How to Paint Clouds

Painting clouds can be difficult if you don't know the right technique. If done wrong, they can look too heavy. It takes a light touch, and how you do it depends on the type of paint you are using. In this article, you'll find techniques to create clouds in acrylic, watercolor, and oil paints.

Method 1

Method 1 of 3:

Painting Clouds in Acrylic

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Whether you are creating a graduated blue sky or a sunrise, create the background before adding in the clouds.
That is, don't add any water to the brush before you use it. Pour out white paint on your palette. Add a little bit of white to the brush.
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You can do a landscaped painting with clouds just at the top. Alternatively, you can have the clouds be the whole painting.
In gentle curving motions, brush the white onto the canvas. Keep the pressure light.
Push the edges of the cloud out with your brush. Try to create the edges when you're running out of paint. That technique will give the clouds softer, feathery edges.
It will make it easier to add the shading underneath.
Create a grey for the shading. You can create a dark purple to use for grey with a deep blue, a rosy color, and a brown-red color. You can also create your own grey combination.
Add a tiny bit of the grey to the brush. Wipe off any excess. Gently brush the underside of the clouds to give them depth.
Things off in the distance look smaller, so make your clouds smaller and fuzzier as you approach the horizon. To make them fuzzier, add even less paint to your brush when you create them.

Method 2

Method 2 of 3:

Creating Clouds with Watercolor

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The paint will dry about half as light as it first looks on the paper. So it should look a little brighter than is natural when you're first painting.
Paint clean water across the paper, making it slightly damp.
Gently paint in a light coating of yellow ocher near the bottom of the sky.
Make it fairly dark. Paint across the top of the canvas with it.
Add more water to your brush. Add more of the ultramarine. Paint underneath the top color, slightly overlapping. Make it lighter than the first layer.
You want to create a fading effect towards the bottom layer. The bottom layer should be a mix of pale yellow and a light bit of blue, as you already painted the bottom yellow ocher.
Wash the brush in the water, then dry it out on a paper towel.
The dry brush will pick up the pigment and color from the page, leaving white areas for clouds. As you roll, you can curve the brush slightly to create the look of clouds.
Between clouds, you will need to dry off the brush again. Otherwise, the brush will leave paint rather than absorbing it.
Using a strong grey (such as a purely mix of red and ultramarine), brush it on the underside of one part of the cloud. Leave the other side in white to show where the light is hitting it.
Watercolors dry quickly, so you must work fast to create this effect.

Method 3

Method 3 of 3:

Painting Clouds in Oil

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Depending on the time of day, you could choose a light blue or a dark greyish purple. Paint the whole background in broad, even strokes.
If you don't let it dry, you'll pick up the background paint in the clouds.^{[1]XResearch source}
3
Sketch out the clouds. Using a dry brush, add some white and black to the background color you used. Sketch out the basic areas where the clouds will go with the brush.^{[2]XResearch source}
- Think of clouds as boxes that have perspective so you can make them look like they have depth.^{[3]XExpert SourceKelly Medford
  Professional ArtistExpert Interview. 10 March 2021}
4
Layer over the clouds in lighter colors. Create shapes in the lighter colors. Work in circles to create cloud effects.^{[4]XResearch source}
- To create lighter colors, add white to the original paint color as you go.
5
Add in patches of the background color. If you want to outline the clouds, you can add in areas of the background color.^{[5]XResearch source}
- Most shadows in clouds are still lighter in color and value than the sky.^{[6]XExpert SourceKelly Medford
  Professional ArtistExpert Interview. 10 March 2021}
You don't want the final highlights to be too stark against the other colors, so use an off-white or cream. Brush it around the shapes you created earlier, highlighting the tops of the clouds.^{[7]XResearch source}

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Question
how do i paint clouds with acrylic paint
Rosie V.
Community Answer
You should use a rounded brush. Don't put too much paint on, a small amount should do the trick. Start by doing very soft circles and continue to move the brush in a circular motion as you move it outwards. Make it into any shape you want! It's your painting, so do whatever you feel looks good.
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Question
The water could damage the paper if you do not put an even layer. Are there any ways to prevent this from happening?
Lauren Fisher
Community Answer
If you're painting using watercolours, you can buy paper that is especially made for watercolours. The water doesn't damage this type of paper.
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Tips

Use small circular motions. It will create a better effect than large motions.
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Don't use too much paint when painting your clouds.
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