Watercolor, Collage & the Art of Composition

Mixed Media Explorations

A playful, full-day workshop exploring watercolor, collage, and mixed media while learning the basics of color, layering, and composition. No painting experience needed.

  • Saturday, November 7, 2026
  • 10:00 AM–3:00 PM
  • All materials included
  • $250 (tax included)
  • Limited to 16 participants



reserve your spot now
paper

Watercolor, collage, beautiful papers, and marks—all mounted and ready to send or gift.

A matted 8 × 10 artwork

A 16 × 20 mixed-media painting

Five original art cards

Bring everything you've discovered together in a larger watercolor and collage painting created with more intention.

Find a composition you love within a larger painting, crop it, and turn it into a finished piece ready to frame or gift to someone.

Come make art with me for the day

There’s something wonderful about combining watercolor with collage. You can let the paint flow, layer beautiful papers over it, add a line or a mark, cut things apart, rearrange them—and discover possibilities you might never have planned.

That’s what this day is about.

We’ll explore watercolor, collage, and mixed-media techniques in a relaxed, playful way while also learning about color, composition, layering, and how to create a strong visual balance.

You’ll have plenty of room to experiment, but I’ll also be there to show you the why behind what we’re doing. Because a little understanding doesn’t take away the freedom—it gives you even more ways to play.

No experience is necessary. Just come ready to experiment, make art, and have fun.

Explore. Experiment. See what happens.

4. Bring it all together

3. Go big again

2. Cut it up and transform it

1. Start big and let go

For our final project, you’ll work on a 16 × 20 sheet of Arches watercolor paper and create a larger mixed-media painting with more intention—using watercolor, collage, marks, and everything you’ve discovered throughout the day.

We’ll move between play and intention, learning as we go without losing the freedom and spontaneity that makes mixed media so much fun.

Next, we’ll return to a larger sheet of watercolor paper and explore the process again, this time thinking a little more about color, layering, and composition. You’ll use a mat to find an 8 × 10 section you love and turn it into a beautifully presented piece of art ready to frame or gift.

Once the watercolor is dry, we’ll cut it into smaller pieces. Then the mixed-media fun begins. You’ll layer in collage papers, stamps, pen, and other marks to transform those little paintings into five one-of-a-kind works of art, which we’ll mount onto greeting cards.


We’ll begin with a large sheet of watercolor paper and simply explore paint and color. No worrying about composition or what the finished piece is supposed to look like. This first step is about loosening up, experimenting, and seeing what the watercolor does.



We'll work from big → small → big again.

Come if you:

Beginners are absolutely welcome.

  • Love color, paper, collage, and making things with your hands
  • Want to experiment without worrying about making a “perfect” painting
  • Already make art but want to strengthen your eye for composition
  • Want to understand why some parts of a painting work better than others
  • Could simply use a day away from your normal routine to make something beautiful


You don't have to be an experienced painter

Your $250 workshop includes:

✓ Five hours of hands-on instruction with Andrea Cermanski
✓ Professional-quality watercolor paper
✓ Watercolor paints and brushes
✓ Curated collage papers and mixed-media materials
✓ Five greeting cards + envelopes
✓ 8 × 10 mat, backing, and protective sleeve
✓ 16 × 20 Arches watercolor paper for your final painting
✓ All the little things—glue, pens, stamps, tools, etc.

You just need to show up ready to make art.

Everything you need is waiting for you
I've been painting for nearly 30 years and teaching for more than 20, and I still love what happens when people give themselves permission to experiment.

But I also know that “just play” can only take you so far.

At some point you look at what you've made and wonder, Why do I like this part? Why does that part feel off? And what do I do next?

That's where understanding a few foundational principles changes everything.

I've designed Mixed Media Explorations to give you both: the freedom to play and enough understanding to make more intentional choices.

And we'll have a lot of fun doing it.


Hi, I'm Andrea