Paint A Summer Sky With Clouds In Watercolor
Skies and clouds are an essential part of any landscape painting. This lesson shows you how to paint a summer sky with those puffy white clouds that are so common on summer days.
Skies And Clouds
Skies and clouds are endlessly varied – color, value, shape and more change continually and often dramatically in the course of a day – or an hour. The nature of watercolor is perfect for painting skies and clouds. Used fluidly and loosely, watercolor is also continually varying. Fluid, wet-in-wet paint application is also the best way to create the soft textures that are most like those seen in clouds, especially those puffy summer clouds.
Loose washes also encourage color mingling that creates subtle changes that echo the look of subtle color shifts that can be seen in just about any sky in any sort of weather.
This lesson will show how to let the best aspects of the watercolor medium work for skies and clouds in your paintings.
Transferring the Drawing Layout
The downloadable layouts are done with heavy lines to make it easy to see and copy onto your watercolor paper. It is best not to draw the lines too heavy on your paper, especially in the sky, since there is a good chance the lines will show through the paint. It’s not a deal-breaker, but those heavy pencil lines are sometimes a distraction.
What you’ll need for this watercolor painting lesson
- Brushes – 1 1/2″ Flat, 1″ Long Bristle Flat, Medium Round (1/4″ wide at ferrule), Small Round (1/8″ wide), and a rigger
- A palette with your colors – Cobalt Blue, Cerulean Blue, French Ultramarine Blue, Permanent Alizarin Crimson, Burnt Sienna, Raw Sienna
- Watercolor paper – preferably Arches 140lb Cold Press cut to about 9″ x 12″ – slightly different proportions is OK
This is a Premium Learning Library Lesson. Access The Entire Library With a Premium Membership – Cancel or Pause at any time.
More Premium Member Info Here.
Already a Premium Member? Login Below
Just browsing? Check out these FREE lessons.