Gouache Paint the Sky!
Use gouache paints to create a painted sky scene, practicing blending, layering, and cloud shapes while exploring color mixing and atmospheric effects.
Step-by-step guide to paint a sky with gouache
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Step 1
Tape your paper to a flat board or table with masking tape to make a neat border and keep the paper from moving.
Step 2
Lightly sketch the horizon line and simple cloud shapes with your pencil so you know where the sky and clouds will go.
Step 3
Put small dabs of the gouache colors you want to use on your palette including at least one blue and white and one warm color.
Step 4
Mix a medium sky color on your palette by adding white to blue until you like the shade.
Step 5
Use your larger brush to paint the middle area of the sky with the medium color in wide horizontal strokes.
Step 6
Mix a darker sky color on the palette by adding more blue or a tiny bit of purple to the base blue.
Step 7
Paint the top of the paper with the darker color and let the brush strokes meet the middle sky so the colors touch.
Step 8
Mix a lighter warm color for the lower sky by adding white plus a little yellow or pink to the blue.
Step 9
Paint the lower horizon area with the lighter warm color and let it meet the middle sky to make a smooth change in tone.
Step 10
Rinse your brush and use it slightly damp to gently blend the places where the top middle and lower colors meet with soft horizontal strokes.
Step 11
Let the painted sky dry until it is no longer tacky so your next layers and clouds will sit on top cleanly.
Step 12
Mix a cloud shadow color by adding a tiny bit of blue or gray to white and then use a round brush to dab soft cloud shapes, leaving some spots pure white for highlights.
Step 13
Add thin extra layers or little streaks for atmosphere where needed, and let everything dry completely.
Step 14
Take a photo of your painted sky and share your finished creation on DIY.org
Final steps
You're almost there! Complete all the steps, bring your creation to life, post it, and conquer the challenge!
Help!?
What can I use if I can't find gouache or masking tape?
If gouache isn't available, use acrylic thinned slightly with water for a similar opaque, matte finish, and swap masking tape for low-tack painter's tape to secure the paper to your board and make a neat border.
My transitions look muddy or streaky when I blend the sky—how can I fix that?
If the meets between top, middle, and lower colors get muddy, rinse and wring your brush until only slightly damp and use soft horizontal strokes as the instructions say to gently blend without overworking the paint.
How can I adapt this activity for different ages?
For younger kids, pre-sketch the horizon and pre-mix the medium/darker/lighter sky colors and have them paint broad horizontal bands with the large brush, while older children can add tiny amounts of purple for depth, build multiple thin layers, and refine cloud shadows with the round brush.
How can we extend or personalize the painted sky once it's dry?
After the sky is completely dry, paint a silhouetted tree or city skyline over the lower horizon, add thin extra streaks or subtle color glazes for atmosphere with the round brush, and then photograph the finished piece to share on DIY.org.
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Facts about gouache painting for kids
☁️ There are many cloud types—fluffy cumulus and streaky cirrus are two common shapes artists use for sky practice.
🌫️ Aerial (atmospheric) perspective makes distant parts of a scene look lighter and bluer, great for depth in skies.
🖌️ Gouache can be reactivated with water, so you can soften edges or blend even after the paint has dried a little.
🎨 Gouache is an opaque, water-based paint that dries to a matte finish and lets you paint light colors over dark ones.
🌈 Mixing a tiny bit of a color's complement (like orange into blue) helps create natural-looking muted shadows.
How do I do the Gouache Paint the Sky activity?
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