Autumn often brings dramatic thunderstorms where I live — the other night, we had a spectacular one with lightning flashing several times a second for over an hour. Then came the rain, heavy and wild. There’s something magical about watching a storm while feeling warm and cozy inside.
I can’t think of another medium that captures stormy skies as beautifully as watercolour. This is where the medium truly shines — pigment flowing across the page, colours separating and merging in unpredictable ways, and that perfect balance between control and letting go. Every time I paint a storm, I fall in love with watercolour all over again.
For this lesson, we return to Tiermas, an abandoned Roman town in Aragón, Spain, to paint a sunlit ruin against a dramatic autumn storm sky. The warm autumn colours of the landscape contrast beautifully with the moody clouds above, making this a fantastic subject for learning how to paint atmosphere and light.
What you’ll learn ...
Techniques for painting stormy skies in watercolour.
How to balance wet-in-wet and controlled brushwork.
Creating contrast between glowing light and dark, dramatic clouds.
Working with autumn colour palettes to bring warmth into a moody scene.
Tips for adding depth and atmosphere to landscape paintings.
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