Introduction to Mixed Media

Course Overview

A 6-week creative course that invites students to explore a wide range of materials and techniques in a relaxed and playful environment. Each week, participants will experiment with different techniques such as layering, texture, and different mediums such as collage papers, paint, ink, pastels, and found materials. The emphasis is on discovery as students learn how different suppliers interact, react, and sometimes surprise.

This course celebrates process over perfection. Students will be encouraged to take creative risks, follow curiosity, and enjoy the unexpected results that come from combining materials in new ways.

What to Bring

For the First Session, please Bring:

• Visual journal or sketchbook
• Charcoal
• Lead pencil
• A selection of small to medium-sized brushes
• Screw-cap glass jar for water
• Small tube of acrylic white paint

Materials for Future Sessions (To Be Discussed in Week 1):

• Small screw-top jar with water
• Charcoal
• Visual Diary/Journal
• Any type of pastel or watercolour pencils
• Three of your favourite acrylic paint colours
• Palette or plastic plate for mixing paints
• Rag and an old shirt or apron for mess protection

Note: Please bring $25 in cash to give to Bec during the first class. This covers additional supplies that will be provided throughout the course.

About the Trainer

As a practising artist, Bec Schopen brings depth to her teaching that only comes from lived creative experience. Sydney-based and working across abstract and representational painting, her work explores the abstract female soul — the generational connections between women and the relationships that bind and shape us. She has spent nearly a decade teaching across Sydney’s Northern Beaches and from her home studio, acting as a creative guide who helps students find their own creative voice in a safe, nurturing space to explore and discover different art techniques. Characterised by vibrance, warmth, and narrative depth, Schopen’s paintings have been sold and exhibited nationally, including in the Lethbridge Small-Scale Art Award and Salon des Refusés at Lethbridge Gallery, Sydney (2024), and the Cobargo 8×8 at Cobargo Creators Centre (2019).