MIXED MEDIA for BEGINNERS

Learn the basic concepts of mixed media design, then get started experimenting & playing!

Prepare to be transported!

Prepare yourself to be transported to a world of wonder, a world of excitement, and a world of happy accidents. This is the world of Mixed Media Design!

I was originally drawn to Mixed Media as a way to express things deeply felt, but not easily conveyed with words...By combining components, layering finishes, and including items of significance to you, art can be made that is truly a reflection of who you are.

What is so exciting about this form of self-expression? It's this: If you can cut paper, stamp, or use stencils, you already have the required skill sets.

What I love most about Mixed Media Design is the transformation I have experienced within myself and through my artwork, once I tapped in to this creative space and found the courage to explore it.

Mixed Media Design is all about working in layers to create depth and mystery in artwork. I love that you can obtain professional looking results simply by manipulating a few key materials. In this course, we will build up an area of our artwork, enhance it, and manipulate it, only to distress it. I will show you how through this sequence of building up and breaking down, beauty emerges.

Get ready to play!

Join me on this ride and let me show you that creating beautiful Mixed Media artwork is much easier, and much less intimidating than you might think. I want to help you find your creative space and encourage you to play!

In Mixed Media for Beginners we will cover some basic design principles, but please know that there are no hard and fast design rules. We will be playing with various components to generate layers of richness, texture, and pigment.

I want you to get comfortable with your own creative process, and feel free to experiment. Oftentimes, I have found that experimentation leads to happy accidents, which often produce the most exciting results.

Get ready to learn!

In this course, we will learn basic mixed media art techniques, including how to work with spray inks, distressing, stencils, molding and casting, embellishment, and construction (scroll down for the entire course curriculum located after Heather's profile). You will learn the basics while working on a series of small projects. We will build our skills on those projects and combine them to create a final, jaw-dropping piece of artwork, a gorgeous Art Journal!

My step-by-step video instruction will teach you how to:

  • apply the basic concepts and tools of mixed media design
  • save money by making one very special art supply at home
  • discover my favorite supplies hidden around your house & at the local hardware store {and psssst.....they're WAY cheaper}
  • achieve multiple effects using with the same tools
  • make your own embellishments
  • design a simple mold from found objects
  • cast household items with paper clay
  • build up layers of complexity, depth, and interest in your projects
  • use basic design principles to build Mixed Media assemblages with maximum impact

Mixed Media doesn’t have to be expensive or intimidating. I will share with you my money saving tips, including how to make many of your own Mixed Media supplies. You will also learn how to cultivate your eye and identify supplies and sources of inspiration in the everyday.

Throughout our journey, I will share my tricks for working with products and manipulating tools, gleaned from my years of experience with Mixed Media Art.

Most importantly by the end of this course, I want to leave you feeling confident, willing to experiment, and ready to get playful and HAVE FUN!


But Please Don't Take MY Word for it..... Here is What My Students are Saying...

"I have watched all of the videos and all I can say is this is so very Heather Tracy! Your instructions, your tips, your demonstrations, your explanations are all so very very clear and understandable. You are the creme de la creme in the arti/craft/creative world." ~Carol S.

"I watched all of the tutorials in the introduction and basic skills sections and I'm even more excited to get to the first project! Heather Tracy I love your style! And everything's so easy to follow. I love the idea that I'll have those videos to refer back to if I need to as I move forward through the courses. This is gonna be some fun!!" ~Nancy B.

"I just want to put this out there… I am a creative course collector. I have purchased approximately 300 courses. (I believe wholeheartedly in the healing power of creativity.) I have never run into a course with as much rich delicious content as this one, for such a low price. And I have never experienced a course where the instructor is so willing to help and is immediately available to answer questions. We are all so lucky to have Heather Tracy as our instructor. I appreciate everything you are doing and will sign up for all your courses." ~ Mischelle W.

"I have been doing mixed media and art journaling for about 10 years. But when I saw that Heather Tracy was teaching a mixed media class, I knew I was going to sign up for it. Even though I have been playing with this type of product for so long, I still learned some great techniques and awesome money saving tips from this class. Whether you are a novice or a seasoned artist, you will enjoy this class!" ~Kristie T

"I just watched the first two videos of the class, you have given so much information/techniques for a ridiculously LOW price! This is a $100 course or more & I've taken tons of classes that don't give you 3/4 of what you're teaching! By breaking it down in to small little chunks participants should be fine...& because you have given life-long access this removes the pressure of keeping up!" ~Martha R.



Get started now!



Your Instructor


Heather Tracy
Heather Tracy

Heather K Tracy is a Creative with one foot in the DIY / Home Decor World, and one foot firmly embedded in Mixed Media Art. During her tenure as an Ambassador for Heirloom Traditions Paints, she demonstrated many different specialty furniture finishes and techniques. During her role as Design Team Member for both Relics & Artifacts and Iron Orchid Designs, she drew on her love of Mixed Media to showcase these popular products. Today, her focus is on helping others to express their Creativity through creating Online Courses.


Course Curriculum


  First Project - Create the Jointed RingMistress!
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days after you enroll
  BONUS - Design Principles
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  First Collage - Compose Collage for Front Cover
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  Assemblage Introduction for Front Door
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  Course Wrap-Up
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Frequently Asked Questions


When does the course start and finish?
The course starts now and never ends! It is a completely self-paced online course - you decide when you start and when you finish.
How long do I have access to the course?
After enrolling, you have unlimited access to this course! Just hold to your login and you can access it for as long as this website is active!
How long is this course?
Mixed Media for Beginners has more than 7 hours of content, broken up in to manageable lessons. You can start, stop, skip and go back through the material by clicking on the interactive course outline.
Where can I see what's in the course?
If you scroll upwards on this page, you can view the course's Class Curriculum which is the course outline with all of the lessons. Please note that each lesson may contain multiple videos about the subject matter & will include any relevant printables.
I don't have a lot of time, can the course be taken gradually over time?
Yes, you can take the course at your own pace and rewatch the videos whenever you want to. Just log in to courses.thegraphicsfairy.com whenever you have free time and click on the course title. You may keep track of lessons viewed by marking them "complete" in the course outline.
I'm brand new to Mixed Media. Will I need to buy a lot of new supplies?
This is a beginner course so the focus is on using what you likely already have (e.g., craft scissors, ruler, tacky glue), what you can find around the house (e.g., old cereal boxes, old keys) and a limited number of new supplies (e.g., one distress ink, gesso). There are also 10+ printables included that you can print and use right away in your projects. The course focuses on basic skills. As they build, you may want to invest in additional supplies, but you don't need them. In fact, we have a video that compares different types of products, some found for a dollar or less. There are many tips about finding supplies around the house or sourcing them from unique places at a fraction of "art store" cost.