How to Paint a Cloudscape and Cityscape

There is nothing more beautiful in nature than a colorful sky at sunset or at sunrise.  Also what is beautiful is a city skyline at twilight and a towering thunderstorm looming a city.  In this blog I discuss how I painted a cumulonimbus cloud with an anvil top near city buildings.

I started this painting like most of my paintings with an underpainting.  I used a yellow ochre wash to accomplish this.  

Here is a view of my glass palatte a palatte knife and the colors I mixed.  I used phthylocyanine blue, sky blue, medium red, medium gray yellow ochre, flesh, and white.  I blocked in the sky using a #5 filbert brush. 

In this stage according the picture above I blocked the the sky in.  I used a liquitex slow dry medium to retard the drying process.  For the dark cloud color value I used a mixture of sky blue, medium gray a small amount of medium red. 

Here is the image of the painting before I altered the clouds and building.  I was not satisfied with the form of the cloud at the time they looked a little flat.  I reworked the clouds using a #4 round brush to blend and block in the form.  I premixed all the values of color for the clouds and applied the paint. 

For the cityscape in the foreground I used medium red, phthylocyanine blue and burnt umber.  I look at this cityscape in the fore ground and I said to myself, "It looks flat".  As a result I gave it a 3 dimensional perspective by mixing titanium and black to produce a gray hue.  I applied paint along the side on the right of the tallest buildings.  

Finally, for the reflective light I mix orange and yellow ochre and I used titanium white for the highly reflective light from the sunset.  I did this by using a #4 bright brush and a #2 liner brush. 

"Twilight Strike" done in acylic on stretched canvas @ 16"x20" DWeaverArt © 2018

Thank very much for reading this blog post I look forward to sharing with you more of my process and creations.  Please message me if you have any comments or questions about this painting through email at deeweaver15@gmail.com or share your comment below.  Thank you

Cedar Lake Edition II

Cedar Lake Edition II 11x14 on panel done in acrylic DWeaverArt ©2018

It is such a beauty to behold the hand work of God.  There is so much beauty in His creation.  I'm so amazed at what He has revealed to mankind through nature.  Water is physical however, it has a spiritual quality to it.  It is colorless, tasteless and conforms to any shape. Water can take on different states gas, liquid and ice. Water makes up most of our planet and it support life.  It is very refreshing, nourishing and reflects light.  I painted this second Edition out of a love ones request of me.  This is the second painting of Cedar Lake, the first painting is only 4x4 inches.  I posted several months ago the first Cedar Lake painting in which this piece was inspired from.  I titled the blog article "How to Paint a Seascape".  The colors scheme or harmony I chose resonates with me in this painting not only with me but others.  This painting to me is very peaceful in it's mood.  The sun is either going doing or rising up I left it up to the beholder.  My mood and perception I pick up from this piece is that the sun is rising up.  A beginning of something new and hopeful.  I used a #2 liner to begin the under painting.  I went on to use a # 4 flat brush to complete the entire painting.  I hope you are emotionally moved with this painting as most are.  This painting can be watched in is process on my YouTube Channel titled Dee Weaver Art.  Thank you for reading my blog. If you have any comments or questions then email me at deeweaver15@gmail.com.

Landscape Painting of Red Barn and Storm Clouds

Approaching Storm

"Approaching Storm" is a painting that I'am pleased to share.  This painting depicts my intrest in storms and barns.  I really like storms and barns.  Partically, old run down barns.  However this painting shows a red barn in good condition. This is a painting I finished this past weekend. It took me a week to complete it.  Althought about 5hrs went into it.  "Approaching Storm" was done on an 18x24 inch canvas with acrylic paint.  I painted this from imagination something I really don't do. I usually go by a image. I had a lot of fun like most of my art work.  This painting is the only one I have this at this size.  I do plan on painting more at this size and larger.  I wanted to share with you my process in creating this peice. 

Sky and Clouds

I first drew in the barn mountains and tree.  This created my blueprint for what and where I need to paint. I started out with a flat brush with blue acrylic paint to create the sky.  I preped canvas with water by spraying water on it with a fine mist.  I applied the paint with a large 1 1/2 flat brush and went in a horizontal motion left to right to smoothly coat the canvas.  Next I mixed some blue, black, and white to create the clouds. I used a filbert brush to paint the tones and values of the clouds.

Base of the Cloud

Next I mixed more of the blue black and white to apply and blend in the darkness of the base of the cloud.  I still used a filbert brush to apply the paint mixture.  At this point you can see the contour of the horizon line of the mountains and the barn. 

Underpainting of Landscape

Well here I am. Next I used brown acrylic paint with a light wash to create the underpainting.  At this stage and with most underpaintings I just wanted to block in the dark tones and mid tones.  Now at this stage you can see the mountains the barn and the paths layed out.  Whenever I do an underpainting I alway use most water into my brown paint.  This is how it creates a very light tone. Usually I allow this to be the highlight tone in other paintings.

Adding Hue and Details to Landscape

Finally this is the last process picture showing most has been painted except barn being painted.

