Betty Carr: Capturing Limited Light with Expressive Brushwork

Join artist, and teacher Betty Carr in this watercolor video workshop as she demonstrates her dynamic painting process and techniques. Learn the bold, high energy style she brings to her watercolor painting to achieve rich color, energetic lighting, and bold strokes.

Thinking like an oil painter and sculptor, Betty Carr carves depth out of her painting and uses expressive 'dancing' brushwork. In these watercolor lessons, you will learn to paint from a proper value plan, use bold high energy strokes, and achieve rich colors and energetic lighting. Artists of every experience level will get gems of wisdom and tips to improve their watercolor painting.

Enjoy the high-energy, painterly approach to watercolor with national author, artist, and teacher Betty Carr. Carr begins by discussing the importance of a proper value plan when starting a painting. She demonstrates a simple way to stretch paper, and shows you a few warmup exercises to help you get life and energy into your brushwork.

Betty then gives pointers and demonstrates how to paint with your watercolor paper in the vertical position. She begins with darks for punch and adds clear water to soften edges and manipulate shapes.

Betty shows the importance of confident brush strokes to give life to your work and demonstrates how to mix paint to add richness to color. Betty attacks her work like a sculptor, carving out shapes that direct the eye across the page using paths of darks and neutrals. She critiques her own work and then adds elements to strengthen her painting.

Betty blends rich combinations on her paper and builds a visual rhythm that spills right off the page. You have an unbeatable view of Betty's entire process.

Betty Carr demonstrates and shares her thoughts on:

• Warm up exercises
• Starting with the darks
• Using a proper value plan
• Getting energy into your subject
• Directing the eye through the painting with subtle color adjustments
• Mixing paint to add richness to color

BONUS CLIP: Get Warmed Up for Watercolor
In this clip from her video workshop, Capturing Limited Light with Expressive Brushwork, watercolorist Betty Carr shares her favorite exercise for loosening up to paint. She uses loose, wide strokes and a carefree approach to color to get herself in the mindset for successful painting. Betty teaches you to follow general direction and movement instead of concentrating on staying in the lines of your sketch.