Transforming Ideas into Art with Photoshop Collage
with David Julian
February 4 – March 4, 2026
Course Description
This new workshop with photographic artist David Julian is your creative sandbox — a place to explore, experiment, and transform ideas into highly personal artworks. During our time together, you learn the art of Photoshop compositing to create collages that reflect memory, imagination, family history, or dreams, to name a few. You begin with inspiration from a presentation of David’s collage-based artworks that reference surrealism, vintage darkroom aesthetics, illustration, as well as AI-generated concept ‘sketches.’
Through David’s live demos, guided workflows, and one-on-one support, you explore key Photoshop techniques to isolate subjects, shape concepts, gather or photograph story elements, and import subjects to compose layered, expressive works. You learn how to plan conceptual stories, and how to optimize and balance elements within your composition. Use your own photos, letters, textiles, textures, objects, or anything you wish to create with. You also learn how to use AI to generate imagined collage elements.
Whether you are a dabbler or experienced Photoshop user, this workshop inspires your creativity, deepens your skills, and energizes you with renewed artistic momentum.
Additional Information
WHO SHOULD ATTEND:
What You Should Know:
You should be familiar with the basics of selection methods, layers, masks, and brushes in Adobe Photoshop. A pre-workshop compositing tutorial is available upon request to those registered. If you are unsure about your readiness to dive in with David, please contact him through the links above.
Special Notes:
Class will meet 12:30 – 2:30 pm (Mountain Time) on Wednesdays starting February 4 and ending March 4 (five online group sessions). Enrollment is limited to 12 participants.
Zoom Video Conferencing software (available for no charge from Zoom.com) will be used to facilitate the class sessions. Further details will be emailed to registrants.
Santa Fe Workshops always aims to produce a high-quality experience for our online attendees. That said, variables including regional and local internet provider speeds, traffic on Zoom's servers, and your own computing hardware can contribute to a less than ideal streaming event. While we do our best to minimize the impact of these variables, they are outside the control of Santa Fe Workshops.
Policies:
View Withdrawal and Transfer Policies for online programs.
For the convenience of participants, recordings of each class session are posted privately for one month after the end of each session. Santa Fe Workshops takes the recordings down after one month to protect the intellectual property of our instructors.
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about
David Julian is a photographic artist and educator who loves to help people find their creative voice. His work spans photography, illustration, assemblage, and design. He is photography faculty at The University of Washington and Seattle Creative Academy and has led over 56 workshops in the US and seven other countries. David’s work is privately collected and in has been exhibited in four countries. His work has been published by The NY Times, LA Times, Edutopia, Psychology Today, Newsweek, Wired, Orion, National Geographic Traveler, PRINT, Stern, B&W and Rangefinder, and he has been the guest on twelve photography podcasts. He is based in Seattle and is a Fujifilm X/GFX CREATOR photographer.
Website: davidjulian.com
Instagram: @davidjulianphotography