Whenever you do a landscape paint you always paint sky background to the fore ground.  I laid down the tones of color for the distant mountain.  The atmosphere away form the sun has a cool tint to it when the sun is out of object from a great distance.  This gives your painting depth (the illusion of distance) on a flat 2 dimensional surface.  I used a flat brush to paint the mountains. The furtherest mountain I used more blue and white in my mixture of green.  The mountains more upclose I used more green and this created a tonal contrast of the 2 mountains. Next I used my filbert brush to apply yellow paint to give the illusion of yellow flowers.  Next I used the same filbert brush and apply brown paint and darkened the paths in the meadow. Next I used a fan brush to paint in the peaks of grass.  I only applied green paint on the tip of the fan brush.  Next I used a small liner brush and created the trunk and branches of the tree.  Finally, I used my fan brush once again to apply different shades of green to my tree to create leaves. Note whenever you paint leave make sure you have a sense of light direction.  If your light is coming from the right then let your leaves be the brightest on the same side of the light source and vice versa.  I hope you like my painting "Approaching Storm". Please feel free to like, share, or comment on this blog. Thank you.

Abstract Landscape Paintings

Distant Mountain

I wanted to create a landscape abstract seen with a unique color scheme.  Distant Mountain was a painting I created to show depth or distant using atmosphere value.  In other words, the further away something is in a landscape the lighter the value of it's color.  This painting was done in 2014 in September.  I used acrylic paint to produce this painting. My brushes was liner and filbert. I usually use a sponge when I make landscape paintings however this time I did not. The painting is 5 x 7 inches

Pink Vegetation

Here is another abstract painting produced on the same day but with a different color scheme.  If you notice the composition is different as well. In this painting I introduced a trail or a path.  This painting was produced in acrylic as well.  I used a liner brush, round brush, and filbert brush. Finally, the sky background I wanted to capture the transition of sky tones.  This painting is 5 x 7 inches.

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Acrylic Painting of Palm Trees

Between the Two Palm Trees 

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I was originally inspired to paint an abstract in this color scheme.  The process involved a sable brush, sponge and pallete knife. The colors I used for this painting was: black, white, green, light brown, blue, and yellow. This painting was created sometime last year in 2014.
As I stated earlier I started out with an abstract in mind but during the process I changed my mind.  I just did not like how it was develeping. I left what I had on the canvas and took a break, while on break I decided to do a beach schene in some what of an abstract style concering the sky.

As you can see when I started out with the painting my dominate color was yellow.  This eventual turn into the background forming the sky. I mixed some green and white into the yellow.  I acheived this by spraying some water on to the yellow painted surface for the sky. Then I followed up with a sponge that contained a mixture of green and white to create the clouds.  I dabbed the canvas repeatedly over the areas where I wanted clouds.

Next I focused on the water. I mixed blue and some green to acheive a seawater likeness. Later I added waves.  I accomplished this by using a sable brush which is designed to blend paint. I only used the tip of the edge of the brush with white paint.  By doing this is gave the painting a sense of depth or distance. I used the wet on wet technique to blend the seawater color tones with the sable brush in a horizotal motion.

The beach and palm trees were last in the process.  For those who do not know when you paint a landscape you always work from background to the foreground in the composition.  I used a palette knife to apply the paint to create the beach and palm trees.  I mixed black and green to get a very dark green. Also a used paint medium called Liquitex mattie super heavy gel and add it into the paint to thicken it.  By doing this it created texture which you can see in the beach and palms.  When I finish it I look at the painting and there was something missing birds so a just added some birds into the sky and this completed the painting.
This painting titled "Between the Palm Trees" are available in prints at www.fineartamerica.com  If you are interested in the original then please email me. Thank you.

Looking up through the Trees

Looking Up Through the Tree Tops Brings Warm Memmories


This painting was done in acrylic size (10 x 14 cm).  I was inspired to do natural abstract piece from nature.  This work literally brings a warm feelings to me.  I grew up where there was lots of trees.  I remember moments walking through the woods right next to my home that there was a ditch it went through the woods. I would look up through the branches and leaves on a nice spring and summer day.

You might say,why do this painting too small.  Well I wanted to do a quick study on improving my ability to create the illusion of texture of the leaves. I used a flat brush to began my painting and I later switched to a liner brush to bring forth the branches and tree trunk.  I really like the natural color scheme of the sky blue and the various tones of green in the image.  I used a little of Liquitex matte super heavy gel to give the leaves a textured look to the piece. I really like to use liquitex (mshg) in my abstract creations. I wanted to capture the sunlight reflecting off the leaves high in the trees.

SHAPE AND TEXTURE USED TO DIVIDE COMPOSITION

My Thoughts on "Splash"

I love creating abstract art.  It truly allows me to express my thoughts and ideas through the means of painting. This piece I entitled it "Splash" came from an inspiration to produce a design which uses shape to separate color with texture.  The blue depicts the water the gray the sky and the blocks of color represents a collection of buoies in aqua and yellow.  I purposely selected yellow in this piece to provide a redirection of the eye to move away the main focal point. Some of the materials I uesed was a palette knife and sable brush.  Also I used achieve the impesto appeareance for the blocks of color dividing the water from sky Liquitex matte super heavy gel.