To learn more about these cute illustrations and the inspiration behind them, Bored Panda got in touch with their creator Chris Judge.
We were wondering what initially drew Chris to combine photography with drawing and how clouds came into the picture. Chris wrote: “I have been drawing on photographs for years as I find it a fun way to create a piece of ephemeral art quickly. When I travel, I enjoy drawing little strange characters in photos in airplane magazines and leaving them on planes for people to find. My daughter took some beautiful cloud photos during lockdown, and on a whim, I drew some little faces and hands on some of them and posted them on social media. It seems to give people a lift during these tough times, so I keep making them.”
Seeing familiar characteristics or faces when looking at clouds or other objects is called pareidolia. It is a psychological phenomenon that led Chris and other people to notice recognizable shapes in the sky.
Chris shared how his constant observations made other people join in on the fun. “When I started making them, I was constantly out walking and cycling and taking photos of clouds. Gradually people started sending me photos of clouds from around the world for me to draw on and it transformed the project onto a whole other level. I usually spot straight away if a photo has potential, and then I draw as few lines as possible to create the image. I think they work best when the clouds themselves do the heavy lifting in the images. I use Procreate to make them all.”
Since this project has been thriving since 2020, we were wondering how far it has escalated. Chris shared: “The Daily Cloud project has led to lots of other wonderful projects for which I feel very lucky. I got to work with Eoin Colfer (author of the Artemis Fowl series) on a book called Cloud Babies (published by Walker Books). The story is based on a very personal event for me, and I am thrilled I got to use my clouds for this special project. I also currently have a wonderful exhibition of a Daily Cloud on show in the Riverbank Arts Centre in Kildare, Ireland. It's so brilliant to see the artworks in print and in frames, and the reaction has been fantastic.”
To post one cloud a day can be quite a challenge and time-consuming. We asked Chris how much time it takes for him each day. “My rule is to only spend 10-20 mins on each image and not be too precious, but more often than not I create multiple versions and end up spending about an hour on them,” shared Chris.
No project comes without challenges. Therefore, we wanted to know what was the biggest one for Chris. He wrote: “the biggest challenge for me was learning to say no. Throughout my career as a freelance artist, I said yes to every project, and it used to exhaust me, and I got burnt out a few times trying to juggle too many projects. My life completely changed the day I started turning down commercial work and focusing on my own children's books and projects like a Daily Cloud. It's important to take big scary leaps to get to the next stages in your career. Sketchbooks and personal projects are the key to advancing in my opinion.”
And lastly, Chris added: “I always love seeing clouds from around the world so please DM me your clouds for me to draw on! The exhibition has been such a positive experience that I am now looking at the possibility of bringing A Daily Cloud to other galleries around the world. If there are any galleries interested I would be delighted to hear from you.”
