Try 79 more times.
With just a couple of sets of equations you can create a leaf like this:
But figuring out the right equations, now that’s the trick. In case you’re wondering why it’ll probably take me a number of months to accurately model my beard (thanks Brian Buckley) here are my 80 attempts to model a leaf from my backyard.
The black is the “final” leaf (when I gave up). You can click this picture for a higher quality render.
Just an example of some of the “behind the scenes” work that’s going into the Fractal Book (specifically Chapter 2). Happy fractalizing!
[BTW] : Ben Trube, Writer 
The final version is the best! I’m so glad you hung in there for 80 tries.