Mark Making Experiments

Igor Adameyko, Gerd Günther, Wim van Egmond, Benedikt Pleyer

Last week, in an email from the New York Times, I discovered this gif of microscopic life.  You can read the article here: Videos of Microscopic Life

I'm getting ready for the start of my Pencil Drawing Workshop at the Community College of Beaver County, and we'll be talking about mark making.  I find images like these spark new ideas for me.  After watching this gif, I quickly filled a page in my sketchbook.

Practicing making different marks is a good way to keep your hand in drawing practice, to exercise your imagination, and to generate new ways to express texture & shading.  Different types of marks make your art more interesting.

Look at the way that varied marks create texture and vitality in this drawing by Vincent Van Gogh.

Wow! Van Gogh's landscape fairly vibrates with life!

Though Van Gogh used a lot of straight lines and cross-hatching, look at how vibrant his Portrait of the Postman Joseph Roulin (1888) is.

Let's try our own mark making, inspired by the video of microscopic creatures.  I hope you'll join me and sketch your own version of this!

I started by holding my pencil -- a 7B -- at the end to loosen up my lines.  Try it!

I loved this little character, and made lots of loopy lines to create a second one.

After blowing out a candle, I noticed the way the smoke rose up, wobbly and curly.  It inspired the swoopy lines at the bottom of the page.  I smudged the soft pencil marks to make them more smoky.

For more control and different marks, I hold the pencil closer to the tip.

But I'd never get the long, flowing lines of these branching marks by holding the pencil that tightly.

Next step -- now try a page of marks that imitate Vincent Van Gogh's.

For a touch more inspiration, here's a link to a wonderful YouTube video by Ed Lax of a simple mark making exercise: 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SZVim6ECWss

Happy Creating!

New Year, New Classes!

Here's the schedule of my latest classes. You don't need any art experience to join me and find joy, self-expression and community in my art classes. I offer in-person classes, and talk you through every step of the creative process.

I hope you'll join me for one of these upcoming continuing education classes at the Community College of Beaver County!

You can register here: https://ccbc.coursestorm.com/category/arts

Beginner's Pencil Drawing

Mondays, Feb. 16, 23, March 2 & 9, 2026 from 6-9 PM

$109

Make a fresh start in 2026 with this versatile & portable art form. Instructor Betsy Bangley will lead you through a series of activities designed to help you learn how to capture the world around you with a pencil on paper. We’ll start by playing with our materials to find out how to make a variety of marks, lines and shading types, move on to sketching everyday objects, and build up to exploring perspective and textures. Discover a new way to express yourself, and embark on an art adventure!

Register here:https://ccbc.coursestorm.com/category/arts

Or by phone: 724-480-3575

Pencil Drawing: Color and Shading

March 16, 23,30 & April 6, 2026, 6-9 PM

$109

This is an extension of our 4-week Beginner’s Pencil Drawing class, and is open to all. Would you like to advance your drawing skills? Perhaps you’re a beginner who would like guided practice. Jump into drawing fruit with colored pencils, creating portraits, and exploring more exciting drawing projects with Betsy Bangley. Whatever your skill level, you will gain drawing ability through working in this supportive group and practicing weekly.

Register here:https://ccbc.coursestorm.com/category/arts

Or by phone: 724-480-3575

Watercolor Leaves and Florals (Botanicals)

April 4,11,18 & 25, 2025 10 AM to 1 PM

$109

Join Betsy Bangley for a relaxing course in watercolor florals. Paint away your stress, and learn brush strokes, color mixing and layout ideas to create beautiful flowers and leaves. Use your new skills to decorate journal pages, stationary, and framed art, or simply create for the joy of painting. 

All materials are provided.

I hope to see you in one of these classes!

You can register here:https://ccbc.coursestorm.com/category/arts

Or by phone: 724-480-3575

Community College of Beaver County Continuing Ed. News!

I was delighted to open CCBC's  Fall 2025 Continuing Education Course Guide and find myself on page 12. 

I'm honored to have my classes featured, and hope you'll join me this fall for Beginner's Pencil Drawing and Pencil Drawing: Color and Shading!

