Floral Acrylics & Mixed Media Workshop

11.30am-5pm  | 16+ yrs

Explore acrylic painting and mixed media using a fresh still life of flowers. Learn colour mixing, mark-making and layering techniques while building confidence. Hands-on exercises will help you experiment, develop personal style, and create vibrant, textured floral compositions.

What will the workshop cover and how will it be taught?

During this workshop, you will explore acrylic painting and mixed media techniques while working from a floral still life. You will experiment with layering, collage, and pastels, learning to start a painting, mix colours effectively, manage your palette, and use a variety of brushes and tools. Guidance will cover composition, adapting and refining your work as it develops, and practical approaches to creative problem-solving.

Teaching combines hands-on exercises, tutor demonstrations, group discussions, and study of other artists’ work to inspire your practice. You will gain confidence in handling different media, build technical skills, and develop your own approach to creating expressive, layered floral paintings. The workshop encourages experimentation and personal interpretation, helping you translate observation into vibrant, textured artworks while expanding your understanding of colour, form, and mixed media processes.

Who is it suitable for?

Anyone who fancies giving experimental acrylic painting a go.

Important Information

This course will be held in Studio 3.

What do I need to bring?

• Basic range of acrylic paints. 
• Range of brushes, some large flat brushes at least 1”-2” (household brushes are fine). 
• Small sponge. 
• Material Rags. 
• A couple of large plates or trays used for palettes and mixing paint on. 
• Some greaseproof paper. 
• Plastic/glass pots for water. 
• Water spray bottle. 
• Pastels (optional). 
• Acrylic painting medium (optional, as the tutor will bring some). 
• At least 3 large sheets of paper.  These should be primed with acrylic primer prior to painting on, as it saves precious acrylic paint.  
• PVA glue and scissors. 
• Overalls. 

Are there any additional costs?

No

About the tutor

Catherine MacDiarmid brings over 30 years of teaching experience to her role, combining extensive classroom practice with the insight of a dedicated, practising artist. She has exhibited widely, including the BP Portrait Award (2001/02), the New Light Art (2021/22 and 2023/24), and regularly at the Mall Galleries. Her work has received numerous accolades, most recently the Watercolour Materials Award at the Jackson’s Painting Prize in 2023 and the People and Faces Award 2025 at the Lake Artists Society. She is an elected member of the Lakes Artists Society and the Contemporary British Portrait Painters. Catherine has also appeared on Portrait Artist of the Year (2014 and 2018), reaching the semi-finals in 2019. Alongside private portrait commissions, her work is collected internationally, and she is based in her home studio in Kendal.

See all Creative Learning courses here.