Easy Watercolor Clouds - A Tutorial
Aug 16, 2023Skies are mesmerizing and clouds can take my breath away.
I love painting the sky, and it's a joy to watch large arrangements of towering clouds glide past and change every minute.
Clouds are some of my favorite watercolor subjects. This is why I want to guide you through the specific process I used to create the clouds in this sky and offer you five valuable watercolor tips to paint gorgeous clouds.
5 Watercolor Tips for Painting Clouds
For the full, step-by-step tutorial of the clouds in this painting, watch the YouTube video attached to this blog.
To learn some quick watercolor painting tips that apply to painting skies and clouds, keep reading.
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Here are five watercolor painting tips to improve your clouds and skies.
1. Paint from Light to Dark.
Remember that your lightest ares of the clouds will be the white you leave on the paper. In this way, you're painting negatively - that is, around the white of the clouds.
First, I lightly draw the clouds - just enough to get an impression of their shape. Then I begin painting:
- Mix a warm grey and place loosely, establishing the lightest parts of the clouds.
- Add colors to your mix to make a darker grey, adding another layer to the clouds, still working on the brighter parts of the clouds.
- Add Neutral Tint and Lavender into the mix for the underside of the clouds. Proceed with caution with this darker pigment, but break up parts of the sky that are repetitious or boring.
- Add the blue of the sky, taking care to define the shapes of the clouds and adding more moisture and Cerulean as you get closer to the horizon.
2. Don't Try to Replicate a Reference Photo.
It can be tempting when you have a beautiful reference photo to want to replicate the exact cloud arrangement from the photograph in your watercolor. Instead, take a moment to consider what it is that attracts you to the clouds. Think about the feeling they give the scene.
This is what you're going for - the essence of the clouds. You want them to complement your composition and to bring interest to the overall painting.
If you try to copy the exact sky from a picture, you'll likely experience unnecessary frustration and fall short of your expectations.
3. Use all Sides of Your Brush and Vary Your Marks.
The same brushstroke over and over is noticeable, and it can zap a painting of interest.
Use all the angles of your brush and don't fall into to tight a pattern of brush marks. Differentiate your marks to make sure that the sky you're painting is as breathtaking as the sky you see when you look out your window.
4. Paint More Clouds as You get Closer to the Horizon.
If you study your reference photos and pay attention to the sky, you'll notice that clouds are in closer proximity to one another the closer they are to the horizon line. Notice also that there are more of them.
The large, spaced out clouds should be at the top of your paper, and as you near the horizon, they break off from one another and are smaller and more bunched up. Getting this right can go a long way toward making your sky look realistic.
5. Try These Brushes and Colors!
There is no reason you can't accomplish a beautiful watercolor sky with the supplies you have, but I always get questions about the colors and brushes I use.
I use Daniel Smith paints.
The warm grey mixture I start with is made with Raw Sienna, Rose Madder Permanent, and a touch of Ultramarine Blue. To darken it a bit, I add Lavender and more Raw Sienna and Rose Madder Permanent. For the underside of the cloud, I add Neutral Tint and Lavender. Then I add Cerulean to warm it up a bit. For the blue of the sky, I mix Cerulean, Ultramarine Blue, and Lavender; I add moisture and Cerulean as I work my way down toward the horizon.
I use a large mop brush (Escoda Mop, size 18) for the larger, sweeping shapes. Next, I switch to a medium-round brush (Size 14 medium round Dream Catcher). After that, I use an Escoda Perla, Size 12 and then a DaVinci Size 1, Quill.
Don't Underestimate the Power of a Gorgeous Sky
Skies are powerful elements of a watercolor landscape or cityscape. They have a lot to offer your painting, as they contribute to your composition and offer light and depth to your painting. They can complement your main idea - or even be the main idea of your painting. Before you start a watercolor landscape, take care to consider how much more dynamic your scene could be with a beautiful sky.
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