MIHIRA KARRA

online class.

Fabric scraps in rooster colors laid around a reference photo of a rooster

Live on Google Meet · small group

Learn fabric collage with Mihira Karra

Join Mihira live and make your own fabric collage on canvas, using the mosaic-style technique behind her portraits and dancers. No drawing or sewing experience needed.

Date
Saturday, December 12, 2026
Time
10:00 AM EST (New York)
Price
$45 per person, recording included
Seats
10 only
Reserve my seat

No payment today. We’ll email you a payment link to confirm your seat.

What you’ll learn

  1. Draw up your picture

    Turn a reference photo into a clean outline on your canvas using a simple grid, so the proportions come out right even if you “can’t draw”.

  2. Choose fabrics like paint

    Pick scraps by color and value, not pattern. Mihira’s trick: squint at them, and use what reads as the right shade.

  3. Cut and layer

    Build the picture up in small pieces, from the background forward, the way Mihira’s mosaic-style technique works.

  4. Glue and seal

    Use gloss and matte acrylic medium to fix each piece down flat and give the finished collage a lasting surface.

  5. Finish it off

    Tidy the edges, add the last details that bring the subject to life, and know when to stop.

Last class, we made a rooster

In the first class, everyone worked from the same rooster photo: drawing it up on canvas, choosing fabric scraps to match its colors, and building the collage piece by piece. It’s a good picture of what a class looks like from start to finish.

Supplies: Golden gloss and matte medium, a white canvas board, ruler, scissors, eraser, pencil and a flat brush
The supplies
Fabric scraps in rooster colors around the reference photo
Choosing fabrics
Reference photo of a rooster
The reference

For December 12, Mihira will choose a new subject that’s just as friendly for beginners and send the reference picture to everyone who signs up, along with the supplies list.

How it works

  • Live and small. At most 10 people, so there’s time for your questions while you work.
  • Watch her hands. Mihira’s camera is on her worktable, so you see each cut and stroke up close.
  • Recording included. Can’t make it, or want to go over a step again? You get the full recording afterwards.
  • Everything sent ahead. The supplies list and reference picture arrive after you sign up, with time to shop.
Mihira Karra

Your teacher

Mihira Karra is a fabric collage artist based in Vienna, Virginia, born in Calcutta, India. After a career in international development, she developed her own fabric collage technique, based on ancient Greek mosaic, and her portrait of her son won a prize at the Tokyo Art Olympiad.

Her work is represented by the Zenith Gallery in Washington DC, has been shown in juried shows along the East Coast and Midwest, and is in the collection of the DC Arts Council.

More about Mihira · See her fabric collages

What you’ll need

Adhesives / mediums

  • Gloss acrylic medium (for example, Golden Gloss Medium).
  • Matte acrylic medium (for example, Golden Matte Medium).
  • A small plastic container with an airtight lid, so you can pour out a little medium and keep the bottle closed.

Surface

  • White canvas board or panel, about 11" × 14" or a little larger.

Tools

  • 12" ruler
  • Pencil
  • Eraser (a kneaded eraser works well)
  • Sharp, medium-sized scissors
  • Small flat paintbrush with stiff synthetic bristles, for spreading the medium

Fabrics

  • Scraps in roughly the colors of your subject. Batik, mottled and textured fabrics all work, as long as they read as the right color when you squint.

Nice to have

  • Paper towels or a rag
  • A cup of water for rinsing the brush
  • Newspaper or a plastic sheet to protect the table

Want to practice first? Download the rooster reference from the last class.

Questions

I’ve never done collage. Is this for me?

Yes. The class starts from a blank canvas and goes step by step. Small groups mean Mihira can answer your questions as you work.

What if I can’t make it live?

Sign up anyway. Everyone who signs up gets the recording of the class to watch, pause and repeat whenever suits you.

What time is it where I am?

The class starts at 10:00 AM EST New York time: New York 10:00 AM · Los Angeles 7:00 AM · London 3:00 PM · Nairobi 6:00 PM · India 8:30 PM.

How do I pay?

The class is $45. Reserve your seat with the form and we’ll email you a secure payment link to confirm it. No payment is taken on this page.

How do I join on the day?

It runs on Google Meet. We’ll email you the link before the class; all you need is a computer, tablet or phone with a camera pointed at your worktable.

What if the class is full?

You can still sign up and you’ll go on the waiting list. If a seat opens we’ll let you know, and you’ll hear first about the next class.

Reserve your seat

Saturday, December 12, 2026 · 10:00 AM EST (New York) · $45