Painting skies

Skies are easier to paint when painted wet on wet whether you use oils or acrylics.

For acrylics, start with a light coating of water applied with a large brush. Then brush on a coating of gesso or white paint while still wet. Use circular strokes. Wipe your brush and dip one corner of the brush into one colour of paint, the other corner into another colour of paint. No water. The colours you choose will depend on what type of sky you are painting. Without fear fire in the colours on your brush and mix them right on the canvas using 'x' strokes as you go. Keep the canvas wet. That's important. If it tends to dry squirt it with water. Keep working it. Add more colours and keep working them until you reach the desired effect for your sky. Always do the sky before you start your foreground.

Oils are similar but you don't have to worry about the canvas getting dry and you don't need a coating of oil in the beginning. Rather, a coating of white mixed with linseed oil is all you need to start. The mixture should be creamy, not too runny. Then follow the same procedure as you do with acrylics.