Calico Art - Carol Vaage

Clouds Experiential Workshop Handout - SWESA
Carol Vaage

Part One: Introductory Comments to help class notice the wonder of clouds in the skies. By being aware of all of these different factors, they, as artists can vary their own painting when doing skies.

1. What colour are clouds? White – against blue sky, Grey, Black, Green, Blue, Purple, Yellow, Pink, Turquoise, Purple, …
    
2. What shape are clouds?
   1. Puffy - Cumulus: These are the fluffy, white, and often puffy clouds that look like cotton balls. They typically have a flat base and can grow quite tall.
   2. Horizontal - Stratus: These are flat, featureless clouds that often cover the entire sky like a blanket. They can bring overcast weather and light drizzle.
   3. Streaks - Cirrus: These are thin, wispy clouds that are high up in the sky. They often look like delicate streaks or feathers and are made of ice crystals.
   4. Billowing - Nimbostratus: These are thick, dark clouds that cover the sky and bring continuous, steady precipitation, like rain or snow.
   5. Churning - Cumulonimbus: These are massive, towering clouds that can bring thunderstorms. They often have an anvil-shaped top.
   6. Leaking – rain
       
3. Placement in the Sky?
   1. Very high
   2. By horizon
   3. Mid-level
   4. Encompassing full sky
       
4. Edges of Clouds
   1. Soft
   2. Hard
   3. Light shining between
   4. Lifting, softening, layering
       
5. Movement of clouds
   1. Windy
   2. Raining

​Part Two: Class Exercises

1. Blue sky with white clouds – using tissue to blot and lift, damp brush to lift. Add extra pigment to create layers and shadows.
      
     
   Left Cerulean; Middle: Cobalt; Right: Manganese Blue Hue
    
2. Wind and rain – grey clouds – dry brush to pull down diagonally. Split hairs on brush or use fan brush to do the pull downs.
       
    
   Misty greys, thicker clouds, heavier rain colorful clouds with rain in distance
    
3. Sunrise/sunset – colors, strata
          
   Left Examples are applied pigment in strata with dried brush and layering. Right examples are wet in wet with additional water dropped using a pipette to encourage color blending and bleeding.
4. Storm clouds
        
   Left examples are wet in wet dark and contrasting colors with added water from pipette. Right examples are more concentrated billowing clouds.

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Below are examples that were on display to give ideas to go boldly when painting clouds and skies.

Paintings by Carol Vaage