A World Above Us

(C) 2020 Dale DiMauro

Painting clouds in watercolor can be a challenge. On one hand I don't really want to draw much attention to the sky. Yet on the other hand, the sky sets the tone for the landscape.

For the last year or so I have been working on achieving greater variation in the skies that I paint. Sometimes a subtle variation in value or color can go a long way. In most cases it is fun to play up the abstract shapes of a cloud pattern. Regardless, of the weather depicted, I try not to include many hard edges in my sky. 

In this painting I used a combination of permanent alizarin crimson with cobalt blue in the lighter areas. At the base of the cloud I tend to concentrate more ultramarine blue to enhance the perspective.

One last point to consider. By habit I paint my sky first and then move on to the landscape. You certainly can paint your sky last. However, it is important to establish some atmospheric  qualities before one is too far along in your painting. Watercolor, is after all, a unique medium, for capturing atmospheric conditions.