SPECIALTY PROGRAM

Painting Mood and Atmosphere

in Gouache
Cumulus Cloudscape

OVERVIEW
This assignment is to capture the grandeur of a massive cloud over a simple ribbon landscape. My
approach with clouds is to establish a warm undertone to the entire painting and to see the cloud as
two shapes, lit or unlit. The lit side will receive bright creamy white–the shadow side a slightly darker
warm tone than the first overall tint of the picture. The blue sky and the mellower blues in the shadow
areas come later.
The most important thing about a cloud picture is the shape of the cloud. If the shapes are unattractive
or confusing the painting will fail. The chosen picture forms a “V” shape with the effect of putting the
cloud in motion from right to left. There is a pale turquoise mountain range in the distance exactly the
same color as the bottom of the clouds and connected to them by a haze of rain falling in a small area.
Much of the blending will again be done with a small amount of clear water in your brush. Don’t overdo
this as you will eat your way to board.
The landscape is very simple with a few foreground undulations and three trees on the left. This odd
number and varying sizes is ideal. The fence line is randomized in both verticality and spacing...very
casual, one stroke each! Keep them thin.

Preserving the Traditions of the Masters

© Watts Atelier of the Arts, LLC, 2013 www.wattsatelier.com 1
 SPECIALTY PROGRAM
3DLQWLQJ0RRGDQG$WPRVSKHUH
LQ*RXDFKH
&XPXOXV&ORXGVFDSH

- TIP -
'RXEOHRUWULSOHRYHUDOHQJWK
RISDSHUWRZHODQGVRDNLWZLWK
ZDWHU6TXHH]HRXWH[WUDZDWHU
DQGSODFHRQ\RXUWUD\3DLQW
SODFHGKHUHZLOOVWD\ZHWDOOGD\

MATERIALS
PAINTS–GOUACHE
‡8OWUDPDULQH%OXH
‡3KWKDOR%OXH
‡:LQVRU*UHHQ SETTING UP
‡$OL]DULQ&ULPVRQ
‡)ODPH5HGRU&DGPLXP5HG &XWWKHERDUGXVLQJDQ;DFWRNQLIHDPHWDO
‡&DGPLXP2UDQJH UXOHUDQGORQJHDV\VWURNHVGRQ WIRUFHLW
‡&DGPLXP<HOORZ3DOHRU/LJKW :KHQDERXWKDOIZD\WKURXJKEHQGWKHERDUG
‡&DGPLXP/HPRQ VOLJKWO\WRRSHQXSWKHFXWDELWZLGHU<RXFDQ
FRQWLQXHFXWWLQJQRZZLWKRXWWKHUXOHUXVLQJ
%586+(6
WKHVDPHHDV\VWURNHV
‡5REHUW6LPPRQVZKLWHVDEOHURXQGV
&HQWHU\RXUSULQWRIWKHFXUUHQWDVVLJQPHQWRQ
DQGD1/2ZKLWHVDEOHIODW
WKH´[´ERDUG3RNHDSXVKSLQOLJKWO\DW
wash
HDFKFRUQHU'UDZSHQFLOOLQHVRQWKHERDUG
‡XWLOLW\EUXVK
FRQQHFWLQJWKHVHKROHV7DSHRIIWKHUHFWDQJOH
685)$&( FUHDWHGDQGWDSH\RXUSULQWLQSRVLWLRQ7UDQV
‡&UHVFHQWERDUG&XWD[ IHU\RXULPDJHRQWRWKHERDUG7KLVLVGRQHE\
LQWRIRXUHTXDOSLHFHV[ FRDWLQJDQ´[´WUDFLQJVKHHWZLWKVRIW
MISCELLANEOUS JUDSKLWH²FRYHULWZHOO6TXLUWOLJKWHUIOXLGLQWR
‡'UDZLQJERDUGZLWKFOLSV [ DQDSNLQZUDSSHGDURXQG\RXUILQJHU8VLQJD
‡:DWHU%XFNHW4W FLUFXODUPRWLRQVSUHDGWKHQRZGLVVROYLQJ
‡*RRGOLJKWLQJRQERDUG SDOHWWH JUDSKLWHVRDVWRFUHDWHDGDUNFRDWLQJ3ODFHLW
‡3DSHUWRZHOV XQGHU\RXULPDJHJUDSKLWHGRZQDQGWUDFHWR
‡:KLWHDUWLVWWDSH WUDQVIHU

Preserving the Traditions of the Masters

© Watts Atelier of the Arts, LLC, 2013 www.wattsatelier.com 2
1
 SPECIALTY PROGRAM
Painting Mood and Atmosphere
in Gouache
Cumulus Cloudscape

Wet the board and apply a

thin yellow/touch of orange
wash over the entire image.
While still damp add a thin
wash of orange with a touch
of ultramarine over the land-
scape area and let dry. Use a
1.5 -2" brush to apply these
washes. Always use the lar-
gest brush you can effectively
handle when painting in
gouache. The reason for this
is that the larger the brush
the more paint it will hold.
This is an important quality
as running out in mid-stroke leads to a spotty look, especially in large wash areas. Work on a flat, horizon-
tal surface with washes and let dry there.

Notice the cloud is broken up into zones which describe the approximate point where a shadowy area ends
and light begins. The absolute hardness of these edges will usually want to get softened. In the areas shown,
apply a thin wash of very light orange. This is the effect of bounced warm light into the shadows. Some
shades of light blue or violet blue will overpaint much of this wash.
The sky (Ultramarine Blue,
Phthalo Blue with white) is
blocked in next. Note the
very lowest sky areas are to
be very light with traces of
very light green. The moun-
tain range will receive this
same turquoise hue as the
underside of the clouds.
Re-wet the land zone and
with a mixture of orange
with a touch of green sweep
a few long strokes in slight
curves across the landscape.
Don't over-do it, don't fuss.

Preserving the Traditions of the Masters

© Watts Atelier of the Arts, LLC, 2013 www.wattsatelier.com 3
 SPECIALTY PROGRAM
Painting Mood and Atmosphere
in Gouache
Cumulus Cloudscape

With mostly white plus a bit

of orange and yellow, paint
in heavily-lit cloud areas with
not much water, using a light
soft touch at the shadow
edges. A very light pinkish-
violet is lightly painted over
the warm shadow areas with
a bit of water in the mix. Use
the image to locate where the
darkest areas are. Using a bit
of clear water, extend this
color delicately outward to
let the warm undertone show.
As you paint downward keep
adding bits of lightened sky color plus a bit of Winsor Green (makes it turquoise) in the areas shown and
the mountains. Paint a narrow stripe of very light turquoise at their base all across. With clear water and
a small brush, soften this stripe with repeated long easy strokes (using ruler). Add a thin stroke of darker
blue below and a broader very thin orange and green wash below that. Soften.

Mix a large quantity of a more colorful darker blue (Phthalo Blue with Ultramarine Blue and a bit of
white). Mix a good quantity of a lighter Winsor Green with white and Phthalo Blue–see the low holes in
cloud for color. Start at those holes and apply the light color while adding some of the darker blue as you
move upwards in the picture until using pure darker blue at the top. Using orange and a bit of Winsor
Green, paint a thin line at
the base of the trees and
painting outward from this
line with short, dry strokes
(always outward from the
center of growth). Add a thin,
light cream line as shown.
Add a dipping, thin orange
and green wash stroke at the
fence line, soften with water.
Add posts very lightly at
varying tilts. Keep them
light! Smooth undersides of
clouds.

Preserving the Traditions of the Masters

© Watts Atelier of the Arts, LLC, 2013 www.wattsatelier.com 4