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Plein Air

Anatomy of the Landscape: Clouds

by Artists Network Staff

The sky can be the crowning glory of a landscape painting, with a well-done version enhancing the
harmony of the overall piece and a less accurately rendered version detracting from the focus of the
elements beneath. Within that sky, there is the possibility for any arrangement of cloud shapes and
styles, from high and billowy to low and wispy, and knowing and understanding cloud formations before
painting them on-site can help in depicting them more accurately. Although there are patterns of clouds
that do not necessarily fit into a particular category, following are the seven most commonly encountered
cloud formations in nature.

CUMULUS:

These are probably the most commonly seen clouds, and they are usually present on fair, clear, sunny
days. They resemble huge masses of puffy wool and float through the sky at various heights, with the side
of the cloud that is facing the sun usually being very bright and the side that is farther from the sun
usually appearing dark with bright edges. The undersides of these clouds are usually flat, while the puffy
parts appear mainly on the top and sides of the formation.

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STRATUS:
These clouds can almost be described as a spreadsheet of layered fog that hangs low to the horizon on
gray days, usually during the winter. They are often layered and sometimes have horizontal bands of
shapes that indicate a possibility of rain. Artists often find these clouds the easiest to paint for their
simple shape and pattern.

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CUMULONIMBUS:
Cumulonimbus clouds are also known as thunder or shower clouds and usually appear on warm, summer
afternoons prior to a storm. These clouds can look like cumulus clouds for their rounded, puffy shape but
have an almost cirruslike appearance at the top and more of a nimbus-cloud look at the bottom.
Cumulonimbus clouds can float very low to the landscape and often build up high.

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ALTOCUMULUS:
Sometimes referred to as “sheep” formations, altocumulus clouds are large, soft, white groups often
spread into lines, at heights that vary from three to four miles. They usually appear on clear, hazy days
and also at sunrise and sunset. Artists sometimes find this type of cloud hardest to paint, as the
formations are usually spread across the sky in a zigzag pattern.

   

STRATOCUMULUS:
As their name suggests, stratocumulus clouds are an accumulation of stratus clouds and cumulus clouds
with a dark, twisted appearance. The clouds themselves appear low and lumpy and are not very thick.
They vary in color from dark gray to light gray and can sometimes have breaks of clear sky in between
them, even though they are often carrying rain.

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5 comments on “Anatomy of the Landscape: Clouds”

Anonymous says:
Clouds are not all created equal, just like not every sunset or
skyscape is the same. They all have their own unique look and feel,
even though we can see them all the time. And it is the plein air
artist's goal, passion, purpose to eek out that unique

June 12, 2012 at 9:37 pm Reply

Nicole Hyde says:

Great blog post! I love cloud watching and am always drawn to look at the clouds and the sky
in a painting first. Thanks for this post.

June 2, 2009 at 8:45 am Reply

Anonymous says:
Pingback from » Cloud height Long Key State Park

May 10, 2009 at 6:09 am Reply

Allison Malafronte says:

Thanks for your useful comments, Phil!

April 22, 2009 at 1:31 pm Reply

Phil4a says:
Nice summery of the different types of clouds.
By the way, cirrus clouds are often forerunners of rain. cumulonimbus clouds usually contain
updrafts and downdrafts within them and lightening to add to the mix. They reach high into
the atomsphere. I also think that these are the type of cloud that spawns tornados. On the
good side, the lightning frees nitrogen which falls to earth to enrich the soil and fertilize the
plant life.

April 16, 2009 at 11:45 am Reply

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