How to Draw Cumulonimbus Clouds
Cumulonimbus clouds are puffy clouds that are present during a storm. In science "cumulo" means puffy, whilst "nimbus" means rain. This type of cloud is dark and dense, yet the cloud spreads over a range of altitudes making it quite expansive. You can illustrate this type of cloud by using these characteristics to your advantage. For example, by illustrating a storm scene you can use shading to create different tones to show the darkness of the sky.
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Instructions
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Orient your piece of paper so that it is as a landscape. Draw a horizon line two-thirds from the top of your page. You can draw a heavy mass of clouds to illustrate cumulonimbus clouds above the line to add perspective to the drawing.
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Sketch the basic landscape form below the horizon line and in the foreground to add context to the drawing. This could consist of natural features such as mountains and hills, or man-made buildings, windmills or stone walls.
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Plan where you want to position the clouds. Draw a rough line to show the lowest level of cloud. Then, allocate areas of darkness and lightness by sketching circles to create a patchwork.
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Draw the biggest cumulonimbus clouds where you positioned the circles. The shape of each cloud varies, but should consist of a large bulky square-like shape with scalloped edges. The square is not exact and it is important to include squares with different dimensions to show the random nature of clouds.
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Illustrate the stormy nature of cumulonimbus clouds by adding strategic shading across the patchwork of clouds in the sky. Shade areas of darkness, making sure that you give the shadow a scalloped edge. Then, use your finger to smudge the pencil to blend the pencil marks more evenly.
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Highlight the edges of clouds by using an eraser to remove some areas of shading. This adds tone to the image and gives the sky a three-dimensional appearance.
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References
- Photo Credit NA/AbleStock.com/Getty Images
