Short answer
Draw a flat base first, then bumps on top that get bigger toward the middle. Shade the underside and the side away from the sun, leave the tops as bare paper, and make clouds smaller, flatter and closer together as they go down toward the horizon.
A cumulus cloud in four steps
Step 1 of 4
Flat base, big envelope
Draw a flat horizontal line for the base: cumulus clouds form at the level where air cools enough to condense, so the bottom is level. Sketch a loose dome over it as the envelope.
Step 2 of 4
Bumps on top
Inside the envelope, draw bumps of different sizes, the biggest near the top middle. Add one or two inner curves where a bump sits in front of another.
Step 3 of 4
Shadow underneath
With the sun high and to the left, hatch a band along the underside and down the right edge. Keep the tops bare paper: that contrast gives the cloud its volume.
Step 4 of 4
Smaller toward the horizon
Add smaller, flatter clouds lower in the sky, each smaller than the one above. Draw a horizon line and a dark strip of land so the sky has something to sit on.
Blue lines: added in that step. Gray: already drawn.
Cloud types for landscape drawing
Cloud types
| Cloud | What it looks like | How to draw it |
|---|---|---|
| Cumulus | Puffy heaps with flat bases | Bumps on top, flat shaded base |
| Storm (cumulonimbus) | Towering, dark base, sometimes an anvil top | Very dark ragged base, lit top, rain streaks |
| Stratus | A flat gray sheet | Even tone with a blending stump, soft edges |
| Cirrus | Thin, wispy streaks high up | Light, quick curved strokes, or lift with an eraser |
Soft skies in pencil
- Lay an even, light tone over the sky with the side of an HB lead.
- Smooth it with a blending stump or a tissue.
- Lift the cloud tops with a kneaded eraser shaped to a point.
- Darken the undersides with a 2B, then soften the edges again.
See shading techniques for blending, hatching and lifting.
Clouds are part of the composition: a big sky needs a low horizon. See composition and put the sky over mountains.
Questions people ask
How do you draw storm clouds?
Make them big and dark at the bottom with a heavy, ragged base, and let a few lit bumps show at the top. Draw rain as faint diagonal streaks falling from the base, all at the same angle.
How do you draw clouds with a pencil without outlines?
Shade the sky around the cloud with a soft, even tone and let the paper be the cloud. Then lift the brightest tops with a kneaded eraser and shade the underside. No line needed.
Why do clouds get smaller near the horizon?
Clouds sit on a layer of sky that recedes in perspective, like a ceiling. Farther clouds are both smaller and squashed flatter, and they bunch together near the horizon.
How do I draw a simple cartoon cloud?
Draw a flat bottom line, then three to five arcs of different sizes along the top, the biggest in the middle. That is the same structure as a realistic cumulus, just without shading.
Last reviewed October 29, 2026. Product lines and listings change; check the details before you buy.