What is mixed media? Â well, to over simplify it, mixed media for beginners would be using a variety of “things” in one single art piece. Â
To explain it more, mixed media is a combination of backgrounds, layers, embellishments, your focal point, watercolours, acrylics, watersoluble oil sticks, pastels, inks and I can go on and on and on on a substrate, which could be a canvas, masonite panel, birch panel, art journal, canvas paper and I can keep going.
Personally, I like simplified version.
Stop the Overwhelm
Walking into the “big box” arts and craft stores, it’s super easy to become overwhelmed when you are a beginner.Â
Give yourself some time to learn at a slow and steady pace. Â It’s not a race and if you feel rushed, you won’t enjoy it as much.
As for supplies, not to be labelled as boring, but why not start with what you have in your home? Â
See if you can pick and choose something in each section.
Are you ready?
Pick Your Base
Let’s start with what are you going to use as your base. Â This is called a substrate or a surface. Â
It will depend on what you plan on making, so for this exercise, let’s say you are making an art piece that is only 3″ x 3″.
Choose one of the following:
- Cut part of a cardboard packing box
- Cardboard food packaging from your pantry, such as a cereal box
- Cardboard packaging from something in your medicine cabinet
- The back of a writing pad…that thick pressed cardboard backing
- Coasters you don’t use anymore
- Have some old newspapers, you can glue a bunch of pages together and then cut it to 3″ x 3″
- How about some old dryer sheets, baby wipes, kitchen wipes or even paper towels. Â Glue a bunch of those together and cut to 3″ x 3″
- If all else fails and you have nothing in your home, visit the discount or dollar store and pickup some tiny canvases.
You Can Even Use Playing Cards as Your Base
Time to Prime (optional)
Depending on what you choose as your base, it may need to be primed so things will stick to it. Â So this step is optional.
You can simply apply a couple of layers of gesso or your favourite colour of acrylic paint, using a paint brush. Â Thin, even coats will ensure proper drying.Â
While this is drying, go to the next step.
Pick a Background
If you painted your piece with your favourite colour in the previous step, this part is optional.
Use one or more of the following:
- Using a contrasting colour, stencil something
- Using a stamp pad or a contrasting colour, stamp something
- Do you have gift bag tissue, printed paper, an old map, napkins or an old dictionary/book? Â
Tear little strips of paper and glue onto your substrate. Â You don’t need to cover everything. Â
You can apply a very thin layer of gesso or paint to diffuse the text.
Add Texture
You can do so much with this, so start with one in the beginning.
Buttons are always a good choice because they are inexpensive.
If you glue the buttons to your substrate and then paint over them, you can really get some interesting effects.
You can almost combine textures with embellishments – they can be interchanged. Â The idea of texture is to break up any flat areas. Â
- rip the top layer off of a piece of corrugated cardboard (from a packing box)
- beads or old jewelry fillers
- modeling paste or spackle
- crackle glaze, paste or paint
- burlap strips
- onion or potato bags
- regular paper strips
- cracked glass or “hammer smashed” marbles
- broken plates
- string or twine
Pick a Focal Point
This is the main piece in your design. Â It can be anything that you enjoy.
- large button
- flower
- a print of a digital image
- a photograph
- mini frame
- a tiny canvas with a print or painting on it
Sprinkle Around Some Embellishments
You can use this step to fill in some empty holes or to add a bit of extra “oomph” to your design.
- ribbon
- trim
- washi tape
- rhinestones
- pearls
- small flowers
- metalÂ
- shells
- glitterÂ
Add a Quote or Sentiment (optional)
Adding a quote or sentiment makes the design more personal. Â You can use your computer or tablet with your favourite font to print out a saying and print it on printer paper or card stock.
Here are some to get you started, but please feel free to use your own.
- It’s Never too Late to Create
- You Are Beautiful
- CRE8
- Art is Never Finished, Â Only Abandoned. ~Leonardo daVinci
- One Day
- Bliss
- The Secret of Joy is….
- Admire
- Family
- Be True
- Just Breathe
Tip:  An idea is to use a printed dictionary, close your eyes, open it up to a random page and put your finger on the page and then use whatever word you pointed at as your quote.  This could work for or against you, depending on the word you pointed at 🙂
Finish the Edges (optional)
If you have little things sticking out past the edge, give it a trim. Â You can also take some paint on a cosmetic sponge or use a brush and dab paint on the edges to finish it off.
Not a requirement and it depends on what you created.
Don’t forget to sign your creation on the lower right/left corner or on the back.
What did you think?
I’m always looking for ways to help beginners…is there something that I’m missing in this list? Â or maybe something doesn’t make sense. Â If so, please share in the comments below and I’ll be sure to update it.
Very well explained. I may give this a try. Thanks for posting it.
Let me know if it needs some tweaking of you get stuck on something Debby. You could use the new painting skills you are developing and create let’s say a mosaic of colour charts 🙂
An absolutely wonderful introduction for beginners.