You can register for these classes by following this link:

https://ccbc.coursestorm.com/

Then click on "Arts" under "Beaver County Classes."

I'll be in the studio to welcome you on the first day of classes, Monday, October 6th.

Hope to see you there!

Hike & Sketch with My Nature Journal

What's better on a summer afternoon than a hike in the woods?

A hike with your art supplies!

I love tree trunks, especially where the roots reach into the soil.  That connection point creates the feeling of grounding for me, and also beautiful shadows and shapes.

Taking a break on a recent hike, I painted this woodland scene in my nature journal.  I enjoyed mixing a variety of greens, and simply exploring the woods with my paintbrush.

What do you love to look at?  That would be a great subject to draw or paint in your nature journal.

If you'd like to take a class with me, there's still space in my upcoming Nature Journaling class.

Course dates: Mondays, July 7,14 & 21, 6-9 pm

Community College of Beaver County, Monaca, PA

Cost: $89

All materials are provided. 

You'll receive a sketchbook, colored pencils, pencils, an eraser & a pencil sharpener.

For more information and to register, follow this link:

https://ccbc.coursestorm.com/category/arts

Happy Creating & I hope to see you there!

A Gladiolus for Pastel Painting Class

Here's a reference photo of gladiolus blooms for my Painting Flowers with Pastels class at the Community College of Beaver County tonight.

And here's my demonstration piece from class:

Happy Creating!

Tiny Art Journal

I just finished teaching my Tiny Art class at the Community College of Beaver County.  We had a wonderful time painting small natural items with gouache.

For our final project, we made journals using old books and book covers, and mounted our paintings inside.

I removed the text from an old, tattered textbook, and refilled it with 140# watercolor paper cut to size.

I simply tied the folded pages in with a thick piece of cotton string. No sewing or binding required!

My class demonstration paintings are mounted on the pages within.

Several pages remain blank at the back -- space to add new paintings to my book.

I love the handwriting in old books, and the worn, yellowed look. It adds character.

I invite you to take a class with me.  For a list of my upcoming classes in Beaver & Washington Counties, PA, follow this link:

https://ccbc.coursestorm.com/

Click on "Arts" 

You can also check out my "Take a Class with Betsy" page here: https://betsyblissart.blogspot.com/p/online-art-classes.html

Happy Creating!

Tiny Art!

Today begins my Tiny Art class at the Community College of Beaver County.  I'm looking forward to class!  

We will be making small paintings of tiny things like flowers, snail shells, seashells, butterflies, feathers, and whatever else inspires us.

Right now, so many tiny buds are opening in nature, unfurling flowers & miniature leaves.  It seems the ideal time to make tiny art.

Above is a photo of Spring Beauty, a native wildflower now blooming.  Its blossoms are 1/2 inch wide, and when you get down close to the flower, you'll see tiny pink veins in the petals.

We will be painting our tiny subjects with gouache, an opaque paint that allows us to layer light marks on top of darker areas.  

Here is a nature journal entry I made with gouache, finishing the details with colored pencils.

If you'd like to take a class with me in person, you can check my class schedule here:  https://betsyblissart.blogspot.com/p/online-art-classes.html

And, you can follow this link to my CCBC Continuing Education Classes: https://ccbc.coursestorm.com/

Click on "Arts" under Beaver County and Washington County and you'll find my classes among the other art courses offered there. Each instructor's name is listed with the course descriptions.

I hope to see you in a class soon! 

Join Me for Nature Journaling on April 19th!

I invite you to join me for an introduction to keeping a nature journal. No drawing experience is required. Learn techniques for recording what you see in nature, and discover the self care benefits of keeping a nature journal. We'll begin indoors with inspiration and an introduction to techniques, then go outdoors to explore and create!

All materials are provided. Please dress for the weather.

For more information and to sign up for the class, follow this link:

https://ccbc.coursestorm.com/category/arts1

Tuesday, April 19, 2024, from 6-9 PM

$49

The new Washington County location for CCBC Continuing Education Classes:

625 E McMurray Rd, McMurray, PA 15317

I hope to see you there!

