Hi Guys - It's time for the third and final installment of my Facebook groups series! In part I of this series I introduced you to Surface Pattern Design Community, a very engaged Facebook group where designers give advice, provide support, and participate in fun challenges.

In part II of this series I introduced you to the When I Grow Up career coach, Michelle Ward, and her fun Facebook group packed full of engaging and uber helpful freebies.

Now, I'm excited to introduce you to Zara Martina and her Creative Class and Workshop Reviews Facebook group. What I love about this group is that it's a one-stop-shop for learning about fun new classes and workshops for artists. Every couple of days I'll pop in to see what's new. I now have a running list of classes I want to take thanks to this group and the reviews offered-up by it's members.Read below to learn more. Enjoy!

Hi Zara! Please tell us a bit about your background and how you got to where you are today?

Well, I’m from a creative family. I originally trained in fashion and worked my younger years as a wardrobe assistant in TV. After having some time away from work, moving to Spain and bringing up my children, I decided it was time to do something creative again.

I took screen printing when I was in school and loved it. So when the time came, I started exploring options for how I could get into Surface Pattern Design. I was very lucky that one of my teachers in college worked as a pattern designer, so I already had some knowledge of pattern design but without the technology. I can make a great repeat pattern the old-fashioned way on paper! :)

I stumbled across a whole community of pattern designers when I joined Make It In Design several years ago and that’s how things started! I learned the computer skills I needed to create my patterns and from there I just went ahead and started writing and sending art to print studios and other places to get my foot in the door. I have licensed my art and worked through print studios as a freelancer for the last few years, which suits my life in Spain. That’s the wonderful thing about our kind of work, we can be anywhere in the world and still sell our work thanks to the power of the internet.

Can you describe your style and provide us with a bit of a peak into your design process?

I’m not sure that I have a style, I’m still working on that. I’m told it’s a good thing if you have one style and you’re consistent, but I struggle with doing the same thing. I love to try everything. I like drawing animals and quite enjoy working on childrens' designs too.

Generally, my process starts with a bit of research on Pinterest. I make boards and gather info on trends and colors, etc. I have a huge pin board in my studio which I clear when I start a new collection. I pin things there including sketches to get a picture of where I’m heading. I sketch a lot, just on cheap paper in the early stages. Then I move on to making motifs from those sketches. I try different mediums and techniques to get different results from one motif. Finally I move to Photoshop to start working on the collection.

I rarely use Illustrator because I just love Photoshop and the effects I can achieve.

You do a lot to support aspiring artists. Can you tell us a bit about what you do and where that inspiration comes from?

Yes, I love to help other artists! I started a website when I first got back into design as a place for buyers to find me and my art. However, when I started blogging, I realized that I enjoyed sharing little bits of knowledge. Now I have a dedicated library for my subscribers, where I share things like free mock-ups, tutorials, etc.

I don’t blog a lot right now because I spend more time in my Facebook groups. Everyone is on Facebook and it just seemed like the natural progression.

Can you describe your Facebook group and why you started it?

The group is called ‘Creative Class and Workshop Reviews - by Zara Martina’... I really need to shorten it! I started it because a lot of artists are struggling to find classes and workshops, to get recommendations. I noticed this when I was in other groups.

I love the group ‘Advice for artists’ and found that a lot of people posted classes and recommendations there. The problem was that they got lost because the group is so big and not specific. I would find myself trying to search or scroll through the feed looking for a class... it was impossible!

I started the group without really planning it. I’m a nerd when it comes to tech and I had this idea that I was going to develop an app which would allow artists to access creative classes and workshops from all over the world. We could have podcasts, etc. all in one place related to art...all from the app. Sounds great but costs a lot of money - so I started the group as a place to do that inside of Facebook and maybe start the app later.

Who do you think would find value as a member of your Facebook group?

Quite honestly I think the group is valuable for both teachers and students. Teachers want to share their classes and get feedback. Students want to know the best classes to spend money on. Everyone benefits.

How are people interacting in the Facebook group?

The group drew a lot of interest from the start and has continued to grow. Right now I’m working on making it more engaging and having set days for different topics. For example, on Tuesdays we have #TeachersTuesday where teachers can share their classes and get more exposure. On Fridays its #Newbies where we welcome in all the newcomers and ask them to share their history with us. I also want to start featuring teacher interviews in the group and possibly tutorials but need to find the time to fit everything from my head into the hours I have in my day!

Really I just want the feed to be clean and for members to pop-in and see where everything is and not get lost in a sea of people just posting their links. A lot of other groups have very strict rules and now I see why. I am also a teacher on Skillshare, and this is a great place for me to share my classes, but I don’t abuse that privilege and share only when I feel it’s appropriate.

While I'd like to, I haven't had a lot of time to spend in the group recently. To help with this I have a lovely friend who’s now taken on the role of moderator. Roberta is in America and posts and comments when I’m sleeping, so it works out quite well. She’s great and has a lot of energy and enthusiasm!

What are some of the main topics discussed in the Facebook group?

Skillshare seems to be most talked about in the group. I think because it’s great value for money, and with a good choice of classes you can’t go wrong. We have a lot of surface pattern designers in the group so topics related to that are discussed often.

What are you plans for the future?

I can’t sit still and am always doing something new. In the future, I would really love to create my classes app. I just need to get a hold of the funds. Also, I’ve recently partnered with a very talented local artist and together we have started a small wool business, making wool sourced from small farmers throughout Spain. We have premises in a beautiful village here and will be running creative workshops alongside the wool. It’s early days, but I’m excited to work with wool which was once just a hobby.

My favorite Facebook groups: Creative Class and Workshop Reviews