If you use acrylic paint, you can spray it with water to keep it moist all the while you're painting. The most important part of this project will be to get the right proportions. If the clouds are too small they won't look believable and too large will result in the same feeling so I suggest drawing your pattern in chalk and then get below to get the feel of the dimensions. You could also take your clue from library painting. If you want the clouds to appear closer towards the middle, use your lightest color and add a little gray to the white paint to make the ones behind them recede. I love the way the clouds go right to the sides and give us a peek of the sky with a clever formation. Good luck, I'm sure you're going to do a great job.

Thanks, yayagal, I need all the encouragement I can get, esp since I'm living with doubting thomas...

Do a few small trial pieces on any large paper you can find and get a feel for it, that will give you more confidence. When you are doing the edges, us a dry flat brush and barely brush with it and it will make a nice softened area although you need a few crisp areas too so that they will be convincing.

I just found this very good info on the net, she has very good suggestions.

Here is a link that might be useful: cloud advice

I've never done clouds but did do 'faux finishes' years ago when that was popular. I'd definitely recommend adding a glaze to your paint as it makes it much easier to work.

As I recall I also diluted a bit with water.

Here is a link that might be useful: painting clouds

I used large sponges. Had cloud colors mixed and in separate containers.a spray mister, a sm bucket of water, rags. Put in the dk. then med then lt gray first, then the lighter colors.
The mister can be used to either dilute on the ceiling or in the container or the sponge. It will be beautiful when you are done !

Thanks for all the wonderful suggestions and the time you took to find the links. Much appreciated.

I think I will have to play and practice first...I have the ceiling paint already somewhere....maybe I can find some sheet rock to play with....

In the murals by morgan, posted above, she recommends painting the sky

BM Blue flower
{{!gwi}}

Then using BM vanilla ice cream
{{!gwi}}

BM Peach Parfait
{{!gwi}}

BM Majestic Mauve
{{!gwi}}

Those are exactly the colors I'm going for, but I'm thinking I might want to use the darker shade
BM light salmon
{{!gwi}}
BM iced mauve
{{!gwi}}

I figure if I have white paint, I can always blend to make it lighter....

The bad news is, she says you need a matte or eggshell finish in order to move the paint on the base coat and right now it's a flat. Guess I'm going to have to repaint before I can paint. Rats!

I love your idea! It will be gorgeous. When I was looking at stencils I found a gorgeous mural that had clouds on it. I fell in love with it but I don't have enough talent to make it happen. I am envious that you have the ambition and talent to pull it off! I can't wait to see progress pics.

Go for it! In my bedroom, I did a blue colorwash on the ceiling, creating a swirly, cloudlike effect. It was fun to do (and easy enough to paint over if I get tired of it or sell the house). I did use a glaze to extend the drying time.

In my home office (or a corner of it), I painted the ceiling a dark blue and then stenciled gold stars--and I may do the same thing in my dining room. I fell in love with that look at a restaurant/pub in Oregon.

Why not have fun???

Use a paint extender. You can get it in the acrylic paint aisle. I use it all of the time in decorative painting to extend the open time of acrylic paint to allow for more manipulation of the paint. Have fun!

Thanks foxespad....I think I'll head to the paint store today to get the colors to play with on a practice board. Every time I mention anything about the DR ceiling, DH visibly pales. It's so cute!

Here are two videos that might help.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UiP_nDysf9U

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UZ1Ph40xDfY

Try the practice board and then get back to us. You'll want to use a glaze with your paint that will extend the drying time of the paint, and still keep it transparent. You've set a very high goal for yourself. This takes lots of practice to develop a successful technique.

your biggest challenge might be successfully painting a picture on a ceiling... painting on a horizontal surface above your head will be much different and probably much more difficult than painting on an easel or even a mural on a wall...
you might want to get a large board and try to recreate the experience 1st or practice on a seldom used bedroom ceiling 1st... and possibly have your mental image of 'clouds' broaden to something alittle more abstract...

Those videos are great. I hope you have some white as well as the colors above. I can't wait to see the finished project. Love the library inspiration pic.

Thanks, beverly...I'd seen the first one, but not the second.

Busybee, I agree that painting on the ceiling will be different...it also is different because the clouds look different when looked at from below than from across the sky.

The only good thing is, I can't draw a straight line to save my life, but I can be consistently inconsistent which is what's needed to do faux finishes. I did pretty good with the "marble" columns in the library.

The best news is, it's only paint and if I don't like it, I can go back to flat, I can try a different finish like metallics or I can hire a real painter to do it.

The design direction of painted clouds on the ceiling in your dining room IMO seems to not be in keeping with the other decisions you've made for this room. You have lovely woodwork that could be expanded upon if the clouds don't work out.

Here are some possible woodwork solutions for barrel vault ceilings.

Interesting, beverly...I have my heart set on a sunset sky though. But if it doesn't work out, I can do something different...hadn't thought about adding more woodwork as the two rooms are already chock full...but it's an interesting idea.

Something like this might be my back up plan...

It'd be so pretty with the indirect lighting....

that would be much easier to do well!!! :) (and would still add alot to the room)

I must admit I like the crisscross effect of the molding in the bedroom beverly27 posted above, and think it would be more in keeping with the rest of your furnishings and architectural elements.

You are so brave! I think it would be cool but very difficult. But I guess being on the ceiling, and lower lights, might help smoothe it a bit?

Years ago I wanted to make my BR walls speckled like an egg. Very hard to do over a large wall! Retired my brushes then.

It's not bravery...it's insanity that drives me to attempt things...like making that bride's veil. It's inherited...the same drive that made my Dad build an addition on the house, even though he'd never built before...

Good for you!

Good for you!

Good for you!

I'm not a fan of the clouds on the ceiling look ... most just aren't done well. Let us know how it goes and how many massages you needed afterwards to recover!

Just checking have you started yet? How's it going? looking forward to your handywork if the veil is any indication of your work it should turn out great.

::: insider scoop :::

Annie has started but still having issues with paint consistency. I'm sure she will figure it out, she seems pretty unstoppable. : )

Btw, I may have missed it, but I think the gold looks lovely. RL has some pretty good metallic paints; i used some in a place between two ceiling moldings in my old DR

Thanks, sleevendog.

I did one sample board so far, and it wasn't good...but the colors were great.

I'm going to change brushes and, after watching a bunch of mural joe you tubes, I was thinking of using floetrol to extend the drying time. Have you worked with it? Or is the glazing liquid better to try?

He also showed how to do a star, so I will definitely be adding an evening star to the ceiling....

I think also I will need more practice....a lot more practice! I can tell already that I am making the beginner mistake of overworking it and making it worse rather than better....

To get that translucent appearance so necessary for clouds, you usually have to use a glaze. Paint alone is just too thick. I thought Floetrol merely thins paint, but doesn't make paint translucent. However, I've provided a link to a group that uses Floetrol instead of glaze, maybe this will work for you.

Some faux finish artists artfully use a water mister as they paint to help extend the drying time of acrylic paint which might be okay for the ceiling.

Here is a link that might be useful: Uses Floetrol instead of glaze

I used folk art paint from the craft department at wal-mart and mixed it with water put a small amount in a container then use a rag cut out of a old cloth diaper or pillow case. Apply it like rag painting or swipe it on. It shades itself depending on how much you work it . I,ll dig around and see if I can find a pic.