Are you ready to unleash your creativity and dive into the world of mixed media artwork? Whether you’re a seasoned artist or just starting out, exploring mixed media can take your artwork to a whole new level. In this blog post, we’ll guide you through the process of creating stunning mixed media art pieces. From choosing the right materials and techniques to experimenting with different textures and layers, we’ll cover it all. So grab your paintbrushes, gather your collage materials, and let’s get started on your journey to creating beautiful mixed media artwork.
This project all started because I am participating in Project Pals at C.R.A.F.T. which Jaime is hosting. It’s a really fun idea. You get paired up with someone else who is interested from around the United States or Abroad. You get your person and then you swap presents. How fun is that? Well, I’m really excited about this so I decided I had to create something really cool for my project pal. I also hadn’t done any painting in awhile and figured this was the perfect opportunity to do so. If you have never tried mixed media painting, it is so easy and lot of fun!
Mixed Media Artwork
Here’s what you need:
- Couple Tubes of Paint (Craft paint will work or tubes of acrylic.)
- Canvas (I love my canvas to have the canvas wrapped around the sides. It’s more cost effective too because you don’t have to buy the canvas bars to frame your piece of art work. It is already to hang once you are finished.)
- Pieces of Scrapbook Paper
- Misc. Things That You Might Want To Include
- Paint Brush
- Mod Podge
- Sponge
- Paper Towels
Think ahead of time the colors that you will be using for your piece. I found out that my package pal loves the color blue. So, my piece was going to revolve around this shade of blue and some similarly colored scrap paper I had picked out. You can also do a sketch of your idea before you begin. Sometimes, I will do this. This time however, I felt a little more spontaneous and knew essentially what I was going to do. Begin by painting a base coat on the canvas, as well as the sides. Don’t worry if this isn’t a really thick layer because you will be layering different colors on top of this first layer.
Next, you can see I added some white paint to give the painting some more dimension to it.
I cut a bird shape out of scrapbook paper and a two little branches. If you’d like you can you download images and cut them out, use clip art, or the ready made scrap booking embellishments. Any thing will work. There is no right or wrong.!
Next, I mod podge the bird in place and wrapped the branches around to the other side.
I added pieces of my old sheet music that I had and mod podged that in as well.
To finish up this mixed media painting, I created a little more depth by adding in some dark blue. I used a fine paint brush to add the dark blue in areas like I was using a pencil. I wanted that sketch effect. I free handed the words onto the canvas. You could also use stamps for this. Just do whatever you feel most comfortable with.
The biggest part about mixed media work is to just have fun with the process and use things that speak to you. As I always tell my students, you are the best judge of your art work. Listen to your gut. If you think something doesn’t fit. Don’t put it in. But, if something you do with your art work feels right when you look at it, go with it.
I love the cute whimsical mixed media painting. Wish I could keep it! It would go perfect in my bedroom. Hope my package pal loves it!
Creating mixed media artwork is a wonderful way to express your creativity and explore different artistic techniques. By combining various materials, such as paint, collage, and found objects, you can create unique and visually captivating pieces. Whether you’re a beginner or an experienced artist, the possibilities with mixed media artwork are endless.
