Mixed Media Collage: Mindful & Expressive Layers

Beginner

Adults

Mixed Media

Fall 2026

Schedule

Tuesdays November 3 - December 8
12:30 - 2:30pm

Location

Virtual

Course Fee

$305 + HST

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About this course

Step into a creative virtual studio where experimentation, mindfulness, and play take centre stage. Mixed Media Collage is a six-week virtual studio that invites you to unwind, slow down, and explore the meditative art of layered storytelling. Led by celebrated illustrator and designer Farida Zaman, this course brings together design-led thinking with artistic freedom. Throughout six guided sessions, Farida will lead you through intuitive prompts, showing you how to turn hand-painted papers, personal drawings, found material into dynamic, expressive, narrative artworks. You will explore how to interact with your collages using further drawing, mark-making, and paint overlays. Leveraging her vast industry expertise in illustration and surface design, Farida offers guidance on visual balance, composition, and texture. This course is open to all skill levels, offering a space to experiment, unwind, and discover new visual possibilities.

What you'll learn

Master Hand-Crafted Papers: Learn techniques for creating your own uniquely textured, patterned, and painted papers for collage.
Integrate Mixed Media: Discover how to combine acrylics, ink, oil pastels, drawing tools, and found ephemera into cohesive compositions.
Cultivate Mindful Play: Use intuitive, prompt-based exercises to quiet inner criticism, reduce pressure, and focus on the process over perfection.
Apply a Design Eye: Learn how an industry expert uses color relationships, negative space, and focal points to structure compelling collages.
Develop Visual Narrative: Explore how combining disparate images, text, and textures can tell personal, abstract, or figurative stories.
Layer and Overpaint: Practice drawing and painting over existing collaged layers to create surprising depth, texture, and visual interest.

What students say

They weren't sure either.

"An oasis of pure happiness. The teacher's relaxed competence and warmth, combined with that particular combination of solitude and togetherness that Zoom provides, were perfect."

Leslie Cooper · Virtual class

"My drawing class is what I imagine meditation is like. The class begins and your brain immediately takes you to another place — a zen-like space that's deeply relaxing. Magical."

Leslie Milrod · Drawing class

"As a beginner I was concerned the content may be challenging, however our instructor was very knowledgeable, patient and provided excellent guidance, demonstrations and feedback. I recommend the course to anyone wanting to learn."

Melanie Marshall · Watercolour Essentials

Farida Zaman

Wimbledon School of Art (Honors) · Society of Illustrators (NY) · 20+ Years Freelance Illustrator · Top of Class Graduate

Farida Zaman is a seasoned freelance illustrator with over 20 years of experience working with global clients across Europe, North America, and the Middle East. After attending the Chelsea School of Art, she graduated at the top of her class with honors from the Wimbledon School of Art. Her unmistakable style is lively, colourful, and whimsical, utilizing watercolours, gouache, and digital mediums for applications ranging from book covers to packaging. Farida’s international career has spanned Geneva, London, New York, and Toronto, and she is a member of the Society of Illustrators in New York and the SCBWI. Her work is heavily influenced by her extensive global travels and appreciation for multiculturalism. In addition to her studio practice, she has taught art at the college, high school, and elementary levels.

FAQs

Please find answers to commonly asked questions here. If you're still in doubt, don't hesitate to contact us: contactus@avenueroadartsschool.com