Painting Skies That Feel Alive
from Mitch Baird
One of the most common questions Mitch receives is: “How do you mix your skies?” It’s a great question—because while it might seem simple at first, painting believable, luminous skies takes far more than just mixing blue and white. It’s about understanding light, temperature, value, and the subtle interplay of color in nature.
Let’s break down some of the key principles that go into painting skies that truly feel alive.
Start with Clean Color
When mixing sky colors, Mitch emphasizes the importance of purity. The sky often carries a rich, luminous quality, so he always starts with clean pigment and clean white. He often reaches for the back of the paint pile—where the color hasn’t been contaminated by the brush or palette knife.
Even though we think of skies as “blue,” every blue tells a story. An alpine sky might be darker and slightly violet in tone—warmer, with a hint of red—so Mitch might reach for ultramarine. On other days, when the light is crisp and cool, cobalt gives a better result.
The takeaway? Don’t rely on a formula. Instead, observe and adjust. Add a touch of cadmium yellow or viridian to warm or cool your blue, but avoid introducing too much red or other primaries—those can dull and “kill” the mix.
Every Sky Has Its Own Character
Not every sky is clear and bright. Sometimes it’s gray, muted, and full of quiet atmosphere. These subdued skies can make the landscape sing by contrast. A gray evening sky, for instance, often allows the ground plane to feel more vibrant and warm.
The key, Mitch explains, is to respond to what’s in front of you—not what you think a sky should look like.
Work from Life Whenever Possible
When painting from life, Mitch notes how different real skies are from what a camera captures. Cameras tend to cool and flatten the scene, but standing there in person, he sees warmth, reflected light, and delicate color transitions that don’t show up in photos.
For example, in one evening sketch he painted outdoors, Mitch noticed soft pinks and warm reflections bouncing around in the sky—none of which were visible in the photograph. Relying on his own color notes or sketches from life always gives more truthful and expressive results.
Observe Temperature Shifts
Temperature is what gives a sky its depth and realism. An overcast day might reveal soft, lemony light around the edges of clouds—warm yellows that offset cool violet shadows. The same yellow light that glows in the sky will also reflect on the snow or ground plane, unifying the painting’s temperature harmony.
When painting from photos, these subtleties often vanish, so Mitch makes a habit of noting them in sketches or journals: “Warm yellow light in clouds—cooler violets in shadow.” Small notes like this become invaluable later in the studio.
Capture Warm-to-Cool Transitions
In larger paintings, Mitch pays close attention to how the sky shifts across the canvas. For example, when the sun sits to one side, the sky closer to the sun will appear warmer and lighter, while the opposite side cools off toward violet or blue.
Clouds passing across these gradients also change temperature—warmer and lighter near the light source, cooler and darker as they move away. This warm-to-cool rhythm tells the viewer where the light is coming from and creates a natural sense of atmosphere.
Record What You See
If working from memory or photos, Mitch recommends jotting down notes while observing the real scene:
Time of day
Direction of light
Key colors noticed
He sometimes records short notes in his phone about the temperature or feel of the sky. These reminders help later when photo references lack the color accuracy he remembers seeing.
Value Is Everything
Above all, value carries the light. A sky that’s too dark loses its brilliance; too light, and it stops feeling like it’s illuminating the landscape. The relationship between the value of the sky and the land plane determines how convincingly a painting reads.
When the sky is bright and airy, shadows will hold more light. When the sky is dark and heavy, the entire value structure compresses. Mitch always compares—never guesses.
The Sky Is Relative
There’s no perfect recipe for “sky blue.” Everything depends on context: where the sun is, how clear the air feels, whether clouds are present, and how the other colors interact.
Mitch teaches that sky color isn’t just a color—it’s a relationship to everything else in the scene.
Final Thoughts
Painting the sky is less about mixing the “right” blue and more about seeing relationships—between value and color, warmth and coolness, sky and land. The more an artist observes from life and trusts their eyes, the more luminous and believable their skies will become.
So next time you step outside, look up—not just to admire the sky, but to study it. Because every great landscape starts there.
Learn more about Mitch’s free webinar on painting skies and his mentoring course below: