The Sky and Above: Learn to Paint Nimbostratus Clouds!

Besides being dark and grey, these clouds are formless and exist as one huge layer over the skies. These clouds usually exist between as high as 8000 feet, or as low as 350 feet off the ground.

Another characteristic is that the layer thickness ranges from 6500 feet to 10000 feet. In terms of painting, that means you won’t be able to paint anything else beyond these clouds due to the thickness.

To get started, we need to set up a good foundation like always.

1. The background

To paint nimbostratus clouds, you need to set the mood correctly. That means that a blue sky would not work in this case. Instead, you will be dealing with a dreary dark and grey background.

Another characteristic is the effect it has on grounded objects. That is, everything underneath the clouds is mostly shadowed shapes due to the lack of light penetration through the clouds.

You can start by making darken abstract objects which resemble the ground and some trees just to get the full effect. Do this in a new layer so it doesn’t interfere with the clouds that you are about to paint.

2. Painting the light

To paint nimbostratus clouds correctly, you will begin to develop the shapes. Since it’s already a darken background, you need to start using a brush with a light color. The brush should preferably be a solid edged brush.

Once you have selected your brush and color, begin painting random shapes. You will start with a large brush size. As you move closer to the horizon, however, switch to a smaller brush and paint more concentrated light sources near there.

You can paint the light blotches as randomly as you need.

There’s a secret to painting these clouds to get the right effect: use the smudge brush! But don’t just use any smudge brush. You need to pick a brush that has edges sticking out.

That way, you get a flaring effect when you smudge.

3. Paint the shadows

This allows you to create a nice contrast of light and shadows. What’s great about these clouds is that there are no specific shapes to it. That means you can be finished even in step 2.

It’s all about what you feel is enough for these clouds. Of course, the more light and shadows there are, the more dramatic it becomes.

Again, use your smudge brush to get the right balance and merger of colors. One trick is to smudge against the grain. In other words, alternate between smudging horizontally and vertically.

The vertical action will create cloud flares if you select an irregular shaped smudge brush. Try to find a smudge shape in your digital art program that has flares like a sea urchin. If not, make your own!

4. Final touches

The last part in learning how to paint nimbostratus clouds is finalizing the overall mood. There are many ways to do this. Depending on what you need, you will put most of your time in this step.

For example, you can begin painting smaller clouds near the horizon to give that sense of depth. Use your regular brush or the dodge and burn functions to achieve it. The smaller the brush, the better the details you will get.

As well, if the colors are not even, use a large brush, with a low opacity setting, and begin to paint over where you feel the darkest parts are. You will get a better merger of colors.

Use your irregular smudge brush to get a dynamic feel. After all, clouds just sitting parallel to the horizon seem boring to look at. You can even smudge in a circular fashion to get the most dynamic movement out of a static picture.

Just remember that these clouds are literally a blanket. That means it’s very rare you will see other types of clouds or any type of noticeable light sources such as the sun shinning through.

What ever you choose, keep practicing and be proud of your creations!

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