Clouds are uniquely beautiful and British landscape painting holds a long-standing tradition of cloud studies. Join me to discover a deeper understanding of how to paint clouds in different light and atmospheric conditions, their forms and how to describe them using various brushwork, colour and techniques.
In this special workshop we will look closely at how clouds form and behave in order to paint them with more confidence and accuracy. Design and composition will also feature in this course as we discuss how to make a strong image from an arrangement of cloud shapes, or how to balance the proportions of sky and land in your painting. Taking time to consider the use of colour and technique we will make studies of various cloud types and sky conditions, developing a range of techniques to tackle the many different kinds of skies we encounter as painters.

We’ll look at useful pigments for painting skies and how we can use colour to balance our paintings to make them more harmonious.

Starting with an understanding of the nature of clouds and how they form we will study how master painters have tackled them, gaining insight and inspiration from their techniques.

We will try various techniques for painting clouds using different brushes and a little palette knife work too.

Through a series of exercises and lectures we will deepen our understanding of the design principles that should be considered when composing a painting of a sky and we will learn how to arrange cloud forms and colours to make a pleasing and believable scene.  

A thorough study of colours and pigments used for paintings skies will allow us to experiment with capturing mood and balancing our paintings to create harmony.

An exercise on painting sunsets and the colour shifts that occur later in the day will ensure soft and glowing scenes – and help to avoid lurid or garish ones!

Suitable for learners of all levels in all opaque media, this workshop is not suitable of painters using watercolours.

What you will need:

A laptop, Macbook, PC, iPad or tablet

Easel or table easel if you have one.

Suitable paper, canvas or board for your choice of media. Please prepare at least 5 boards, panels or sheets of A3 (12 x 16”) size or smaller.

A range of soft and firm brushes in various sizes will be helpful. I’ll bring some for you to try out too.

A palette knife of whatever shape you like to use.

A good range of colours to ensure a full spectrum palette is always advisable. Please bring whatever colours you are familiar with using.

Here’s list of the PIGMENTS I find particularly helpful in painting clouds and skies – please note that the names given to their colours may vary from one manufacturer to another.

Titanium white

Warm white/lead white substitute

Lemon yellow

Indian yellow red shade

Permanent orange

Cadmium red light

Quinacridone rose

Cobalt blue

Cerulean blue/ phthalocyanine blue

Ultramarine blue

Warm yellow ochre

Raw umber