In my last post, I shared that I was reestablishing my art practice. In doing so, I’m committing to just 20 minutes a day of art (but I’m always happy to do more if the time permits!). 20 minutes of practice a day is great, but how does one actually apply that time? That’s where I’ve always gotten stuck.

Well, to help apply my time efficiently, I’m going to have monthly themes/focuses. These themes/focuses will also be related to targeted skills.

With that said, my first focus is on skies!

My Growth

When I started my painting journey, skies were the tool by which I measured my growth. I can remember calling my husband over, saying “look at my clouds! They’re starting to look like clouds and not blobs!” (For the record, he nodded politely).

Skies require various watercolor techniques, such as water control, flat wash/gradients, perspective, etc. While all of these skills must be balanced, skies are also very forgiving — as they can be as simple/basic or as complex as one wants them to be.

2020

My first-ever attempt at painting skies/clouds was while working through an Alicia Aradilla tutorial. I had no idea what water control was!

2024

My last skies of the year were painted as part of this little sketch. While the primary focus of this practice was on the autumn colors and grasses, you can see I tried to set the mood of the scene in the sky.

What’s Missing?

While I’ve certainly made progress over the years, I still have way more room to grow. My skies are elementary and generally flat — I always apply the same techniques: slight warmth near the horizon, blobs left behind for soft clouds, sometimes some shadowing that’s not intentionally applied. There are many more opportunities: cloud shadows, direction, colors, perspective, etc. that I really don’t do right now.

Artist Inspiration

There are many, many artists that I admire and look to for inspiration. When thinking about the realm of possibility for watercolor skies in particular, these are just a few of the names whose work in the space I admire (in no particular order):

Maria Smirnova

Maria Smirnova (@magrish on Instagram) is an accomplished artist who shares work on various subjects — all executed beautifully.

Several years ago, she created a “skybook”: a sketchbook focused solely on different sky renderings. The results are incredible — the vast array of colors, intensity, and shape show the true dynamic opportunity of such a seemingly simple subject.

Jared Cullum

Jared Cullum (@jaredcullum on Instagram) is an artist, cartoonist, teacher, and more. His work covers various mediums and subjects, from kitchen appliances to vast landscapes.

Jared’s style is unique and immediately recognizable to me. His subjects are clear and sharp, while the backgrounds are soft but bold. The elements don’t compete, but draw the user in and encourage them to experience all the different elements. To me, his skies are a key piece of this equation; they are vibrant and technically impressive.

Andy Evansen

Andy Evansen (@andyevansen on Instagram) is a renowned landscape artist. His scenes are vast, full of light and atmosphere. His watercolor skies play the perfect complement to his subjects, often showing gentle granulation.

The Plan

As mentioned before, the core of my plan is to practice for at least 20 minutes a day. But how can I make the most of my time?

I learned last year that my energy levels are the biggest factor in my practice. For example, If I have no energy, but have committed to doing a big painting, I’m more than likely not going to start. So to take this into account, I’m creating a list of things I can practice based on energy/time availability.

Low-Energy Practice

Low-energy days are a great time for me to practice existing skills. Things like these are all great candidates to keep my skills up with a low barrier-to-entry:

• flat washes
• smooth gradients
• water control (in the form of cloud renderings)
  

High-Energy Practice

When I have more energy or time, I will have a selection of references to paint from. These will allow me to try out new skills and apply existing ones.

Workshops/Tutorials

Watercolor skies are a popular workshop topic, so there is a nearly endless supply of tutorials to work from! Even better, the artists I mentioned as my inspiration all have tutorials specific to skies. I can use these as a way to learn and explore techniques that I might not be familiar with!

References

I’ve created a collection of references, tutorials, and inspiration images in a Pinterest board that I created just for this month, here.

End Goal

At the end of the month, I’m hoping to have a whole selection of sky studies to share — and a showcase piece to demonstrate the skills I acquired over the month!

What do you think about skies as an art subject? Do you have any references you want to share? Please let me know what you think in the comments!