Mixed Media Art: Create your first!
Many people are intimidated by the thought of creating their own art, but it doesn’t have to be that way! Whether you’re an absolute beginner or seasoned artist looking for fresh inspiration, try your hand at making mixed media art—a unique blend of various materials and techniques.
You’ll love the freedom mixed media offers in terms of subject matter and composition without feeling like you’ve got to make every element perfect. So pick up some supplies (you can find most of these items around your house!) and get ready to jump right in.
Getting started with your first Mixed Media Art!
1) Start with a substrate
Adhere the prepared substrate to your working surface. When using found objects as part of my mixed media pieces I typically place them on a substrate that will provide support for the objects. This may be an archival acrylic panel, wood board or gatorfoam. If I’m creating an assemblage with paper items then I’ll use watercolor paper. Just to note not all substrates are equally suited to all mixed media techniques so you should always test out your particular substrate before beginning any project.
2) Apply Ground (Optional)
Select your paint color and create a wash by adding Floetrol to it until you get the desired consistency (you can also use other mediums like Gamsol). A “ground” is anything applied over the substrate that will be painted, printed or drawn upon in order to receive other elements in your piece. The artist decides on the nature of this ground and its value (light, medium or dark) helps determine how well other elements will stand out upon application. A light-value substrate (like a white gatorfoam board) requires a mid to dark-value ground so that the objects placed upon the board are still visible against it. If you want to explore more about grounds you can check out another article right here on Artfully Walls: “Explore Grounds”
3) Add Texture
Apply Floetrol Gloss as an alternative to adding Floetrol to paint color. There are two ways we create texture in mixed media art—texture from found objects and texture added directly onto our substrate various materials and techniques such as: sanding, abrading, scratching and stippling. You can add punctures into the substrate by poking through it with a needle tool or carving designs into it with an xacto knife (this is called Scratchboard). There’s also embossed texture like screen printing and collagraphy which works great on gatorfoam boards.
4) Add Marks
Add marks as desired to the surface of your ground. In our world, a mark can be anything from a line to a circle or splotch. Of course, we have more specific names for some types of marks such as pencil lines and ink stains but you get the idea! We can also add color by using colored pencils, watercolor paint pens and even paint directly onto our substrate.
5) Add Paint
Use spray paint or acrylic paints to create marks of your choosing on your piece. Making marks is the final step in creating mixed media art and encompasses all sorts of application: ink washes, street art techniques such as tagging and stenciling, painting various objects onto the surface etc.. Once you’ve made your mark choose whether you want to keep the ground visible through it or you wish to cover up your ground with paint. You can also use ink that is water-soluble, like acrylic or watercolor, and create stains by using Floetrol (much like our texture example).
6) Blend Different Mediums & Apply Accents
Using china markers or acrylic paint, start adding colors on top of your mixed media artwork. This is where all sorts of mediums come into play—think painting with oils, creating an impasto effect with thick paint applications and applying graphite with charcoal sticks. Adhere to the substrate with a medium like Modge Podge or gesso, you can push and pull on your paint colors by layering different mediums over one another.
7) Add stenciling/stencil-inspired elements
Apply stencils or see-through acetate sheets, cut into striking shapes, as lettering for designs. Stencils are typically used to apply color in some form of repeating pattern. You can create multicolored patterns by applying multiple layers of paint through the same stencil. There are many types of stencils including textural ones that have raised surfaces for embossed effects or flat ones that make more smooth color applications. Stencil letters are particularly popular within graffiti and street art communities and can be used to create a multitude of words across your piece.
8) Add Objects
Add found objects as desired to your piece. At this point in the process, you’re free to add objects onto your substrate however you’d like. Think about placement carefully—don’t just stick things down haphazardly because they look good (although sometimes that’s exactly what I do!) Take some time to plan out interesting compositions and think about how each object interacts with the others on its level of importance (i.e., is there one thing that stands out? Is there one thing that’s the background?).
9) Add Collage
Collage materials, such as magazine cutouts collaged onto the surface with decoupage mediums or adhesive sprays, add another layer to mixed media art. We touched on this idea a little bit earlier when we talked about applying paint through stencils but there are many types of collage materials you can use including lace, fabric, tissue paper, paper doilies etc.. Any material that has some sort of pattern or texture works great for creating a unique look on top of your substrate! In fact, using tissue paper is one way I created the background in my ” Bloom” mixed media floral painting above.
10) Add in Molding Paste
Using molding paste to create texture is another technique in mixed media art that I love! You can use it much as you would sand but the difference is that when it dries it’s more coarse (and sometimes bumpy) depending on how thickly you apply it. Essentially this creates a build-up of sorts which lets you add depth to your paintings or artworks.
11) Layer Different Mediums
After applying mediums, including oil paint, glaze medium and wax, let dry completely before adding additional layers. The list of mediums you can use is absolutely endless and some of the best I have found is Liquitex paint mediums as well as Golden brand glaze medium. This idea can be a little bit more advanced so you may want to wait until you’ve done a few more examples before trying this on your own work but by layering different mediums over one another, whether they’re paints or otherwise, you create a sense of depth on your mixed media art.
12) Add Embellishments
Embellishments such as charms, beads and buttons can add personalized touches to mixed media art pieces. The sky is really the limit when it comes to adding embellishments! You can purchase premade jewelry components at any bead store or craft store but I like to create my own by using polymer clay, glueing them onto the back of paper images and then painting over with acrylic paint. These embellishments can be used in various places on your piece including collaged elements or even glued down flat against the substrate (a popular idea in decoupage).
13) Add Sparkles
Sparkles are a fun addition to any mixed media artwork! Using iridescent powders, glitter or even mica-based pigments; applying these confetti-like art supplies is fairly simple. You can either mix this into your mediums directly before application, apply it onto your painting after its already dried or you can just sprinkle it on top of wet paint for a speckled effect (which can be pretty cool too).
14) Add Acrylic Mediums
Acrylic mediums are often used to create texture in mixed media art. Applying oil paint or other types of paints with an acrylic medium mixed in is a classic technique for adding another dimension to your piece. This doesn’t always mean using these two mediums together; there are still plenty of ways you can use acrylic mediums alone to add extra depth! For example, metallic powders will stick well onto surfaces painted with gesso and several layers of this will make the color super-shiny and reflective on your work. You could also apply molding paste over a dry surface still containing some textured paint from a previous step to create a mesh-like effect.
15) Add Paints
You can even add another layer of paint on top of your mixed media art! Although you won’t be able to see through this layer, the color will still come through the cracks between other mediums or materials you’ve added under it. The sense of depth this gives off is pretty cool but again, unless you use an acrylic clear coat as a varnish it’s not really recommended that you do this for the long term protection of your work. However, if you’re looking for something more temporary then go right ahead!
Painting works especially well with dimensional objects because they are already raised off the surface giving the impression that there are layers upon layers to your artwork. Enjoy creating your mixed media art!
