First, I like to mask off the area I want to paint with a bit of tape. This helps to keep things neat and gives me a clear area to focus on.

After masking off the area, I’ll start to build a sky by painting in a soft, warm sunset using Alizarin Crimson, Cadmium Yellow Hue and Cerulean Blue.

Then I’ll follow that by adding a darker, more dramatic area using Ultramarine, Cerulean Blue and Payne’s Gray.

Once that’s all dry, I’ll come back in and add short strokes of colours on top. I choose colours similar to those I’ve used for my base. This helps to add shape and atmosphere to the painting, and the impression of storm clouds brewing or breaking.

After everything’s had a chance to dry, I’ll remove the masking tape to reveal the final scene. By layering in this way, you can bring a bit more drama and movement to your final skyscape. But again, this is merely a guide, so please feel free to mix up the colours and positioning of things once you feel comfortable with some of the techniques I’ve shared.