I took a reference photo of the sky out my window one winter afternoon and decided to paint it.I figured this is a perfect opportunity to share my process on how to paint clouds,trees and just how to capture candy floss skies with acrylic paints.For this specific painting I used a 5×7 inch canvas,you can adapt this painting to any size and style you like!
So first things first, we are going to paint the sky.Using a sky blue colour,just simply brush that over the top half of the canvas.
For my second layer of paint, I decided to create a light to dark effect by applying white paint to the bottom of the canvas, slowly adding hints of blue and red into the white paint as I move up the canvas.
This is what it looks like all blended! Gradually adding those hints of blue and red creates this seamless blend that’s ready for those candyfloss clouds.
Ok! Going in with a little purple now.Grab a small flat brush and use a dab and swipe motion to form clouds.The stippling swipe motion will create those cloud shapes.
Here, use a super light pink colour for the highlights.We are going to use the same stippling swiping method we used before to create this light effect on the clouds.Just placing that highlight on the tops of the clouds.Make sure to get a small amount of paint on your brush when doing this part.
Painting trees with all those little details can seem super hard, but this is where you can be freehanded.Take a small fan brush,using a really dark green almost black colour,hold the brush in a vertical position we are just going to dab, dab, and dab to create the figures of the trees.
Now we need some dimension in those trees.Here I am using a muted green colour kind of like a dirty muddy green.You don’t want to use a bright green as it will look artificial.Again, with the dabs lightly place those highlights mainly at the tops and sides of the trees.
Looking at the clouds and trees is an example of what adding those lighter colours can do.They add a shape and dimension.Now, if you overdo the light areas you can go back in with the dark and play around till you’re happy with the result.
Using some plain white, I just added a little moon aswell as a little reflection of the moon.This is a painting of a window, view so we are trying to create that reflection effect.
Using masking tape, I just created a window angle that I painted in with some black and grey paint.The masking tape ensures we get those angles right and straight.You can adjust this to your liking.
Here is the final piece! A cosy window view of a winter sky.As i mentioned before, you can play around and figure out what you want your final piece to look like.You can remove the window panes and reflection of the moon, and just go with the clouds and trees.You can make the trees bigger or smaller.This is just a guide you can change up to suit your style.Hope this is helpful!
The process of painting cosy winter sky, with fluffy clouds and trees:
