The art of painting is one of the most valuable achievements of the cultural development of mankind, which makes the hearts of experienced spectators tremble. Mastery of watercolors, the most capricious and sensual paint, puts the creator on a new pedestal of craftsmanship. Today we will give some advice to those watercolorists who reveal their talent through picturesque landscapes, namely, we will tell you how to draw clouds in watercolor.
Do not save on materials
Responsibly to the materials that you will work with: watch for the cleanliness of the brushes and the safety of the pile, no one needs the villi to climb during operation.
If you outline a sketch before working with tone, then do it with a hard pencil with barely noticeable lines: such a contour will not smear the drawing, and subsequently it can be gently erased with an eraser from the finished image. Although some artists deliberately leave marking lines to give the work a picturesque negligence.
Of great importance is the choice of paper. Often, artists are faced with highly absorbent, dense specimens. Or, they take too thin sheets that are “washed out” from a light touch with a brush. Do not save on paper, but rather buy a trial format and test before going to the open air (drawing from nature in nature).
Creating clouds in watercolor, the artist not only works on nature, but puts a particle of soul into the drawing. The character of the picture can well emphasize the embossed texture of the paper.
Play with the plane
Surprisingly, attaching the sheet to a vertical tablet or to a board that you will keep on your lap also has an effect on the technique of the work. When standing, you get the opportunity to see the whole picture at every moment of drawing. However, it’s more difficult for you to control the paint, smudges can run. Preferences depend on the style of the author.
Wet sheet
Some artists prefer to work on dry sheets, creating original and clear-cut contours of work, but atmospheric landscapes that convey the professionalism and skill of the author are mostly made in a raw manner. The sheet is attached to the masking tape to the plank (tablet) and is evenly wetted with a wide brush. Then the paper is allowed to absorb water for a couple of minutes, and only then they begin to paint. This layer is used for undermining - lining of the paint under the main layer.
Be patient and after applying each layer, let the paint dry time to continue painting.
Start from the bright
Clouds in watercolor are a rather whimsical phenomenon in illustration. This paint has the property to fade when dried, and, knowing this fact, you knowingly impose a darker tone. However, do not rush. Until a complete understanding of the picture appears and you cover the entire area of the sheet with color, do not condense the tone. You always have time to dial, but blurring the result is much more difficult and less effective.
If you paint clouds on a clear, sunny day, use yellow and ocher inks for the starting coat. This is a reflex of sunlight.
Pour colors
Painting is a play of light, color and play. When painting clouds in watercolor and adding a blue tint, take pink or purple in it. It all depends on the weather and the environment. On the clouds, everything that is beneath them on the ground (sea, meadow, forest and flowers) can be reflected in shades. Filling a certain area with paint, do not dampen it with a nuclear tint, but put a smear of a different color on its border and smoothly pour one color into another.
Work patiently in layers - this gives you great freedom in corrections, versatility and complexity of the result.
And remember: there is no absolute white in the sky, so even in the brightest areas you need to walk with a brush with a touch.
Do not be afraid of contrasts
Next to the complex gray color, orange will seem even brighter! This will give a natural expressiveness and emotional intensity to your work.
Break clouds into objects
To paint clouds in watercolor does not mean to create shapeless cotton. The artist paints an object that has its own visual relief and shadows. Try to think in arrays and break clouds into geometric primitives (spheres, parallelepipeds). This will help in transferring the form.
Use the aerial perspective
As you know, all objects that are closer to a person have a sharper outline. The paint that approaches the horizon line is written off and blurred, which creates an aerial perspective and illustrates the laws of physics.
Today we gave you tips on how to draw clouds in watercolor. We wish you success!