Difficulty: Moderately Challenging
Things You’ll Need:
- Artist paper designed for the medium of choice (wet, chalks, pen, charcoals etc.)
- Paints and/or pastel chalks
- cotton balls
- cotton swabs
- wet paper towel
- imagination
Step1
After you have chosen your medium, prepare your workspace. I usually work outside so that the mess does not stain and the smell is kept down.
The cotton balls and swabs will be used for blending. The wet paper towel is for your hands (as you will get messy). Have everything within easy reach.
Step2
First, lay the background color usually the darkest color that is in your painting. I find the chalks easier to work with but it is a matter of personal choice. If working with the wet paints, you must work quickly as Acrylics dry quickly.
Step3
Second, you will want to begin developing the colors from the darkest to the lightest. A good example of this is a stormy sky. You would begin with the dark grays, greens, and blues found in the sky. The reason behind this is you want to emphasize the edges of the cloud formations with the lighter colors.
Step4
I prefer using the side of my hand as my blending tool, but feel free to use the cotton balls or swabs. With the side of your hand just take it across your colors to blend them. This will create the illusion that the colors are intertwined and connected. Then begin with the lighter coloring to make your emphasis.
Step5
As you are adding the lighter colors, remember to make your lines very smooth. This is where the cotton swab becomes useful. You want to blend the edges of your lighter color with the background but not the entire strokes. This will give the perspective of light hitting your clouds.
Step6
Have fun and experiment with what you are most comfortable doing. If you get something to dark, just use a paper towel or cotton ball to remove some of the color than add a white tone and blend well to lighten the area.
Enthusiast 
