Why Invent Skyscapes When Nature Does It For You?

One advantage of this time of year in the high northern latitudes is that it's easy to watch the sunrise. And yet again nature showed me that if you just keep looking, spectacular and unexpected things will reveal themselves. Such as the sun turning a bank of clouds pink behind a dark band of clouds, as the photo above shows. Why would I bother inventing a scene for a painting when imaginative skyscapes are presented to me?

If I were to paint this, I'd start by painting the pink all over the canvas. Then I'd dab on some blobs of titanium white and several of Payne's grey, then use a dry brush to swirl the paint and mix in a bit all on the canvas.

See Also:
• How to Paint Clouds Wet-on-Wet
• Tips on Painting Realistic Clouds

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