Thank you Kathleen, I’m trying to make it easy for beginners to create and avoid the self-doubt.
No video explain it better than you did. Thanks
thanks very much, glad it helped you.
I’ve looked at a million–okay, dozens–of “beginner” instructions for mixed media. If I can say so without sounding like a dope, this is the best one I’ve seen,
Why? Because all the others show a finished project. While they can be truly inspiring, they have the drawback of being kind of limiting as well. This is because many of us total beginners are afraid to branch out, take off, adapt, and change the project. Then one feels frustrated if it doesn’t look “right.” It takes a while to realize that an exact copy isn’t the idea.
I hope that makes sense. Speaking only for myself, some of us are design-challenged and need to relax into doing any art at all.
I have one background from BOB that I now love. But I was appalled when I realized that the focal point area was in the “wrong” corner! Now I see how silly that is, but it took some time.
Sorry if this is TMI.
Hi Gail, first thank you so much for your feedback. It’s only when I get comments that I know if I’ve provided enough information to help the person reading or viewing the video.
Now, for your focal point… what corner did you put it in for it to be wrong?
I totally agree! I love seeing finished products but sometimes it’s off putting and makes it harder to start because your trying to get to the level of which the creator was at. You said it perfectly!
This is a wonderful overview for getting started. I am taking some upper elementary girls on a crafting retreat where our “big project” will be a mixed media canvas, and this simplifies the process without adding too many “rules.” Love that! Thanks!
thanks very much, glad you enjoyed it and I hope you have a wonderful time on your retreat!
Have one empty cereal box ready to trash. Stumbled onto this web site and decided to try this. I have cut it and primed with gesso. Waiting for it to dry. I will send you a pic of my finished “project”. It will be my first multimedia attempt and am excited to see the results
Can’t wait to see what you created!!!
You rock!
awww thanks 🙂
This is truly amazing. It is so clear and easy to follow. Thank you very much for putting this online.
Thanks Padma, I’m putting together a formal Mixed Media for Beginners workshop, which will include some free lessons, let me know if you’re interested.
I loved your lesson and would really enjoy a workshop.
Thanks Diane, I have a ton more videos on my YouTube channel for mixed media as well.
Love this post. It gives me some confidence to play outside the patchwork and quilting square. Thank you.
Stay tuned for a bunch of free mini tutorials as part of a large mixed media course being launched next month 🙂
Thanks a lot for your guidance..very encouraging and helpful. I’m definitely going to give it a try.
Glad you enjoyed it
Thank You. This is so helpful. I have a few ideas and am having trouble getting started. I can apply your instructions to each of my ideas, separately. I think you’ve helped me break my “artist’s block”
Hey ShiraRus, if you’re in an artist block, I’m hosting a 60 second a day sketch challenge, which can be upcycled to mixed media… this is being done in the community (see link at the top of the website)… everyone is having a blast with it, why not give that a try.
I like your article because I have been asked to give a demo to a group of seniors,
and at the same time give them something to work on too. Now I can go through
your article and put aside what is needed to make some nice pieces. Thank you.
Awesome Jackie.. I’m doing quite a few mixed media foundation classes this month that further breaks this down. Once you get that set, the actual project building becomes so much easier. Good luck with your demo!!!!
I think a piece you are working on to go along with instructions would be helpful.
This post is basic!!! ABSOLUTELY WHAT A BEGINNER NEEDS, or even someone life myself who is blocked right now and feels like I can’t get started. You did a great job breaking down a step by step plan, but having it go in different directions. Thank you for the post! It really helped me move forward out of my stump I was in!
What kind of glues do you use? I’ve been using Mod Podge & Aileene’s tacky glue: will that work on napkins If I water it down a tad?
I like to use Weldbond as a general glue. For DecouPage, I’ll use DecoArt DecouPage medium for Tissue and general art adhesive, DecoArt Media Matte thinned with a bit of water – as it was made to be used that way. Their liquid glass works well too, but it’s way too thick for tissue.
I can’t speak to what you are using as I’ve never used it before, you could try adding water, just be aware that it will break down the strength of the glue.
What’s gesso?
Think of it like primer. For mixed media, it prepares the substrate (what you’re painting on) and gives it more tooth, so paint and collage will stick much better. Does this help?
Sèeing a finished piece would help a lot.
Brilliant and so easy. Sharing with others and students who want to try mixed media
Thank you
Brilliant
Any ideas on trying to print small pictures for small project?
You’d have to print on full sheets of paper and cut them out. Not sure if that’s what you mean?
