How to Paint Colorful Skies with Mandy Theis

In this episode of Art School Live, Mandy Theis studies "Ship in Fog, Gloucester Harbor," painted around 1860 by master painter Fitz Henry Lane, and breaks down how he built such beautiful, believable color movement across the sky. She then demonstrates how to bring that same warm-to-cool color flow into your own painting, creating a sky that feels alive with light instead of flat and static. This tutorial is built for beginners and intermediate painters alike, whether you paint en plein air or in the studio. You'll walk away with a simple way to look at old master paintings for inspiration, and practical techniques for painting a sky with real depth and glow. —--- 🎨 𝐆𝐨𝐮𝐚𝐜𝐡𝐞 𝐋𝐢𝐯𝐞— Aug 20–21, online Watch Gouache Master Artists like Sarah Burns, Kathleen Dunphy, John Burton, and Larry Moore paint live — register at http://www.gouachelive.com 🏞️ PleinAir LIVE Online is back! 3 days, 20+ world-class artists, techniques for beginner and intermediate painters. September 16–18, 2026. Book your seat: https://pleinairlive.com/ 🍂 𝐅𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐂𝐨𝐥𝐨𝐫 𝐖𝐞𝐞𝐤— Oct 11–18, Acadia Park, Maine Paint outdoors in one of the most stunning fall landscapes in America with Eric Rhoads — reserve your spot at http://www.fallcolorweek.com 🌏 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟔 𝐏𝐥𝐞𝐢𝐧𝐀𝐢𝐫 𝐌𝐚𝐠𝐚𝐳𝐢𝐧𝐞 𝐓𝐫𝐢𝐩 𝐭𝐨 𝐂𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐚— Nov 6–22 Paint the breathtaking landscapes of China plein air alongside Master Artist Kevin Macpherson — reserve your spot at https://www.pleinairtrip.com/china Download our FREE gift 𝟗𝟕 𝐈𝐧𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐝𝐢𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐀𝐫𝐭 𝐒𝐞𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐭𝐬 here: https://97tips.com/asl WE BELIEVE ANYONE CAN LEARN TO PAINT — and our goal is to show you how. Watching 5 lessons in a row will give you the confidence to start painting. If you're a beginner, Eric has a series of three free lessons to teach you the very basics of painting, for free. Visit: https://PaintByNote.com/asl Art School Live is hosted by art magazine publisher Eric Rhoads, founder of Fine Art Connoisseur and Plein Air Magazines. We produce art newsletters, magazines, events, retreats, artist tools and training. To see everything we offer visit https://streamlinepublishing.com/ Please Like, Share, and Subscribe to Art School Live here: https://bit.ly/ArtSchoolLive