The Sky's the Limit in 2012!

December Sunset (can you see the jumping dolphin?)

Happy New Year! I'm not crazy about cold weather but I do think January is an amazing month to be an artist. There’s so much fresh creative energy and endless possibilities for art projects on the horizon.

Winter days also provide an ideal excuse for concentrating on a more time intensive painting, finally reading (or re-reading) that text-heavy academic tome lurking on your shelf (Itten’s The Art of Color anyone??), or organizing your workspace. Want more ideas for creative success in 2012? Check out this artist resolution list from art biz coach Alyson Stanfield. Or listen to the Blogtalk radio shows on Artists Helping Artists. 

Today’s post was inspired by a this wonderful violet sunset (actual colors) photo I took last week in my own backyard. In planning my own sky painting, I’d thought I’d share a few considerations and sky painting tips: 

• Where's the sky cooler? Where is it warmer? In general, you’ll find that the sky is often cooler and dark at the highest point and lighter/warmer at the horizon line.
• To “warm up” a cool blue sky, I sometimes tone my canvas first with warmer colors such as permanent rose, Indian yellow, etc. Won't this impact the sky color? Yep, that's the plan.
• Want a more unique sky? Skip the blue altogether. I’m always drawn to paintings with yellow, green, and other “non blue” skies. 
• Take a few minutes to study your sky value range. As you can see in this “value study” black and white version my sky some of the “white” clouds are relatively quite dark. 

Sky Value Study

• Pay special attention to your edges and shapes in a sky.  There may be only a few really sharply defined edges and rarely any sharply defined shapes.  

Want more sky painting tips? Check out this Free Webinar: Essentials of Painting Skies Saturday, January 14. (Note: I find these have been filling quickly so be sure to "take your seat" before the class starts.)
Save the Date: Heart Art Auction, February 9
I’m also enjoying working on my heart themed painting for the 2012 Denver Heart Art fundraiser on February 9. You get more info about donating art or attending the event at Denver Heart Art.