The final stage of Thursday’s drawing project is where drama of moving clouds took center stage and the change from week two to today was dramatic. I loved working this piece . . .
Storm Clouds, charcoal (9×12) was drawn on Strathmore Bristol Vellum paper using vine and compressed charcoal, tortilium, artist brush, felt and a kneaded eraser. The entire process for developing the clouds was through the build up of many, many layers by putting charcoal on and taking it off over and over again. The middle land mass was knocked back a bit and made smaller in scale, so as not to loose the focal point. The key to this drawing was managing the values to give depth and movement.
Nature gives us moving art in the form of clouds, a subject that has fascinated artists and photographers for generations. Thank you for staying with this project and checking in – click onto the image for a larger view.
The reference image used was from Gary Jones, an incredibly talented photographer with pmp.
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Oil Pastels by Mary 
Energy! There is much energy inside that clouds, yes the strength of the nature. And you have been able to bring it to us with your drawing
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robert
Thank you so much Robert, for seeing what those clouds are producing – storm energy can’t be match from it’s beauty to fierce lashing. Thank you – hope yofu have a lovely weekend.
I can feel the storm brewing/menacing/looming.
Thanks Gallivanta! Storm clouds in TX really frighten me and we are getting close to the Tornado season, but I was happy to work on these storming clouds.
Tornado season would frighten me.
Nasty – every time I see scalloped clouds I know we are in for some rock n’ roll time. Another week or two and it’ll be starting ~
😦 Keep strong.
I love this. Reminds me of the sky along our coastline during a Nor’easter!
Ha, thanks Elizabeth – you would definitely know about them! How are you doing with all the snow, a year for the records!
Fabulously dramatic!
Thank you for being so generous!
It’s gorgeous, Mary! 🙂 I love all your paintings, but my favorites are the ones that come alive on your blog week by week.. They are SO nice to follow!
Oh Calee, you know how to make my day (whole week). Thanks again, you are very gracious in your comment – guess I have to start planning my next drawing project! Have a wonderful week.
Wow, theres a lot of heart in those clouds. Terrific!
Heart and sweat! Ha Elena, thanks so much. It was a great exercise in values for me. Thanks again ~
Your storm clouds are so vividly real that I feel I could reach out and feel the wind whip through my fingers. Well done.
Oh my gosh Marylin, thanks – I love when a piece of my art lets the viewer feel it. Made my day!
Many marvelous shades! very well done! i ❤ so much!
Thank you so much for your beautiful feedback! You are right on, the whole idea for this drawing were the many values that inevitably would create the depth and drama. I’m so glad you enjoyed the piece. Thanks again ~
Magnificent depth to the sky, love the build up, the energy, the power and the scale ratio. Most impressive indeed, a scene which we all love watching develop and you perfectly captured that motion, tension and brought it to us! Powerful piece Mary, love it, love it! Have a most wonderful weekend!
Hi Eva, I’m so glad you enjoyed this piece – it was a great scene to show off cloud formations. Even though it’s a storm full of gray, void of vibrant or shocking white, there are sections of it that wanted to be called out. Thanks you got where I was headed with the cloud mass – really appreciate how you express your thoughts on art, that’s a gift. Have a wonderful weekend.
You express your thoughts and intentions about art throughout your art so beautifully Mary. With each piece you draw I feel so much drawn into the canvass and allow myself to be lost and surrounded by it and enjoy the beauty of it. So I can say most certainly you’re the gifted one!
Wow Eva, now how am I ever going to concentrate on my next piece – you know how to make someones’ day and week with such gracious feedback and comments. Thank you, your encouragement and support, well it means a lot.
🙂
Your sky is absolutely magnificent Mary. So full of emotion and expression, ominous yet wispy and inviting. Wonderful piece of art.
Welcome back Don, great to see you again. Thank you for your generosity – love your description, a great compliment from your reaction.
Oh wow! You really did a great job, Mary. It does sound like you need an enormous amount of patience to get those storm clouds so perfect. 🙂
Thanks Slyvia – this was a fun scene to work on. Not as much patience, as time between working on it – kind of let the piece talk. Sounds odd, but more times than not the drawings usually lead me to the right place if I listen. Thank you for being so generous.
Going from memory, it appears the storm is actually further way … which (to me) gives more contrast.
Thanks Frank. You are on track! I pushed the middle and right portion of the cloud structures back into the piece and flattened them out, where the rain is coming from. This let the left side of the clouds become more striking and take a more prominent place in the piece. Thanks so much!
Cheers to my memory! 🙂
Ominously beautiful!
Thanks Dorann ~ so great to see you. Hope you are well, perhaps we might see a post to update us on what you’ve been up to. Happy Valentines Day to you!
Have I seen your monochrome work before ?, I ask myself, Mary. And the only answer can be “If I have, I don’t remember it.”
This really is SUPER !!!
You’re so nice, thank you M.R. for your fun comment!!
It’s stunning Mary! The movement and energy you gave the clouds evokes a feeling of wind and coolness of an impending storm.
Hi Rhonda, thank you so much – so glad you can feel the energy in this piece. That was my goal, to have the viewer feel what going on with the storm. Thanks again ~
Beautiful, Mary. Sounds like much work on clouds.
Thank you Ann-Christine. It was a lot of work, but I really loved this drawing project – testing the metal on this one.
Gosh – that is one hell of an atmospheric piece Mary – very unique – I love it!
Thanks Alison for your generous comment!
Wow – so gorgeous!
Thank you Fiona!
Love this one, Mary. Just the kind of scene I would want to photograph.
Beautiful compliment Jane, thank you!
Fantastic, Mary. I can feel the power in those clouds. I love stormy skies in art, unfortunately I have a real problem getting them the way I want them.
Thank you so much Elizabeth. They always hold a lot of drama and intrigue, it’s always a great challenge to recreate them on a 2-dimensional surface, hoping to end with the 3-d look. Thanks again!
Very beautiful, Mary
Thank you so much Cynthia – have a lovely weekend!
That is such a dramatic piece Mary! How on earth do your get all those shadows and highlights right? Beautiful 🙂
So generous, thank you Madhu – really appreciate it. There was a lot of standing back and examining, and talking out loud (lol!) – what’s missing, where is this going, what’s the focus on, oh no am I loosing the effect, and on! But really by layering the charcoal by putting it on and taking it off revealed a lot of the drama and movement I was looking for. Thank you so much.
Cool watching this develop. The finished drawing turned out very well.
Thank you Trent for your generous feedback!
Subtle tones and fine energy and movement.
Well resolved, Miss Mary
uncle john
Thank you Uncle John. It was an awesome piece to work on – was so worried that I was going to lose those subtle tones at one point, but was able to bring it back. Onto choosing the next Thursday drawing project.
Oh, so beautiful!! 🙂 ❤
Thank you so much Trini!