Part 1: Discovering Paris
Join any time, fill your sketchbook and learn to notice.
8 ateliers ~ 8 Paris stories ~ 8 creative journal spreads
Bonjour • Café Table • The Baguette • Paris Doors • The Bouquinistes • The Métro • Green Chairs • Paris Rooftops
Why aren't they bolted down?
Why do people turn them toward the sun?
When do people move them around, carry one into a quiet corner or sit alone for an hour with a book?
In this online atelier, we'll use one wonderfully ordinary object - the Paris park GREEN chair - to explore leisure, public space, and the French art of slowing down.
We'll look at empty chairs and occupied ones, gardens and fountains, books and trees, and the little choices people make when they're given permission to simply sit.
Then we'll create a peaceful, green-filled Sense of Place Story Collage celebrating stillness, reflection, and noticing.
A Simple Design Object
How one chair became part of the visual language of Paris.
Why They Move
What freedom of arrangement changes about a public garden.
Sitting Alone
Observation, reading, thinking, and the pleasure of one's own company.
The Park as Living Space
How movable chairs allow people to create their own little place within a larger garden.
Your spread might include:
Green park chairs - empty & filled with people
Trees and leaves
Flowers
Fountains
Books
Park signs & more...
Duration: 1 hour (replay available after online session is complete)
Creative Level: All levels welcome
Materials Included: 1-2 pages of downloadable collage materials and/or step by step drawings. (Materials provided 1 week prior to the online atelier through email.)
SUPPLIES YOU NEED (not included):
sketchbook or watercolor paper ~5"x5" or larger (varying formats, or sizes are fine!)
1-2 black pens (waterproof like Micron is preferable)
watercolor set (simple)
scissors, glue stick, tape
color pencils (if you like.)
pencil if desired.
Bonjour, I'm Betsy. I'm an artist, author, educator, and creative guide living most of the year in Paris. I've been bringing people together online to explore the world creatively since 2020.
What began as a way to keep my wanderlust alive, teaching online became one of my favorite ways to form community and share creativity. My online ateliers are approachable, inspiring, and easy to follow. Through stories and visual inspiration, followed byguided step-by-step making - we sketch, layer, collage, experiment, and create together in an inclusive setting. I encourage students to follow along, yet also love seeing individual interpretation and creating in your own manner.
You don't need to be an artist. You don't need to know where to begin. Just bring your curiosity and your supplies and I'll bring the stories, the creative prompts, and plenty of encouragement.
Together, we'll turn an hour online into a little creative escape to Paris.
Sign up Now & Create Your Own Paris
Each online sketchbook atelier is a new invitation to look closer, discover another side of Paris, and transform what you notice into a creative Sense of Place story. Join one atelier or collect them all—your Paris sketchbook is yours to create, one story at a time.
SIGN UP NOW and join me for the GREEN CHAIR Online Sketchbook Atelier.
November 10 • 1 Hour
Time: 10am Pacific/1pm Eastern/7pm Paris
Small Group • All Creative Levels Welcome • Collage Materials Included • Explore Your World with Creativity™