Painting Skies in Watercolour Landscapes

Sky Demonstration - Transparent Watercolour

Yesterday I received an email from a lady in Worcester, England, asking me to explain how I paint skies in Watercolour.

Rather than just give a description of the processes I use I have painted a demonstration sky to illustrate my method.

The paper support, in this case a 140lb Cold Pressed, is stretched onto a piece of 1cm thick ply. The papers I use most for landscape work are Saunders Waterford and Bockingford, both 140lb Cold Pressed surface.

To paint the sky the paper is first made wet all over and the watercolour dropped onto the wet surface and allowed to mix and blend together. At all times the colour and forms of real cloud types are kept in mind so that the end result will appear realistic.

The colours I use are Yellow Ochre for the first wash, then mixtures of Ultramarine Blue and Burnt Umber, Ultramarine Blue and Alizarin Crimson, Ultramarine Blue and Burnt Sienna. The mixtures are made up fairly strong and dropped onto the wet surface and allowed to mix and blend. The support is lifted and turned so the washes run slightly, especially if I want the effect of rain falling from a cloud. Parts may be lifted out with a moist brush or sometimes with a tissue or a piece of cotton wool.

If you are interested in painting skies then a trip to your library for a book on weather, which has illustrations of the various cloud types, is of real value. Once you recognise the different types of cloud and are familiar with the kind of weather they are associated with, you will begin to use cloud types in your pictures that convey the feeling that you want.

It is also worth taking photographs of interesting skies and build a reference collection of useful material. I have dozens.

One thing to remember is that if you paint a big sky like the one above then the land or seascape you paint with it should be reasonably simple so that the feeling conveyed is one of space and possibly tranquillity.

On the other hand if the landscape itself is to be the more important part of the picture then the sky should be made simple so as not to detract from the rest of the painting.
It is advisable not to over elaborate your skies. Keep them fairly simple but not bland. And that brings me on to my next topic ‘Simplifying your Subject’

Till tomorrow, take care.

Tony