The sky is a source of inspiration for many artists. From anywhere you look and regardless of the time of the day, looking at the sky alleviates the burden of our existence, giving everyone hope that tomorrow is a better day. Such a message inspires many artists, including famous ones like Vincent van Gogh, that the sky is immaculate and simply aesthetic on its own. Hence, in almost every painting known in the world, the central theme of representational artwork (and even abstract ones) is the beautiful and boundless sky. The color, the things that float around it, and the message it gives boost creativity and imagination for many. So if you’re running out of inspiration for your next painting projects, don’t worry, we will give you a bunch of sky painting ideas for beginners (and pros) that you can try and enjoy!
Nature is man’s best friend and so is the sky. So usually, in art, we do not treat the sky as a regular background or afterthought as it changes the mood and it lifts up the beauty of your painting. The key to a great sky painting is the combination of colors and of course, the blending technique. What else should you keep in mind when painting the sky? Well, we will discuss the sky painting ideas for beginners that you can employ in your next painting project.
Which Painting Medium is More Ideal When Painting Skies?
It really depends on the theme of your painting or the message that you want to convey. It’s also all about the preferences based on what medium you’re accustomed to and which ones work easier for you. However, if you are just starting, you can use acrylic paint because it’s cheaper and more beginner-friendly. Be careful using this medium though because it dries fast so it doesn’t really give you enough time to blend the pigments which means you need to have steadfast hands when working on acrylic with sky paintings.
On the other hand, if you want to expand your artistic horizons, oils are not as hard to use although they’re more pricey and they take longer to dry out--days, even. The good thing is that oil paints possess vibrant, creamy rich textures that can help you achieve luminous and iridescent effects. They also give you enough time to blend the pigments to have subtle gradations in your painting. But you need to have a space where your painting can be kept safe and undisturbed in order for it to properly dry out.
Sky Painting Ideas for Beginners that You Can Try
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Gradient three-tone sky paintings: They say that the sky's the limit. And so is your imagination. Think of any colors that are workable together and easy to blend. You can start with the common colors like pastel pink, white, and pastel blue; or give the sky a galactic vibe using bright purple, blue, and a little bit of white and black.
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Sunset at the beach painting: If you’re busy lately and miss traveling, take yourself to the beach by painting a sunset by the beach scenery. The warm colors are relaxing and you get to practice your brushwork skills to the fullest-- from the birds, to the trees, and to the other objects that you want to include. Thus, this type of painting also provides a good opportunity if you aim to become skillful at blending pigments and soft gradient colors.
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Pastel clouds painting: The sky is empty without the pastel-colored clouds filling it. Think of how soft, bright, and luscious clouds are. If you’re lacking inspiration for a cloud photo, perhaps think of the time when you’re riding a plane and you watch the clouds pass by you during the flight. Use pastel colors not just limited to pastel blue, paint them in every angle, and you can even use different brushes and materials to have different shapes and textures.
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Starry night-inspired painting: Paint your canvas blue and yellow, and feel the emotions and creativity of Van Gogh at the time when he was painting his opus at the Saint-Rémy Asylum during the final years of his life. Considered as one of the greatest paintings in the world, the Starry Night continues to inspire culture, particularly the arts so many artists study the color palette, motion, texture, and brushwork application techniques that they can use to create their own version of this great painting.
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Abstract sky painting: Life is more than just the representational. Sometimes, we don’t have to objectively depict what we really want to show people. Be creative and you know what they say in the art world, when in doubt, paint in abstract! So go crazy with the colors, brushstrokes, do different abstract-techniques that reference the sky, and so forth.
Some Tips and Tricks that You Should Know When Using these Sky Painting Ideas for Beginners
Final Insights
Creativity is something that you should nurture and painting is one of the best practices to maintain it. So look up to the sky- it’s always full of hope, ideas, inspirations, and infinite possibilities that will take you from one world to another. We hope that these sky painting ideas for beginners inspire you to venture onto a new creative journey.
