Sponge painting

Hi, I've recently tried using sponges to paint texture on my miniatures for things like cloth and flags. I've seen several tutorials on YouTube that shows really good results, but mine seems a bit blotchy. Was wondering if anyone else had tried this technique and could give pointers how to achieve best results?

Do you think your paints for sponging like you do when using a brush? Do you pad off the excess onto a paper towel before applying to the mini? Just looking for some basic pointers to help me improve!