How to Draw Anime Clouds

Learn how to draw anime clouds with this easy-to-follow guide!

Learn how to draw anime clouds with this easy-to-follow guide!
Whether you’re painting dreamy skies or vibrant sunsets, this tutorial covers essential cloud shapes, placements, colors, and simple techniques for anime-inspired art. Plus, grab a free downloadable sky brush to get started faster!

By the completion of this tutorial, you will learn how to

  • Paint Large Cumulonimbus Clouds
  • Paint Long Evening Clouds Near the Horizon
  • Paint Cirrus Cloud
  • Paint Cirrocumulus and Altocumulus Cloud

Bonus Content

  • Atmospheric Effect
  • Rimlight
  • Light Ray Effect
  • Night Cloud
  • Speedpainting Demo

Brush Settings (Default Brushes Used)

While many artists rely on custom cloud brushes, this tutorial focuses on making the most out of Photoshop’s default brushes like:

  • Chalk
  • Charcoal
  • Oil Pastel

Shape Dynamics:

  • Size Jitter: Random brush tip size (control with pen pressure)
  • Angle Jitter: Random rotation
  • Roundness Jitter: Slight squish of brush shape
  • Minimum Diameter & Roundness: Adjust as needed

Scattering:

  • Scatter: Enable Both Axes
  • Count: Set to 1–2 for subtle variation

Before You Start: Understanding Clouds

Clouds aren’t just blobs floating in the sky — they follow real lighting and shading rules!
Depending on their density, clouds can be translucent, glowing, or heavy-looking. To make your clouds more realistic (even in an anime style):

  • Study lighting basics (I’ll create lighting tutorials soon!)
  • Look at real cloud references on Google Images.
  • Practice outlining different cloud types: cumulus, cirrus, nimbus, etc.

Understanding Cloud Types (Quick Guide)

Learning basic cloud types helps you place them more naturally in your artwork:

PrefixMeaning
CirroHigh-altitude clouds
AltoMid-altitude clouds
Nimbo/NimbusRain clouds
CumuloPuffy or piled clouds
StratusWide and layered

Key Steps to Drawing Anime Clouds

1. Shape of Clouds

✅ Avoid perfect symmetry.
Natural clouds are messy, uneven, and always changing.

Shape of cloud

The cloud on the top has symmetry and appears more cartoony.

The cloud on the bottom is asymmetric and appears more natural.

Because we are painting anime-style semi-realism, the second cloud works better for us.

Shape of Cloud

2. Placement of Clouds

Scatter your clouds randomly across the sky instead of placing them evenly.
This randomness feels more natural and dynamic — perfect for anime backgrounds.

Image of Symmetry layout
Asymmetry cloud layout

3. Colors of Clouds

The time of day matters!

  • Daytime: White and light blues.
  • Sunset/Magic Hour: Vibrant pinks, oranges, purples.
  • Night: Dark blues, deep purples.

🎨 Change your palette based on the mood you’re painting.

How to Paint Each Cloud Type

Large Cumulonimbus Clouds (Summer Clouds)

These clouds symbolize summer in many anime scenes.

Steps:

  1. Draw the cloud shape with a darker color first.
  2. Lock layer transparency and add highlights (work from dark to light).
  3. Use the Smudge Tool to blend soft edges.
  4. Unlock layer transparency and softly smudge the outer parts for a wispy look.
Painting Large Cumulonimbus Clouds

Painting Long Evening Clouds (Near the Horizon)

Steps:

  1. Create a long, stretched-out cloud shape.
  2. Use Transform (CTRL + T) to distort it.
  3. Optional: Add shading or leave as flat colors for simplicity.

Painting Cirrus Clouds (High, Wispy Clouds)

  1. Sketch thin, feathery shapes.
  2. Lightly blend the edges to keep a soft, airy feel.
  3. Use bright whites for daytime or sunset hues for evening scenes.

Painting Cirrocumulus & Altocumulus Clouds (Cluster Clouds)

Cirrocumulus clouds are thin, white clouds that appear in a regular pattern of ripples. The smaller size of the individual cloud cells distinguishes them from altocumulus. While these clouds are present all year, they are not extremely common and are generally found in conjunction with other cloud types. The abundance of little clouds makes it difficult to paint. However, it is possible to do this by painting a large number of little clouds and distorting them into a perspective image.

Steps:

  1. Paint many tiny cloud shapes with different opacities.
  2. Use CTRL+T to distort them into perspective.
Painting Cirrocumulus and Altocumulus Cloud

Bonus Techniques for More Epic Anime Skies

Atmospheric Effect

Use a new layer with Screen or Add blending mode and paint with soft brushes to simulate glow and air depth.

Rimlight

When the sun shines behind the clouds, it illuminates the thinner clouds completely and adds a rim light around the heavier clouds.
It instantly makes the clouds pop and look more “alive.”

Light Ray Effect

Use cool tones and highlight clouds with soft moonlight. You can even add a Milky Way or nebula for a dreamy night sky.

Night Clouds

Use cool tones and highlight clouds with soft moonlight. You can even add a Milky Way or nebula for a dreamy night sky.

Final Tip

“If you’re nothing without the suit, then you shouldn’t have it.” — Tony Stark

Same thing for art — don’t rely 100% on brushes!
Understanding form, lighting, and color will make you better, faster than any tool.

Keep practicing, and enjoy painting your anime skies! 🌌
Thanks for reading!

Struggling with Default Brushes?

That’s okay! Painting takes time and practice. If you’re stuck, try using a custom brush to get results faster. I’ve prepared one you can download here:

Speedpaint Demo

Watch me paint clouds from scratch in this short demo video:

Final Thoughts

Thanks for reading this cloud painting tutorial! I hope it helps you better understand how to work with skies and atmospheric effects in your art. Remember:

“Practice makes perfect — and happy little clouds make everything better.” – Bob Ross

If you enjoyed this, feel free to share it with fellow artists and follow me for more tutorials. 🌥️