Cloudy Background - Tutorial

Hi everyone,

This is about as easy a tutorial as you can get....

I made this gorgeous cloudy paper background in less than a minute... seriously!!!

I know the last time I went to a craft shop to buy a sheet of cloud background paper, it cost me £1 for a 12 inch x 12 inch square and I would use a lot more of it, if it wasn't so expensive, so I thought it was time I figured out how to make my own!

Here's what you'll need to make yours:

1 sheet of photo copy paper - any sheet of white paper will do..

Light blue chalk - if you don't have chalk, light blue eye shadow will work just as well, and you'll have a nice sheen on your paper afterwards too :)

A sponge, if you don't have a blending sponge, a small make up sponge will work just as well

A pencil and a pair of scissors.


Take your sheet of paper longways and draw some semi circle cloud shape outlines across it randomly.  If you're not confident drawing freehand, you could use several different size bottle lids and draw round those - here's an example:

When you are happy with your outline, just cut it out:

Now for the fun bit....

Place your newly created cloud template over your blank card or paper... if you're not confident about applying the colour directly to your card, then start with a scrap piece and practice.

Apply some chalk to your sponge and starting with your sponge on the template, drag it upwards a little unto your blank card... keep it light and you can always go over it again.. continue the whole way across..

Lift your template and turn it over to the other side (so you're using the front and back) and move it down your card a little and repeat the sponging again.  You can repeat this as far down your card as you want your sky to go.  Remember to start your template at a different section each time so cloud shapes change.


And that's it...

here are a a couple finished cards I've made using my cloudy sky background:

couldn't resist adding a little piece of cross stitch :)

This stamp was a free gift with Simply Cards & Papercraft
Watch out for another tutorial later using more of the free
gifts from this magazine :)

Give it a go, you could even change the colours for a more dramatic sky, and I'd love to see your designs :)

Thanks for stopping by :)