How to Paint a Clark’s Nutcracker | Bird Painting Tutorial

In this video, I walk through my process for painting a Clark’s Nutcracker using acrylic gouache, from the initial sketch to the final layers of detail. We start with a simple drawing, move into a thin wash to establish values, and then gradually build depth and form through layered paint. I also break down how I use different paint consistencies (often described as tea, milk, and honey) to layer details. If you’re interested in developing your bird studies beyond sketching and into painting, this is a great place to start. Materials used are Canson bristol smooth 100lb paper, Holbein Acrylic Gouache set of Primary white, yellow, cyan, magenta, and black, and a small Masterson's Sta-Wet Palette. Get my FREE guide to Sketching Birds here: https://katybetz.com/freebie Check out my other bird paintings here: https://katybetz.com/portfolio Follow me on IG: https://instagram.com/katybetzstudio Follow me on Facebook: https://facebook.com/katybetzstudio 0:00 Intro 0:22 Sketching the Bird 4:08 Painting with Acrylic Gouache