A Cloud and Sky Refresher

'Under Sunny Skies'         16x20       pastel       ©Karen Margulis
available $350

As much as I love the close up world of the intimate landscape I am equally drawn to the drama of the sky. So when my private student asked for some sky and cloud tips I was excited to oblige. I gave her my condensed run down of my favorite tips for painting the sky and clouds and then put it together in the above demo painting.

I'd like to share one important tip that will help you paint more authentic and believable skies....skies and clouds that are air and gas....skies that have depth and clouds that float seamlessly in the sky.

STUDY THE SKY.

Go outside and look up. Take notes. Do a sketch. Even better do a pastel study. Look at the clouds and the sky and ask yourself descriptive questions....what colors, values, shapes, edges do I see? Make mental and physical notes of your answers. All  of this sky study will help you when it comes to painting the sky. 


You can get a refresher on painting the sky and clouds in pastel in my PDF demo available in my Etsy shop. I also have a video on YouTube on painting a cloudy sky.

First layer block in stage

Tip: Leave space for the big clouds! Block in the cloud shadows before the lights.

Mid stage. Time to evaluate and see where the clarity will be