Botanical Weekly Planner Page

Each week in my planner is a new opportunity to experiment with my art. I try to let myself be free and let the art flow intuitively. 

Surprisingly, I feel more experimental than I do in my sketchbooks. 

One of the things I loved about our Watercolor Leaves and Florals class at CCBC was that we used the photos of wildflowers in field guides as references and created our own versions of real flowers.  

It gave us something to start with, yet we had none of the pressure to create anything realistic.

I created a "new" flower as I was making this page.  It's the yellow one. I was thinking of Queen Anne's Lace as I painted it.  

I can see now how much the drive for perfect realism puts a damper on my creativity.  Accepting that my painting isn't going to be photo-realistic releases my creative impulses and makes the process more fun and playful.

When I started painting landscapes, I wanted to capture every pine needle and flower in the scene.  Of course, that's impossible.  Learning to be playfully abstract in my watercolor paintings is far more fun for me than trying to recreate reality on the page.

Would you like to take a day in nature to play with your watercolors?  I hope you'll join me for my upcoming Nature in Watercolor Workshop for Beginners at Raccoon Creek State Park.  Read more about it in this post:

https://betsyblissart.blogspot.com/2026/05/osher-nature-in-watercolors-worshop-for.html 

I hope you'll join me!

Watercolor Botanicals & New Stickers!

I thoroughly enjoyed our Watercolor Leaves and Florals for Beginners class at CCBC. 

Rather than focusing on creating perfectly realistic paintings of flowers, we made our version of roses, coneflowers, phlox, violets and lilies.  We even invented flowers and leaves.  At the end of the class, I had created so many demonstration paintings, including the gratitude journal I shared in a post here.  

When an email deal from Sticker Mule for 4"x 6" sticker sheets came through, I snapped photos with my cell phone and jumped on the offer. 

I love printing my art and giving it away or using it on stationery.  Seeing my art as a greeting card or a sticker pushes back against that harsh critic. The Hobgoblin is proven wrong when I  give someone a sticker and see the joy on their face.  We can uplift others with our art!

Happy Creating!

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!

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

Planner Pages: Summer Blooms!

After taking a watercolor botanical class with Wendy Solganik of Willa Wanders (https://www.willawanders.com/), I felt inspired to decorate my weekly planner with roses, hearts and swirls.

It doesn't take much to add color & beauty to a dull weekly planner!  It's also a great way to give yourself room to doodle.  I find it's a low stress place to create because no one sees it but me most of the time.

What are some low-stress ways you add art-making to your life? I invite you to make a list of ideas and start trying them.

Happy Creating!