How To Paint Clouds In Watercolor - A Beginner's Guide
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Hello everyone, I'm Bill Holkham, and I’ve been painting in watercolor and sharing its joys for over 35 years. Today, I want to guide you through a topic that every beginner watercolor artist wants to master but often finds tricky—how to paint clouds in watercolor.
Don’t worry—mastering clouds isn't as hard as you may think. With the right techniques and a little patience, you can create skies that breathe life into your watercolor landscapes.
Why Painting Clouds in Watercolor Matters
Whether you're painting coastal scenes, countryside views, or dramatic mountain ranges, the sky and clouds in watercolor set the mood. Learning to paint soft clouds, stormy skies, and sunset cloudscapes adds depth and emotion to your work.
And guess what? You don’t need years of experience to get started.
Supplies You’ll Need (Nothing Fancy)
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Cold-press watercolor paper (140lb is good, but 300lb is better for heavy washes like this. If you use the 140lb, make sure to tape it down so it doesn't warp)- I use Arches that can be found here.
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Watercolors – go for reds, oranges, purples, and blues. I love Winsor and Newton paints. You can see what I use in my "beginners guide".
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Big soft round brush – your “sky brush,” if you will. Also, a couple of smaller brushes, like a 12 and 6.
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Two jars of clean water – one for washing, one for wetting
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Paper towel – in case a cloud gets too excited
My Step-by-Step Method for Painting Watercolor Clouds
1. Start With the Wet-in-Wet Sky Wash
For realistic watercolor clouds, I begin by wetting the sky area of my paper evenly. This allows colors to blend naturally and helps with smooth transitions.
2. Lay Down Your First Wash
Now, let's keep it simple and lay down some Winsor blue, leaving some gaps (white areas). Clouds don't have sharp edges, so if you see one forming, make sure to fuse in the edges with a clean, damp brush. (You will see this technique demonstrated in the video below.)
3. Let the Water Do the Work
As with all watercolor painting techniques, timing is everything. Let your paper dry slowly and evenly. Resist the urge to fiddle too much—less is often more when it comes to painting clouds.
✨ Tips for Beginner Watercolor Artists
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Work quickly but gently—the wet-in-wet technique has a short window.
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Experiment on scrap paper before jumping into your main painting.
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Observe real skies—nature is the best teacher for painting clouds.
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Keep your brush clean when lifting pigment.
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Practice blending—your clouds will thank you!
Why Clouds Are Perfect for Watercolor Beginners
Clouds are forgiving. Every sky is different. No two clouds look the same. So there’s no wrong way to paint clouds, especially when you’re using watercolor painting techniques that embrace imperfection and fluidity.
Whether you're painting a tranquil blue sky, a dramatic stormfront, or soft sunset clouds, you’re learning the fundamentals of wet-on-wet blending, value contrast, and light control.
Try this step-by-setp tutorial on how to paint clouds "6 Ways" over on my YouTube channel "Lets Paint Watercolors"