Cloud Painting (Again!)

Those who paint clouds realistically are few and far between. Most either come off looking like petrified cotton, are all lined up in rows, or are painted in way too many multiples. A few light, wispy clouds are all that are needed to add realism to a painted sky. Below are a few photos of backdrop clouds on my former layout.

 

 

see link below  for stencil method

 

 

https://ogrforum.com/d...ent/5653431174854662

I agree with the less is better approach. A few wispy clouds is all you need. I had to go back and paint over many of the clouds to get the effect I wanted. It's easy to overdo the number of clouds.

 

By the way, clouds tend to be more realistic when flatter on the bottom and "fluffier" on top. That helps eliminate the floating cotton candy look. Also, small groups of clouds here and there look better than equally spaced clouds all over the sky. 

 

 

Jim

Thanks, guys! Alan, thanks for the stencil link. Those results look a lot more like what I had in mind. Time to spend an evening or two cutting stencils.

 

Chris

LVHR

Remember. less is more. I like the look of wispy clouds. I simply used cans of spray paint to make my clouds. I you don't like the way they look at first just paint over them with blue and do them again. Don

Don your railroad is spectacular! I recently ran into a video of it that you put on youtube. Any chance there are more videos and or pictures? I would love to see it in more detail! 

I decided to try something a little different before I tackle the fluffy variety again. The other day we had an absolutely beautiful set of cirrus clouds roll in high above the puffy stuff. It looked like someone just took a wide paint brush and just lightly dragged it through the sky. I don't remember anyone trying these before, so here's my take. And I do agree: Less is more. 

 

The room with cobalt blue on top, white on bottom.

 

 

 

Feathering in the haze.

 

 

 

Cirrus added.

 

 

Cirrus added to another wall.

 

 

The game plan is to come up with a viable means for painting the puffy stuff (More reading and experimenting, test out the stencils) then to add them on top of what you see here.

 

Thoughts?

 

Chris

LVHR

To paint the "puffy stuff" stipple the paint on as opposed to brushing it on. And don't use a loaded brush. Use one that's been blotted on a paper towel to remove most of the paint. Build up the layers, going from transparent to opaque.

Google "Bob Ross clouds" and you will get numerous youtube results. His demonstrations made it a lot easier for me.

Malcolm

Watch the video linked below and then show me your best efforts tomorrow!

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v...4&feature=fvwrel

Wow! That video just blew my mind! I think it will take me a bit longer than"tomorrow" to show you my "best efforts".

 

Next question: What was he using for paint? I'm going to presume acrylics, but that's just a guess. What colors besides titanium white? I'm thinking a black, and then he blended the 2 for the various shades of gray. What else am I missing?

 

More thoughts: He does an absolutely fantastic job. However, he is also working on a canvas roughly 24x30". That's fine for him. He covered that in ~5 minutes at superspeed. How long did it actually take him? I have 70 plus feet of wall to deal with. I'll be dead before I cover all that!

 

Chris

LVHR

Well, after much practice, I think I'm getting the hang of it. Here are some of my latest efforts:

 

 

Chris

LVHR

Chris,

 

Maybe it's just me, but I'm not crazy about your Cirrus clouds. The other clouds look great. Guess I would just leave out the Cirrus clouds altogether, this is just a matter of opinion though.

 

Thanks for sharing.

 

Bruce

I tried painting clouds but I gave up before I even started, couldn't find a ladder tall enough!

 

Jerry

I've looked at clouds from both sides now. ... I really don't know clouds, at all.

 

  --Joe

Willbacker44. OGR did a cover story on the layout in the feb.issue of last year. Don

Bob Ross, as much as I like him and his way of painting, isn't actually painting but doing just a few tricks. Take a better look: his bushes are the same as his clouds, it's all about blending dots of paint, tamponed on a surface the way decorators do.

I always wondered why the man apparently never painted a human figure, a face or even an animal. The latter he provided only tree branches for where 'his little friends' could sit on..

I think you'll learn a lot more by studying paintings, old masters and modern.

Mixing colors is essential. Study the effect of contrasting colors, and experiment on blending. Modesty is the word, it's supposed to be a back ground, not a distraction.

Don't get to impressed by all these magical videos. PC screens and tv's give that idea that paint is brought on a canvas like an airbrush, and blending is a smooth success in one.

BTW, they usually mix their acrylics with some medium, a retarding gel which is very helpful when you're blending, as acrylic dries up rather quickly.

I do favour oils anyway. The process is slower but that gives you time to work longer.

Last but very important: buy some good quality brushes and paint. Cheaper acrylics, or latex wall paint look rather dull after they dried up. And cheap oil paints, I think these should be banned.

 

I can only agree with that. May be it's compatible somehow with diorama's and train lay outs, as often there's simply too much. That's a lesser problem with 'tin plate' lay outs I think, their charm is laying in the amount of engines, cars, presenting the whole Lionel catalogue from the thirties so to speak. To much of a drama on a modern realistic lay out can be killing, on the table as well on the background.

 

Kieffer

That's an amazing bridge Don! Must be great fun to see an engine passing there I think.

Kieffer