areas of my painting.  After painting the dark spot, I painted the three lighter leaves at the bottom using a wet-in-wet technique. I also use some dry brush painting for texture.  There was no masking fluid used around any of these leaves.  Actually, the only place I will use masking fluid again, will be when I paint around the left side of the main yellow leaf in the top center of the painting.  I do not use masking fluid very often because it removes the paint under the fluid.  These three leaves are not finished.  I will wait until the entire paper is covered with paint and then decide how much detail to add to each area of the painting. I like my paintings to look the way the eye see things.  By that I mean that when we look at something, our eye focuses on one area and the rest of the area is slightly out of focus, so we see less details the further away from the center of our vision.  The exception to this is when I like another area of the painting. I may add more details to create a secondary, or third focal point that is smaller and draws less attention from my main 'center of interest'.  This allows me to create a path for the viewers eye to follow and rest on these other focal point.