Cloud Study

Step 1:

Gesso your board or canvas

Step 2:

Choose a painting that features clouds from any museum website in NYC (this can be a landscape or a specific cloud study). If necessary, crop the image to focus on the cloud or clouds. I strongly recommend the following artists. Click on each for images.

Step: 3

Sketch out the general composition on the board with a pencil the complex information into general shapes of light and dark.

Step 4:

Completely cover the surface with a translucent wash. While wet block in the large areas of dark and light by adding more painting or wiping off the wash with a rag to reveal the lights. At this point you may either let the underpainting dry or keep working wet in wet.

Note: most clouds have layers of subtle color. Try to organize the cloud into areas of light and dark; warm and cool. Most clouds are rough modules of geometric forms such as cylinders or spheres.

Step 5:

Develop the painting in full color using paying attention to areas of light, dark and middle tones so as to create a sense of volume. Step back frequently. Notice how light plays over the surface, organizing it into general shapes. Notice the lightest lights and the darkest darks.

Step 6:

Self critique and make changes to the composition, color, and surface where necessary. Finish.