Thank you! This is very helpful!
you are very welcome
Just discovered youas Pintrest forwarded to this page, I love your explanation as I am a beginner and not attempted anything yet,I will definitely give it a go now, as you make it so simple which I have not found anywhere else,so thank you
I hope to see you create some pieces soon!
how do I thin gesso?
refer to this post: https://artplace.ca/how-to-use-gesso/
I wish you had given some pointers about the various kinds of adhesives used for attaching different bits and pieces. That’s always a concern when I work with collage and especially assemblage. Glue sticks work for most little things but what about larger items like small stones, pieces of wood, metal ? Also, I worry about glue or any product like gesso yellowing over time. Otherwise you’ve done a good job of presenting ways to create a piece of art that anyone can follow easily. Good job!
Donna B.
Types of glue can be so overwhelming just from the fact that each region carries its own brand and there isn’t any way I could cover everything. Since writing this post, I’ve given so many demonstrations on the types of adhesives that can be used, with Matte Medium, Liquid Glass, E6000 and Resin being the most popular. As for the yellowing, that again is a matter of the brand. I’ve used Liquitex high-end medium which yellowed over 6 months and their label says non-yellowing. Unfortunately, I can’t cover every brand, but specialize in DecoArt. I hope you got something useful from the post though.
Found this really good, I’m always stuck for what to use and where to start. I think I’ll give the cardboard atry as it won’t waste a canvas if I don’t like it. 🙂
I have looked and looked for how to get started. Thank you
This is just what I was looking for! You showed me steps I can follow…..or not! I’m glad you didn’t show a finished project, just gave me the tools to create my own. I’m so glad I found your site. Thank you!
I’d love to see what you create… you can post a pic on my FB page https://www.facebook.com/ArtPlaceStudio/
Already gathering materials!
Thank you this is very helpful. Could you recommend a list of items to buy.
Something like a starter kit.
Mixed media supplies will grow as you develop your own style.
Start with a basic set of bristle and synthetic brushes.
A mixed media journal that can expand if you collage or you can make your own journal. I have videos here to show how https://artplace.ca/making-an-expanding-journal/
For paints, you can get a limited palette if you want to colour mix, ton of videos here: https://artplace.ca/category/colour-theory-mixing/
General items: books, paper, newspapers, scissors, foam brushes,
Medium: matte medium or decou-page medium, Gesso (should be a first purchase)
Avoid, avoid, avoid buying mixed media kits under artists names.. you’re paying a fortune for those and you don’t really learn how to stand on your own and be able to use “any” products from “any” manufacturer. Not sure if that makes sense.
What you can also do is browse my blog and find a project you like, read/watch the video and you’ll get an idea of supplies you’ll need. That might help you start with a foundation.
Thank you.. this was really helpful a I am overwhelmed at the moment and really want to enjoy my art play.. you have given me inspiration to begin ..
Mgt
I love the mixed media art projects. But I’ve been scared to death to try it. My problem is that I get so overwhelmed. When I look at a piece for ideas, I don’t know where to start and want to just walk away. But this explanation breaks it down in a way that makes it easy to understand and gives it a simple view of each step. Thank you! I can’t wait to start!
mixed media art
this Covid19 isolation has prompted me to step out of my comfort zone ( my usual way of creating is knitting, crochet or sewing) and this has been so very useful for me! those white pages were so scary
Thank You! This is the explanation I’ve been looking for! My journey with mixed media was stalled until now. I made my 1st piece after reading this awesome explanation.
glad it helped, thanks for sharing.
Hi and thank you . I’m brand new to mixed media, and your post was the best one for learning, and explaining things. I am going to start my first piece today, was nervous until I spread your post. I will share the project for your expert ideas & ways I can improve on
Have a wonderful day, stay safe & merry Christmas
Thank you so much I do mixed media a lot and this is a simple way to work with others. I appreciate this.
you’re very welcome, glad it helps!
What an excellent post! Thank you! I found it because I was searching for what type of glue to use to glue down embellishments. I’m working on a piece that I want to glue tiny birch twigs to a birch panel – but I don’t want the glue to show. I’ve used matte Mod Podge before, but that tends to show or add shine.
Any suggestions? I’d be grateful for some insight.
Hi Barb, glad the post was helpful. What you’re looking for is a medium that dries crystal clear. If it’s a matte finish, you’ll have a tiny bit of a cloudy finish, so gloss is your best choice, but you’ll have the shine. What I’d recommend is something like DecoArt Liquid Glass which is very thick and you can apply a single drop a few places on the branch that contacts with the birch panel. That should do it for you. Here is the link for more info: https://decoart.com/mixedmedia/liquid-glass There may be other products out there, but I’ll only suggest what I’ve actually used. Hope this helps?
Thank you for a great article. After reading many others I think you have nailed it perfectly. You remind us that we can use anything we like as there are no ”right or wrong” ways of doing this.
And everyone needs to remember that” It’s only a little paint, paper, card etc. so if you feel you have made a mistake you haven’t lost much. But is it really a mistake… not good enough….? It doesn’t matter as you can keep your work private if you want so no one will see it. Thank you again. I am off to have a play xx
thank you for the lovely comment and you’re 100% right. I hope you had fun playing! what did you end up making?