: Anime skies are rarely a solid color. Use a large, soft gradient tool. Fill the top of the canvas with a deep, rich cobalt blue, fading down to a very light cyan or pale turquoise at the horizon line.

: Choose your light source (e.g., top-right). Select a muted, desaturated lavender or pastel blue for the shadows. Block out the side of the cloud spheres facing away from the light. This gives your clouds immediate 3D volume.

: Use a pure white brush to hit the absolute top edges of the clouds facing the sun. Add tiny, thin, streaky "altocumulus" or "cirrus" clouds floating high above in the sky to give the scene a sense of immense scale. 💡 Visual Guides and Video Tutorials