What is Mixed Media art?

Let’s start with a few questions:

Do you love all kinds of different art supplies?

When you are playing art, do you find it difficult to only use ONE medium, like only watercolors, or only acrylics?

Do you love textures and layers in an art piece?

Are you intrigued by collage, paint, ink, stencils, and stamps, and many other supplies?

If you answered yes to one, or all of these, you might be a mixed media art junkie like me.  I have never been satisfied with using just one kind of art supply.  For example, when I paint with watercolors, I fee a strong urge to put paint pens or ink on top when it is dry, like this piece:

If you have heard the term “mixed media” and wondered what it really meant, you are in the right place!  Also, if you are exploring your own creativity and feel like you can’t just stick to one medium, this might help you claim your style as a mixed media artist.

Mixed media simply means using a mix of supplies (2 or more) to create art.

I have been playing art for awhile now (many years), and for a long time I would feel guilty that I couldn’t stick to just one medium, like watercolors, or collage, or acrylics, or alcohol inks.  I use all of those mediums and love them all!  But then I would hear things like, “You have to find one ‘niche’ and stick to it”.

I’d try to stick to one thing but would always be drawn to incorporating more supplies, or switching to a different medium for a time, and then another.

What I have now discovered, is that my ‘niche’ is mixed media!  What an AHA moment!  I don’t have to choose ONE medium.  With mixed media, I can use as many supplies as I want in one piece.

Why Choose Mixed Media Art?

I recently took part in a week long “Mixed Media Expo” put on by Tamara Laporte of Willowing Arts.  Tamara gave the best description of the beauty of mixed media art that I’ve ever heard in one of her daily emails to her participants:

“Mixed media is pure creative freedom. It invites you to break the rules, follow your curiosity, and combine unexpected materials in a way that’s deeply personal and endlessly expressive.

Whether you’re layering paint over collage, adding stitching to paper, or mixing pastels with ink, there are no limits; only exciting possibilities! 😍

It’s the kind of art that welcomes imperfections, plays with texture, and encourages joyful experimentation.

One day it’s soulful and soft; the next it’s bold, vibrant, and wild. Mixed media lets you explore all the layers of your creativity, and of yourself.

It’s playful. It’s powerful. It’s for everyone and finally; it’s so so good for your soul. 💛. “

-Tamara Laporte

Go follow Tamara right now on her Instagram, and her website.  She is amazing.

During this expo, I combined a class by Tamara and Seth Apter to make this piece.  Notice the background layers of paint colors, stencils and stamps.  I used a Stabilo All pencil to draw the birds and the branch and white gesso to lightly paint the negative space around the drawing.  Then I used some gold acrylic ink for the crowns and heart.  The white on the birds was added last with a gel pen:

Jenny Grant also offered a very cool class called “Layers of You” that showed how to make a grungy mixed media background using old book pages and gesso, and then applying a portrait drawing on top as well as some stenciling.  This process was so fun I have created two so far!

 

You can use ANY supplies for mixed media art, but there are a few essentials that are generally used across the board, so I’ve compiled a list for you.

Six Essential supplies for mixed media art

Old book pages – I frequent thrift shops and used book stores for these.  It’s great to have one that is just text and then perhaps an old butterfly or bird field guide and old sheet music.  Also keep a look out for old ledgers etc.  Both of the ladies above have a first layer of old book pages ripped and collaged on the paper.  Zoom in and check it out!  Here are some of the old books I keep at my art table:

Matte Medium: You need a good glue to apply the old book pages etc. to your substrate.  Matte Medium is a standard that I’ve seen most mixed artists use and it’s what I use.  It does not leave any glossy shine on your work and completely disappears when dry.  It holds up to time and light as well.  I use this Golden Matte Medium exclusively.

Stabilo All pencils in black and white.  Most mixed media artists have these at the ready. These pencils write on ANYTHING and are water soluble so you can blend the pigment out (or not!).  This is what is used to draw the portraits above over the dried mixed media background.  I used water to soften it in certain places like the eyes on the yellow lady.

White gesso is a must.  Gesso is an acrylic primer and I use it ALL the time.  It is great for surface prep, protection of layers, adding a bit of texture, and costs less than white paint.  One of gesso’s main uses is to lightly spread over collaged layers to unify the piece.  This technique allows you to still see the collage papers, but it softens the edges and brings it all together.

Stencils: For a start, choose stencils that are a pattern that you can apply to a background like these:

Acrylic Paints: You’ll need your favorite colors (but include black).  Pay attention to the transparency of each color you choose.  You want some opaque and some that are transparent for your layers.  Any brand works, but Liquitex Basics is a good middle ground.  Golden brand is high quality (professional grade) but of course costs more. This is a great set of Liquitex Basics that has a lot of colors:

With these supplies, you’ll have everything you need to create AMAZING mixed media art, BUT, if you just have to have MORE supplies, read on!

Embellishment Ideas:

Paint Pens: many mixed media artists also include paint pens, and the industry standard is Posca brand, but you can use any kind of paint pens.  An example of a paint pen in mixed media art is in the floral painting (first pic) above.  Look at the pink flower slightly left of center, it is embellished with a pink Posca pen.

Napkins: You can take a beautiful printed napkin, separate the plies until you have just the printed ply and rip it up and add pieces of it to your work with matte gel medium.  Take a look at the gold and yellow lady above, see the black and white flowers on her forehead and the butterfly earrings?  These came from this Napkin that I found in a pack of 40 for $4.99 at TJ Max.
There are a few websites where you can buy individual printed napkins as well so you don’t have so many of the same ones.  For the best prices I have found, check out Decoupagenapkins.com.

Paper Doilies: you can rip these apart and use just pieces of them in your mixed media pieces.  Take a look at the gold/yellow lady above, can you see them in the layers above her head?  I bet you didn’t see that until I mentioned it here!  Mixed media is all about sneaky layers!

White gel pens: Many of us mixed media artists have searched long and hard for a white pen that flows easily and shows up on darker layers.  The consensus is that Unibal’s white gel pen works the best.  Save yourself some trouble and just go straight to this pen for fine white marks!  I like to purchase this three pack that includes gold and silver as well.

There are soooooo many ways to embellish, these are just a few.  I bet your mind is already thinking of all the interesting things you could embellish your mixed media art pieces with that you have in your house right now!

Summary

There is so much more to say about this broad topic, but what I’ve shared is a great jumping off point.  Please let me know if this was helpful!

I hope you now know what mixed media art is, why you would want to try it, and what materials you might want to use in order to create lots of ‘sneaky layers’ in your art.

If you’d like a tutorial for a simple mixed media technique, check out my blog post, “Art as Therapy for a Grieving Heart”

So now, go PLAY ART & SPREAD JOY my friends!

Kim Snider, Virtuoso, Signing off for now

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