For the base layer, use the side of the pastel to apply the dark grey and dark blue across the middle to create the main dark cloud area. Use a variety of directions and broad flat strokes to build the energy of the cloud, building up pastel on the surface with more than one colour rather than by pressing hard.

At the edges of the dark grey, use the mid-greys to build over it then gradually add pale grey towards the lightest parts of the cloud. Add some smaller patches of purple and dark blue to the darker areas of the sky and some mid-blue for the in-between areas. This combination of colours will add depth of tone when you blend. In areas where it is very light in the photo use a very pale grey or blue, but don’t add white yet.

Add some grey and dark blue along the horizon on what will be the most distant hills with some paler blue below that where the hazy rain will go, then use ochre and dark grey to block in the lower, dark foreground. Don’t add any green to the hills at this stage as we don’t want it to mix in with the greys when we blend.

After applying your first layers repeat with another layer on top where needed to ensure enough coverage of pastel for the blending stage

Select at least three pale colours for the light cloud area. I used a range of very pale shades with a hint of lilac to blue to grey. Use these to add another layer of mixed pale pastel to the bright parts of the cloud.

Use smaller, blocky marks with the side of the pastel in a ‘patchy’ way across the top left of the sky, some areas on the right and along the bottom of the dark cloud.

Do the same with at least three dark shades in the dark clouds. I used dark grey, dark blue and mid blue. Again, don’t press too hard, you should be able to see the previous pastel colour underneath.

Add light over dark cloud areas at this stage to create some movement in the dark areas of the cloud. Blend with your little finger, using gentler and smaller movements. The blocky and patchy application should give you a mottled surface that will start to resemble what you see in real clouds.

To create some movement in the cloud, mix along the edges between the light and dark areas, allowing the light to move into the dark with small circular movements.

Add some paler blue shades along the horizon area and some darker blue in the patch of sky behind the cloud on the top right.

Blend using more horizontal movements in the lower part of the sky.

Add more pale where the rain will eventually go but don’t try to add the rain yet – I know it’s tempting!

Use horizontal movements to blend along the horizon and the dark distant hills, adding more grey if needed.

Now use the tip of the white pastel to draw the light detail along the horizon area of the sky, the underside of the dark cloud, and to cut into the grey of the distant hills to create edges to the horizon along the top of the hills. Using the tip adds more pastel to the surface, which is what you want when you are adding light details. Use a shaper tool to soften this but don’t press too hard.

Now use the side and tip of the pastel to apply the white to the mid-section of pale cloud on the left and the bright top edges of the cloud. Use dabbing marks and blend gently so you don’t lose the texture. The moment you blend the pastel in it mixes slightly with the colour underneath – so here it turns slightly grey.

Now add a further layer of white to the very brightest parts of the cloud edges and blend very gently so they remain the lightest areas. This will help create a 3D effect.

Now we need to build up the landscape.

Using two greens and one ochre add layers of long, sweeping marks across the main hillside using the side of the pastels, getting darker towards the bottom on the piece.

Use the same dark grey you used in the sky over the darkest area. This will help tie the peace together. The texture of the paper will help create the texture of the hill so leave this all unblended – just add more colour as needed to build it up.

Repeat this over the middle hill on the left.

Use dark grey to draw on some details, like the field walls and trees on the middle hill.

Use pale greys and blues to create a hazy area on the lower part of the furthest hill.

Tackling the rain is an exciting if daunting stage.

Add a lot of white pastel to the bright area of cloud above the rain pressing firmly, then a smaller amount of white down towards the middle hill. Use the flat side of your thumb to pull this light area very firmly down at a slight diagonal towards the top of the middle hill. You will need to repeat this a few times, but you must clean your thumb each time you do so, or you will dull the white.

Next add some light at the bottom of the rain and pull that back up towards the cloud. Use a shaper tool to blend and some paler grey to soften the edges to create a haze of rain.

For final details use a 2B Wolff’s Carbon pencil or a dark pastel pencil to draw over the field boundaries and trees. Aim to build up the trees on the middle hill to give some shapes in front of the rain. This area may have got slightly muddied when you were working on your rain effect, so you can now correct it and enhance as needed.

Also add any further textures you want to have on the foreground where the field boundaries disappear into the darker area.

I also ran my fingers over some of the clouds to add extra movement and muted some areas that were too detailed.

Finished painting

Cloudburst, pastel on Clairefontaine Pastelmat, (35x30cm)

Use your own judgement as to how much detail you want to add. I left some areas implied rather then specifically drawn, which I think works better for the composition. Sometimes too much detail can draw the eye away from the focal area – the cloudburst of rain coming down over the hills.

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Sandra Orme is an award-winning artist and has exhibited in the Pastel Society annual exhibition. She is currently writing a painting pastel sky book on painting the sky with pastels, to be published by Search Press and is an associate artist for Unison Pastels. Sandra runs workshops from her studio in Buxton, Derbyshire, for more information see www.sandraorme.com

This demonstration originally featured in the November 2021 issue of The Artist. Enjoy endless inspiration with access to past and present issues of both The Artist and Leisure Painter magazines, plus exclusive video demos, tutorials and more, with our Studio Membership! Discover how you can join today.