Upcycling:Tiny Art in Photographic Slide Frames

Have you seen art journalers reusing photographic slide frames to hold tiny art?  All you have to do is pop open the slide, remove the photographic film, and replace it with your own art. Then glue or tape the frame back together.

I tried this out, and found that it's really easy to fill such a tiny space with art.  It's tricky to fit words into the small area, but if you keep your affirmation short, it works!

I plan to give these to friends and family, and to leave them in public places where folks can find them and feel uplifted.

The world is full of negativity and hardship.  But we can each shine a little light and positivity by making art, leaving encouragement for another person to find.

You can read more inspirational ideas at the Random Note Project website here: 

https://www.randomnoteproject.com/

I received a random note the night before I taught my first figure drawing class years ago.  I was nervous and questioning myself.  This note shifted my thinking and helped me feel more settled.

What message would you love to receive from someone out there in the world?  

What messages would you like to share with others who could use your encouragement?

I hope you create your own random notes of kindness to share.

If you'd like some practice making tiny art, I'll be teaching a class in creating Tiny Art with gouache at the Community College of Beaver County in Monaca, PA starting Saturday, April 13th at 10 AM.

You can learn more about the class and sign up here:

https://ccbc.coursestorm.com/

I hope to see you there!

Pencil Sketches

Between teaching Drawing in the Museum for Osher at CMU, and Pencil Drawing for CCBC, I've been spending a lot of quality time with just a pencil and a sketchbook.

You can express a lot with a simple pencil -- light & shadow, shape & texture -- all in the way you make your marks and how heavily you lay down the graphite.

These first 4 drawings are from the Carnegie Museum of Natural History in Pittsburgh -- from the Hall of North American Wildlife, Polar World, and the last two are from the Hall of Botany.

The best approach is to pick something that really attracts your eye, and then make a game of exploring different ways of drawing it.  Being experimental is key to relaxing and making discoveries.

One day after class, David & I ate at the museum cafe. I sketched these two people quickly.

The first fellow was outside waiting for a bus and looking at his phone, and the woman below was dining in the cafe.

The cat below was drawn from a photo one of my Pencil Drawing students brought in, and we both tried turning our sketchbooks and the photo upside down.  It was a really useful trick to help us see the shapes in this foreshortened view of her old friend.

Remember, it doesn't take much.  Grab a pencil and some paper, and start sketching whatever catches your eye.  If you do this regularly, you will make great discoveries and build your drawing skills with every sketch.

Happy Sketching!

Copyright Betsy Bangley 2024. All rights reserved.

 

Pet Portraits in Colored Pencil Workshop!

In just one week, I will be teaching a workshop on drawing portraits of your pet using colored pencil at the Community College of Beaver County.

Wednesdays, January 10th & 17th, from 6-9 PM

on the CCBC Monaca, PA campus.

This class is designed for beginners, and all you need to do is bring a photo of an animal you'd like to draw, a sketchbook, and a pack of colored pencils, and we'll take it from there!

You can find more details & register for the course here:

Register me for Pet Portraits in Colored Pencil!

I hope you'll join me for two relaxing evenings of sketching the animals you love!

Copyright Betsy Bangley 2024.

Pencil Drawing Class at CCBC

 

I'm currently teaching a beginner's course in Pencil Drawing at the Community College of Beaver County.

I asked my students to bring in a small object to our first class to draw -- first from memory and then from observation.  I invite you to try this activity, and notice which approach is easier-- drawing what you remember or drawing what you see?  Which technique creates a more accurate drawing?

Leave me a comment below with what you discovered!

The class meets once a week.  In order to keep developing our skills, we draw every day.  This week's prompt is to draw your breakfast. 

I must admit to missing some days, but these flapjacks and blueberries were so beautiful, I had to sketch them.

Having a plan to draw every morning helps to make it happen.

If you're interested in learning more about pencil drawing, please join us for the next course -- Pencil Drawing: Colors and Shading.  The class begins on November 6th, and runs 4 weeks.

Find out more & register here:

https://ccbc.coursestorm.com/category/arts

Copyright 2023 Betsy Bangley, Betsy's Bliss Art Blog.