Painting Skies in Pastel

Artist Orme’s book teaches painters how to create skies and clouds using the art medium, not the color palette, of pastels. The book gives detailed instructions on choosing pastels and preparing them, setting up, taping paper, and deciding which colors to use to achieve the best results. It is worth noting that the pastel brand featured in this book might not be available in all regions, so readers may need to determine an equivalent that will work as well. Specific step-by-step projects are outlined: “Blue Sky, White Clouds,” “Cloudburst,” “Windy Weather,” “Vivid Sunset,” “Stormy,” and “Delicate Sunrise.” While the author goes to great lengths to break down techniques in a clear way that yields gorgeous results, this might not be an appropriate book for true beginning artists. At the end, there’s a “Pastel Sky Clinic,” which covers determining when the painting is finished and managing mistakes. It also explains techniques that are a little more complicated that will help readers create sunbeams and cloud wisps.