Paper foliage - do you prime it or just get stuck in with the painting?
I´ve done some going straight to watercolours, but am considering priming with spray can green to add a bit of stiffness.
Any advice appreciated.
Spike.

I'm building the Tamiya T-rex diorama kit, which comes with some cycads with paper leaves. I'm thinking about sealing them with something before applying colors, precisely for that reason. I haven't decided whether it'll be a primer or a clear sealer of some kind. I've got some extra sheets to experiment on, and if necessary, it looks like it's craft-style crepe paper.

I've got the book, "Building and Painting Model Dinosaurs" by Ray Rimell (Kalmbach 1998), and he built that kit, and used the kit cycads, including the leaves. Unfortunately, he didn't go into more detail about prepping the material. But when I saw that he used the kit pieces, I decided to use mine, too, instead of leaving them out.

Prost!
Brad

Matte medium will stay flexible and will prevent cracking of the overlayer

After shaping/assembling them (bend/fold/twist etc.)...either coat them in thinned PVA or...alternatively...coat them in Thin CA (Superglue)...prime then paint.

Ron

MIG Ammo do something called Plasticator, it's for sealing porous materials.
I've used it on thin cotton to make tarps and on printed paper (the print didn't blur or run), I like it, maybe give it a go

Paper modelmakers (of which I am one) spray their paper kits with clear acrylic spray (Krylon, or whatever similar product you can get wherever you are). This protects the printing, stands up well to folding and also protects the finished paper model from deterioration and potential bookworm and moth attack.