Painting a cloud that looks like a real cloud

 Some time ago I stumbled across an old painting, done just after I graduated from Fine Art College. It was a beach scene, with a huge Cumulus. The cloud looked as if it was made out of concrete, challenging the law of gravity. I have vivid memories of how I struggled back then, trying to make a cloud look like a real cloud.


Now, more than thirty years later, I know that the edges are extremely important to create the soft and fuzzy appearance I was looking for. Almost every cloud has a soft edge, a transition between the blue sky and the cloud itself. I’ll work on that at an early stage, when

the blue of the sky is still wet.

 Later on in the painting process I’ll add details to the edges. They too are pretty important in order to make the cloud look real. Little bulges and dots that got separated from the big cloud, interrupt the shape and give it a sense of movement.


Using my fingers instead of a brush also helps tremendously. I don't have to buy new ones and they're available all the time.