Spring Nature Journal Update

So much is happening right now in nature!  Out on a walk in the state park, we stopped for a rest, and I found this lovely tree with lichen growing up the trunk.  

As I was drawing it, a male Eastern Bluebird perched nearby and sang.  Absolutely enchanting!

Now I get to keep this memory and return to it in my nature journal.

Digging in the garden as I planted potatoes, carrots, onions and beets, I turned up this large pupa (2-3" long).  Looking it up online, I discovered it was the pupa of a tomato hornworm or sphinx moth.  I tucked it back under the earth where I'd found it in the hopes that a lovely moth will emerge.

What is happening in nature around you?  I hope you take a moment to sit outside and make some sketches & observations in your nature journal.

Happy Creating!

Charmed by a Vintage Tea Kettle

A recent thrifting adventure turned up this adorable aluminum tea kettle.  I bought it to use in my drawing classes for still life setups, and was so charmed by it, I made a watercolor study of it myself.

I started with a simple pen and ink sketch using my Lamy fountain pen and waterproof ink.

After the ink was dry, I laid in washes of ultramarine blue mixed with burnt sienna to make a steely grey. The wet-in-wet approach worked well to merge contrasting areas and soften the edges. 

I began laying in burnt sienna and yellow ochre to make the brown craft paper and wooden box in the background.

I got excited about creating the wood grain by laying in stripes of burnt umber mixed with burnt sienna to lighten it or ultramarine to darken it.

I found that my first attempt at the wood grain was too detailed and drew the eye away from the tea kettle, so I softened the wood grain with light washes.  

I like the final level of detail in the background.

If you are captured by this little vintage tea kettle, I hope you'll make a painting or drawing from the photo at the top of this post.

Happy Creating!

Making a Gratitude Journal with Watercolor Florals

We're having a wonderful time in Watercolor Leaves and Florals for Beginners class at the Community College of Beaver County.  

We've been creating loose watercolor florals on a variety of papers.

I put together a sample gratitude journal to show my students the possibilities for using their artwork.

Here's a flip-through!

I used gesso to partially cover the type of an old book page to make it easier for the journaler to write on the page.

I found a variety of old papers, like this accounting ledger, at the Pittsburgh Center for Creative Reuse.  Check them out here:

https://pccr.org/

You may recognize some of the materials I used for this project from this haul:

https://betsyblissart.blogspot.com/2026/03/upcycling-finds-from-pittsburgh-center.html

This blank music sheeting gives the perfect space for a short entry.

The cover is made from a wallpaper sample that I folded over and glued to make it extra sturdy before sewing the binding.

I used a simple pamphlet stitch on a single signature.   

I love that you can invent your own flowers and leaves using this watercolor floral technique.

I learned the technique from Wendy Solganik of Willa Wanders in her Loose Watercolor Florals class on Teachable.  You can find her course here:

https://www.willawanders.com/watercolor-leaves-and-florals?_gl=1*1uj0ask*_gcl_au*MTIzMjgzMTQ2MC4xNzc1NTg0NDc3 

Happy Creating!

Art for Breakfast!

I found this holey tree trunk on a recent hike and I loved the rich, earthy colors and the many holes and craggly bits.  I snapped a photo to create from later.

Back in the studio, I made an ink sketch on watercolor paper, then washed in loose watercolors.  

After the watercolor dried, I decided to add the final touches with colored pencils, but the piece sat on my art table for a week or more.

I finally brought it to the breakfast table and finished it with Prismacolor colored pencils while I sipped tea.  

Art can be very portable -- you can create as you eat a meal, talk with a friend, or listen to a podcast.  You only need for your hand to follow your eye.

Where would you like to take your art?

Nature Treasures and a Nature Journaling Class!

My studio is chock-full of twigs, feathers, acorns and other natural treasures picked up on walks.  Eventually, these bits get dusty & crumbly, so I return everything to the wild.  

When I collect drawings of these treasures, I get to keep them tucked away in my nature journal in their fresh, dust-free state.

I also get the experience of slowing down, immersing myself in nature, and drawing in my nature journal.

I made this sketch on a recent hike in Raccoon Creek State Park.  It's lovely to open my nature journal and bring back memories of that day and of making discoveries in the woods.

Would you like some inspiration and instruction on nature journaling?

I hope you'll join me for an in-person Nature Journaling class at the Raccoon Creek State Park Wildflower Reserve on Sunday, April 12th, 2026, from 1-4 PM. Cost is $15.

You can register here:

https://events.dcnr.pa.gov/event/nature-journaling-3974

Osher Figure Drawing with Model Amelia

We kicked off our Osher at CMU Spring Figure Drawing class with model Amelia.

The variety, creativity and strength in Amelia's poses inspired us to draw quickly to capture as much as we could before the timer sounded and we moved on. 

Something magical happens when a model engages their creativity and works as a co-creator in a drawing session.  Everyone is uplifted.  It's a rare experience, and one we, the artists, are grateful for.  It leaves me feeling sparkly.

Here are some of my 2- and 3-minute gesture drawings.

We did a series of 5-line drawings, allowing ourselves only 5 lines to express the entire pose.  I always find that assignment challenging, but it pushes me to explore new ideas.  I like my abstracted 5-line drawings the best.

We took a break, and then moved on to 20-minute poses.

My sincere thanks to model Amelia for her hard work and creativity!

Early Spring Nature Journaling

I recently loaded up a knapsack with some colored pencils and my nature journal and hiked to a local waterfall to sketch.  

There's nothing like sitting outside and drawing the beauty of nature.

  I enjoy drawing from reference photos, but prefer observing the details in nature in person as I sketch.  I can react to the parts of the scene that really inspire me.

After an hour sitting on a rock on a chilly afternoon, I decided to snap a photo and finish the last details in my studio.

When I got back to my studio, I noticed my sketch needed more contrast.

Sometimes it's hard to discern the areas that are darker or brighter when you're looking at a color photo.  

I converted my reference photo to black-and-white to make the values more obvious.

I added a bit more contrast between the water and the rocks around it.

I noticed I had made the waterfall too broad, so I narrowed it down a bit and added more bright values with a white Posca paint pen.

Here's the final page spread in my nature journal.

The beauty of drawing outdoors is that you get to be still and calm in nature, hearing the thundering of a waterfall or the music of songbirds as you create.  

Time stills as you observe the beauty of nature around you.  

When you're done, you have a sketch that will remind you of your experience every time you flip to that page.

I hope you find a quiet spot in nature where you can relax and sketch.

Happy Creating!