Upcycling Finds from Pittsburgh Center for Creative Reuse!

A recent trip to the Pittsburgh Center for Creative Reuse turned up all of these great finds!  

The interior pages of an old book, a 1979 street map of Orange County, CA, wallpaper samples, embroidery floss and several types of old paper.

I set out to get creative with these items and upcycle them into art!

The wallpaper was fun to paint on with watercolors. I created a postcard and several fancy bookmarks.  I plan to use another wallpaper sample as a cover for a small book I'm making. 

I used Prismacolor colored pencils to add a little definition to the watercolor paint, then glued a piece of cardstock to the back of the wallpaper sample to make an even place to write a message.

I painted loose watercolor florals on some of the book pages.  I learned this technique from artist Wendy Solganik.  You can find her wonderful course here:

https://willa-workshops.teachable.com/p/watercolor-leaves-and-florals  

Once the watercolor flowers were dry, I glued the pages to pieces of fancy wallpaper and added lace.

I love to read, and these bookmarks add a fun touch of whimsy to my reading habit!

I plan to make more items with the materials I bought.  

I've noticed that when I get "new" secondhand art supplies, I often get a surge of inspiration and fresh ideas.  I've learned not to wait, but to strike while the iron is hot and get creating right away!

Are you spring cleaning?  Maybe you'll come across some things that could be turned into art. Have you been out to a thrift shop and found funky artsy stuff?  I hope you make use of the inspiration to get swept away into creating!

Happy Creating!

Art Journaling in my Trader Joe's Grocery Bag Journal

I often write a journal entry on a piece of lined paper as part of my art journaling page.  Making pockets to tuck these folded pages feels like play!  The above pocket design is created with book pages & watercolor paper decorated with Indanthrene Blue & Burnt Sienna watercolors and India ink.

I recently was inspired to try intuitive painting after watching this YouTube video by Jackie Schomburg.  When I finished, I realized my painting represents how I feel about the autumn and the coming winter -- a last celebration of the summer sun, warmth & color.  

Yin & yang.

Sometimes, I doodle in my art journal. 

I picked up some watercolor crayons in an art supply swap I held in one of my Osher classes, and played with them on gesso-covered pages.  I love the rich, bold colors and the way they blend with a wet brush!

An art journal is your space to explore whatever you desire -- from a new set of paints to the thoughts and feelings within you.  I hope you get a chance to play with art supplies just for self care soon!

The Magic of Upcycled Gratitude Journals

One of my favorite daily rituals is to drink my morning tea from a china teacup and journal what I'm grateful for.  I used to keep chickens, and accumulated a stack of brown paper chicken feed bags.  The simplicity of these bags charms me, and makes them feel ideal for upcycling into journals. 

I never face the "fear of the blank page," because I'm writing on something most folks would just throw away or compost.  That gives it a magic that delights me.

 

I use the bag's original stitching as the binding, and then add grommets for fun.  The bag is made of three layers of brown craft paper -- designed to hold 50 pounds of grain, the layering adds strength. That gives me six pages to write on -- enough for a month of entries.  

New Classes for the New Year!

If you are ready for a fresh art project, new inspiration, or just a way to schedule some time for creative self-care, I invite you to join me in these upcoming classes!

Pittsburgh Figure Drawing Meetup

Guided Workshop: Drawing the Model

It's difficult to get started in figure drawing if you're not enrolled in a fine arts program, or able to commit to an expensive, multi-week course. In our 3-hour workshop we'll guide you through proven drawing exercises designed to get your eyes, brain, and hand working together to capture the human form on paper. Attendance is limited to 8 so our instructor can provide one-on-one guidance. Models will pose nude. Materials provided. $25 cash workshop fee. Instructor is artist and figure model Betsy Bangley. Models are Kathryn and David. Seating is limited. Free street-side parking.

Sunday, Jan. 5th, 2-5 pm
Metta: A Healing Arts Community, 5118 Penn Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA
Register online at the Pittsburgh Figure Drawing Meetup:
https://www.meetup.com/Pittsburgh-Figure-Drawing/or email: betsybangley@gmail.com

Community College of Beaver County Continuing Education

I'll be teaching these courses at the Community College of Beaver County.  You can register online for these courses here: https://my.ccbc.edu/ICS/Continuing_Education/
See the full catalog here: https://www.ccbc.edu/college-catalogs


Figure Drawing -- Back by popular demand
Do you enjoy drawing and want to take on a new challenge? Expand your artistic skills and connect with humanity by learning to draw another human being. Our models will dress in athletic wear, and will hold a variety of poses to observe and sketch. Each week we will start with quick gesture drawings and then work on proportions, foreshortening, hands & feet, and the face through longer drawings. Bring a pad of newsprint, drawing paper, a soft pencil, and charcoal.
Mondays, February 3rd, 10th, 17th & 24th, from 6-9 PM
Cost: $59 + a $49 Lab fee

NEW! Handmade Paper Studio
Create your own artsy & unique papers out of a variety of upcycled materials in the first class. You will craft your paper into a journal, stationary or other creation. All materials are provided, though you can bring dried flowers, glitter, a favorite essential oil, or other items to include in your paper.
Wednesdays, April 22nd and 29th from 6-9 PM
Cost: $39 + a $10 Lab fee

New! Pen & Ink
Learn to capture natural scenes with the simple, sharp lines of pen and ink. Learn a technique to minimize the stress of inking, and allow your creativity to flow. You will be drawing natural scenes and subjects using reference photos or natural objects brought into the art studio.
Thursdays, April 9th, 16th & 23rd from 6-9 PM

Cost: $49 + a $10 Lab fee

Upcycled Valentines Coloring Book

I had a snowy afternoon, a Sharpie and some scrap paper.  Here's the result of the day:

I took 4 sheets of legal-sized paper, printed on one side, and folded them, printed side in.  I arranged the pages so that the fold was on the right, then placed the pages in a folded craft paper cover, and punched holes on the left side of the stack. I inserted grommets to bind the book, and then added decorative silver embroidery floss.
That left a blank book with 8 pages to fill. Add black Sharpie, and ...

Book cover

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