On a new layer, with a soft semi-transparent brush, paint rays of light and using the Eraser with the Flat Bristle texture to remove any unwanted parts. This will achieve the effect of thin scattered rays from the moon breaking through the clouds.
Painting clouds using spray cans
I suggest you test each color on scrap paper (the same kind as your painting) to see which gives you the results you want. It will also depend on the specific paper towel you are using. Some absorb better than others. You may want to try kleenex tissue too. It is quite absorbent. You also have to get your timing right. If you do it too soon after laying down pigment, more paint may flow back into the area. Ifyou wait too long, you will get less up.
Lorraine
Thanks for inspiring me![/COLOR]
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November 27, 2006 at 10:55 pm #1078610
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Practice. ) I don’t use tissues as they pill and leave bits on the painting. I do use sometimes home brand serviettes.. Lorraine is quite correct in that you need to do some samples, also check on your tube as to which colours are staining and which aren’t.. I use M.Graham paints and even tho they are staining, I do lift them quite easily when I need to.. JJ
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November 27, 2006 at 11:58 pm #1078614
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No, dampening the towel would diminish its capacity to soak up pigment. A towel can only hold so much, kinda like a gas tank. Fill up the tank halfway, it can only take on another half tank. Make sense?
cdrane
November 28, 2006 at 12:15 am #1078611
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A sponge must be wetted before it works.
Wet it squeeze it out.
And with brushes, a dry brush will not pick up, wet it first, then when it is damp it will wick. But paper towels, toilet paper, all work on the gas tank principle.
November 28, 2006 at 5:12 am #1078612
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The only way to keep pristine white is not to paint it at all, so when you apply your wash leave white areas and soften the edges with clear water. Have a look at some of Arnold Lowerys work he leaves great areas left untouched. Clouds are not always white anyway and I use a ‘thirsty brush’ (a brush that is wet but with all the water squeezed out) to take out my clouds, but you have got to keep rinsing and squeezing, otherwise the brush justs puts the paint it soaked up back in the painting. When it dries the clouds look white, but with little soft edged shadows all over them. Just like real clouds are. I find that a paper towel is too severe, it soaks up all the water off the paper and can leave hard edges. As Rod says it is the quality of the paper that counts. Yesterday I was painting on some inferior 300lb paper, and it was awful. I couldn’t lift back to white and everything dried back to a grainy scratchy look. I threw it away. It is as JJ says you got to keep practicing. We are all still learning.
Kev Insanity is hereditary . you can get it from your children . or my case Grandchildren
November 28, 2006 at 6:25 am #1078613
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Try looking at all the projects here, Charles Evans, he uses a thirsty brush to take out paint in his skies. If you look at this one SEEHERE he has large clouds all lifted out with the thirsty brush. And you would swear that he used masking fluid to get the white outline of the tree. No he just dragged the paint out with a thirsty brush. You have the right paints, now practice the method. Arches, Bockingford, Saunders, Whatman are all good papers and should lift easily. What ever you do don’t get Hahnemuhle Torchon, you just can’t lift at all. Evans just uses plain simple Dalon Sapphire Synthetic brushes. Not expensive at all. Also I would recommend that you continue painting your picture even if you don’t think the clouds are ‘white’ enough, when you get all your darks in the foreground you will be amazed at how much the colours in the sky have changed.
Kev Insanity is hereditary . you can get it from your children . or my case Grandchildren
November 28, 2006 at 8:18 am #1078615
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Also I would recommend that you continue painting your picture even if you don’t think the clouds are ‘white’ enough, when you get all your darks in the foreground you will be amazed at how much the colours in the sky have changed.
Oh I couldn’t agree with Kev more… You will be amazed how light / white some things turn when the darks are added. Many values are relative to the surroundings.
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November 28, 2006 at 8:22 am #1078616
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Also I would recommend that you continue painting your picture even if you don’t think the clouds are ‘white’ enough, when you get all your darks in the foreground you will be amazed at how much the colours in the sky have changed.
Yes, I am seeing that now as I worked on my repaint of my first project last night.
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November 28, 2006 at 11:30 am #1078618
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I can’t seem to lift the color all the way to the white I want. A also have available Cerulean Blue and Cobalt Blue all in WN artist formula.
I used to have this problem as well and realised that I was not using a clean area of the paper towel on each “lift”. So I was actually depositing more paint than I was lifting. I now use the method Ian King advocates – a loosely scrunched up ball of toilet tissue and roll it over the paper. It leaves some lovely shapes. Hope this helps.
Step 02: Background
On a new layer pick a color that will go well with the clouds to form the background of the sky. With a soft and smooth motion draw several broad stripes across the canvas, creating a gradient.
Paint sky background colors with a soft, smooth motion
Step 03: Main shape
Now it is time to work on the main shape of the clouds by looking for a composition and design. Using a broad brush, choose the color and mood of the entire composition, and in a few quick movements create the forms. By painting with movements that are fast and chaotic you can make the forms more dynamic.
Quickly paint cloud forms with chaotic strokes of a broad brush
Step 04: Light and shadow
Once you have the cloud forms defined you need to add light and shadow to give them depth. Using a small sized brush and a darker tone create shadows on the cloud. On a new layer add highlights on the brightest areas. You also need to add some light in between the clouds.
Paint light and shadow with slightly adjusted tones
Clouds. Aren’t they amazing?
Two years ago I took a very helpful watercolor painting class. One of our assignments was to paint clouds.
Connecting Art with Science
I love to make connections with other subjects. This one is perfect for my 5th/6th grade because in Science class they study cloud identification. They come into my class with a broad understanding of clouds which makes my lesson richer.
The Clouds in Art Gallery is amazing. This gallery features famous paintings (for example, by Van Gogh, Constable, Turner, Renoir) with the clouds identified. To start this lesson, I downloaded the powerpoint from the website to show my students.
The One Tool I Can’t Live Without for Watercolor Painting
Hands down, my favorite tool for watercolor painting is the fan brush. Buy fan brushes in a variety of sizes. If your budget is small, start by buying a small assortment every year. They are indispensable for creating texture!
Tips for Using the Fan Brushes
1. Find reference photos of clouds to use while painting.
2. Use the paper towel to dab your brush so it is not dripping wet. A dry brush will create a nice texture.
3. Use a light feathery technique to make the texture in the clouds or grass. Look at this video to see what I mean. For the clouds, hold the brush flat and dab it up and down.
4. When painting the sky, remember to leave the cloud areas white, unpainted. Paint the sky around the clouds. While the blue paint is still wet, add other colors (different shades of blues, purples, etc) on top and it will blend the colors together. Creating variations in the shades makes a more realistic effect.
5. Go back in to add depth to your clouds with light touches of grays, pinks, purples.. the sky’s the limit!
