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

How to Paint Storm Clouds and Wheat Field

For the longest time going back to when I was a boy I have always been fascinated with weather particularly thunderstorms.  Thunderstorms are dangerous, they have a history of destroying property and taking lives.  Whenever I'm indoors at home and I hear thunder I immediately go to the window or look outside at the sky whether at night or in the day.

There is a beautiful appeal to me about thunderstorms in the fact the cloud are so different in their appearance.  The clouds have a cauliflower appearance to them and according to the time of day beautiful values of grays and blues.  As an artist I am moved to paint these majestic cloud onto the canvas.  So in this blog I want to share with you how I produced this paint from imagination.

After drawing a thumbnail sketch of what Im going to paint, I determined that it was going to be day time theme in which there is a thunderstorm appoaching a wheat field.  As you look at the photo above I have a glass palette with duck tape around the edges to prevent myself from being cut.  Grey board underneath glass palette.

A square piece of white watercolor paper also underneath the glass.  I have a palette knife and 3 brushes.  The 3 brushes are hog hair bristles a #2 bright brush #4 filbert and a #5 flat brush.  The colors I used to mix for the sky and mostly the clouds seen here are  phthalocyanine blue, sky blue, titanium white, neutral gray, flesh yellow, and flesh.

I used a sponge brush which is not shown in the photo above to stain the entire canvas in order to remove the white.  I used the #2 bright brush to paint in the features of the subject.  I used a wash of yellow ochre for the underpainting.

Next I used the same #2 bright brush for the edges of the clouds and I used it to block in the stream of water.  Also the sky was blocked in with a #5 long bristle flat brush.  This is the only stage I used the #5 brush.

"Storm Appoaching Wheat Field" done in Acrylic 10"x10"  ©2018 DWeaver Art

The rest of the painting I used for the trees titanium white, light green yellow ochre, grass green, and phthalocynine blue.  Finally, for the wheat field and cast shadow on to the stream of water I used neutral gray, black, perminent red, phthalocynine blue and raw umber yellow ochre and titanium white.

I hope this blog has inspired you to paint and have taught you something you can use in your next painting.  If you have been enriched by this art blog then please feel free to comment below or send me a messege at deeweaver15@gmail.com  Thank you very much. Find a pencil or brush and create something beautiful.

How to Paint a Cloud above Clouds in Acrylic

Clouds are very beautiful to me.  I really enjoy looking at them espeically during twilight or earily evening.  They then to take on a more remarkable beauty of colors.  For example, lavender, pink, orange, yellow just to name a few.  In this art blog I want to discuss my approach at painting a clouds above clouds. 

 
The first step is to do a thumbnail drawing of what you plan on painting.  After a very small thumbnail is completed with its over all values of at least 4 then it is time to move forward to doing an underpainting from the thumbnail drawing. 

Here as you can see from the photo above is the underpainting of a cloud.  An underpainting is done in a monochromatic color scheme like the one above in the photo.  For this underpainting I used yellow ochre to place down my composition and values.  I also used a #2 bright brush to apply the paint.

Next I added color to the underpainting.  For the darkest values of color I mixed in phthalocyanine blue, permanent red and a little amount of gray.  For the middle value tone of color I mixed in medium yellow, yellow ochre and orange.  Now for the highest value for the clouds I mixed medium yellow, titanium white and a very small amount of yellow ochre. 

I used the same brush from my underpainting a #2 bright brush which has short bristles unlike a flat brush which has longer bristles.  I mixed in two values of blue for the sky to give it a more atmospheric depth of illusion.  For this final mix, I used for the darker value of blue titanium white with a very small amount of sky blue. 

Finally,  I mixed in for the lightest value of sky with titanium white, a small amount of sky blue and a trace of yellow ochre.  Like orange and red to name a few colors they are very saturated and can easily dominate or take over the color value and intesity.  The technique I used is that I used the tip and side of the bright brush to paint in my clouds.  Last for painting in the sky I used a #8 filbert brush. 

I hope this process post on painting a cloud above clouds in acrylic has been helpful and inspiring.  If you are pleased with this post feel free to comment below and perhaps share with me your approach or your personally feelings about this post.  Thank you very much.










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Color Pencil Drawing of Head Wrapped Woman

"Colorful Head Wrapped Woman" 9"x12" done in prismacolor pencil on gray toned paper DWeaverArt © 2018

Painting in Still Life using Acrylic Paint

I titled this painting "The Holy Bible and Candle".  The Holy Bible contains the written and inspired word of God which is holy.  How appropriate to title this piece because through out the Holy Bible particularly in the Psalms and Proverbs of the old testament God's Word was symbolized as light.  The word light occurs 272 times through out the Bible.  Job being the most with 31 times, Psalm 24 times and third Isaiah with 22 times. The Holy Bible contains truth for mankind it reveal God's heart and thoughts concerns all the issues of life.  In Psalm 119:105 it says, "Your word is a lamp to my feet and a lamp to my path," Also Psalm 119:130 says, "The entrance of your words gives light; it gives understanding to the simple."  When I think of artist who are know for painting light they would be Rhembrant and Kincade.  These artist were know for capturing mood the overall feeling and essence of the setting or subject.  Rhembrant a dutch painter in the 15th century in Europe painted his subjects in dark settings but lit in candle light with a dark background.  While Kincade painted out door sinces of cottages with a beautiful pallate of pastel colors expressing the indoor and out door artifical light.  I'm sure you may know others besides these to artist who are know for painting light.   In this painting I wanted to work on the skill of painting light.  If one is to have a basic understanding of painting light they must understand value the lightness or darkness of a color.  Also one must know color theory the desaturation and saturation of a color.  Finally one must grasp the concept of warm and cool colors on the color wheel.  A color can be warm, cool or neutral being (black grey and white).

Here is my process on this painting explained.  I used a #4 bright brush which is a shorter bristle and mixed raw umber and yellow ochre.  I watered down the colors to a wash to ground the canvas or to stain it.  At this point I established the compostion with a line drawing.  Here you can see where the point of emphesis being the flame on the top of the candle.  If you notice this design happens not to be a strong compostion.  There is only two subjects.  Finally, I want you to notice the perspective being established to create a sense of depth in how the bible is placed.

   
Now at this stage I have already blocked in the the entire painting.  I want you to notice at this point, the top of the candle the use of effectively creating the illusion of light.  This is how I accomplished this by mixing orange yellow orcher and medium yellow.  This allows the eye to see the glowing effect of light.  I did now use black to create the darkness of the background and shadows.  I mixed phthalocyanine blue raw umber and crimson to achieve this dark value.  Finally, I want you to see the surface of the table in which the light is reflected and fades as it recedes in to the darkness.  The candle is casting a shadow onto the table surface.  Here you see the reflective light on the rear side of the  bible and candle.

"Holy Bible and Candle Light" done in acrylic 10"x10" on canvas DWeaverArt © 2018

Painting of Nocturnal Storm

"Nocturnal Storm" done in acrylic in 2015

As most of you who have been reading and flowing my blog know that I have a strong interest in thunderstorms.  I have always been fascinated with them since I was a youth.  What really excites me is to be able to paint these storm clouds.   Storm clouds carry a certain mood of danger with intense wind and lightning with them.  They can alter the temperature of the day as well as darken up a sunny sky.  Please take the time to view my public instagram account on instagram.com/dweaverart.

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.