How to Paint Bold, Expressive Skies in Acrylics

Skies are one of the most dynamic elements in landscape painting, and when painted with a loose and bold style, they can completely transform the mood and energy of your artwork. The sky offers endless opportunities for experimentation with colour, brushwork, and texture—perfect for the artist who loves expressive, spontaneous painting!

Here’s how to approach painting skies with bold, loose brushstrokes that capture the movement and life of the scene.

1. Start with a Bold Ground

Before diving into the sky, I like to start with a bold ground—a coloured underpainting that helps set the tone and energy of the entire scene. For skies, I often use vibrant base colours like burnt sienna, a deep violet, or even a warm orange. This sets the stage for the rest of the painting and adds warmth and depth that will peek through the layers.

Penny’s Tip:
Don’t be afraid to go bold with your ground colour. Even if the sky will be primarily blue or grey, using a contrasting ground colour adds depth and complexity to the painting. Let some of the ground show through in places for added interest.

2. Use Big, Bold Brushstrokes for Movement

Skies are all about movement—whether it’s the gentle sweep of clouds or the intense swirl of a storm. To capture that energy, use big, loose brushstrokes that mimic the natural flow of the sky. Avoid small, tight strokes, as they can make the sky feel static and overly detailed.

How I Do It:
I use large, flat brushes and lay down my paint in sweeping, confident strokes. I often mix colours directly on the canvas, letting them blend naturally as I move the brush. This keeps the sky feeling fluid and spontaneous.

3. Limit Your Palette for Bold Impact

When painting skies, a limited palette can help create a strong, unified look while still allowing for plenty of variation in tone and colour. I typically stick to a few blues, some warm yellows or oranges for sunset effects, and a neutral like white or a muted grey for highlights and soft blending.

Penny’s Palette Tip:
Working with just three or four colours plus white allows you to focus on value and temperature shifts, rather than getting caught up in unnecessary details. It also keeps the painting bold and cohesive.

4. Layer from Dark to Light

In a bold, loose style, layering is key. Start with your darker colours and work your way up to the lighter values. This approach adds depth and prevents your lighter areas from becoming muddy.

Penny’s Process:
I lay down my darkest blues and purples first, then gradually layer in lighter tones like soft blues, pinks, or warm yellows, depending on the time of day I’m capturing. Each layer adds richness without overworking the paint—remember, bold skies thrive on movement and freedom!

5. Embrace Colour Variations

Skies aren’t just one shade of blue. They’re full of subtle shifts in hue and temperature—cool blues, warm pinks, deep violets, and even hints of green. Embrace these variations and let your colours flow together on the canvas without overblending.

Pro Tip:
Letting different colours meet and mingle on the canvas can create exciting effects that mimic real skies. Avoid overworking your brushstrokes—lay the colour down and leave it. Trust the natural blending of the paint to do some of the work for you.

6. Use Negative Space for Contrast

Negative space can be just as important as the painted areas in a bold sky. Leaving some areas of the sky more loosely painted or even lightly textured can help balance the bolder, more detailed areas. This creates contrast and lets the eye rest.

Penny’s Negative Space Trick:
I often leave parts of the sky lightly brushed, allowing the background or underpainting to show through in areas. This technique adds a sense of atmosphere without overwhelming the painting with detail.

7. Capture Light and Drama with Colour Temperature

The sky is where you can play with bold contrasts in temperature to capture the light and drama of the scene. Whether it’s the cool blues of a calm day or the fiery oranges and pinks of a sunset, use temperature shifts to evoke the mood of your painting.

How I Do It:
I create drama by contrasting cool and warm tones—cool, shadowy clouds against a warm, glowing horizon. The more you exaggerate these temperature differences, the more energy and life the sky will have.

8. Don’t Overwork the Clouds

Clouds are often the trickiest part of sky painting, but in a loose and bold style, you want to avoid overworking them. Instead of focusing on intricate details, capture the shape and flow of clouds with broad strokes and soft transitions.

Penny’s Cloud Approach:
I paint clouds by starting with soft, broad shapes and building highlights gradually. I use a large, soft brush to gently blend the edges, leaving the centre of the clouds more defined. This keeps them looking fluffy and dynamic without getting bogged down in detail.

Final Thoughts

Painting bold, expressive skies is all about capturing the movement, energy, and ever-changing beauty of the atmosphere. With loose brushstrokes, bold colours, and a focus on capturing light and drama, you can create skies that feel alive and full of motion—skies that lift the mood of your entire painting.

Until next time, Keep splashing colours!
Penny 😊🎨✨