Unleash Your Creativity With These 5 Mixed Media Art Techniques

It’s time to get out of your comfort zone and challenge this notion that you have to make art the same way, forever.

I’m talking about breaking free from the potential limitations of your current medium.

As a mixed media artist, I have to push myself to think outside the box by creating artwork that combines materials in fun unique ways. Unique is the key word here!

It’s taken me years of experimentation with different mediums to learn about their distinctive properties and how they might interact with one another.

To help you along your quest for “better” art, I’ll be answering frequently asked questions about mixed media art plus 5 beginner-friendly techniques to inspire your next painting or drawing.

What’s the difference between mixed media and multimedia art?

Mixed media art “mixes” multiple mediums or materials into one artwork, such as watercolour, graphite pencils, pens, ink, etc.

Whereas Multimedia art is a creative combination of media such as video, audio, design, images, animation, special effects, and/or performance.

For example, movies are a popular form of multimedia art.

When did mixed media art begin?

According to the Tate website, a British Art institution in the UK, the first two pioneers of this genre and the Cubism art movement were Pablo Picasso (1881-1973) and Georges Braque (1882-1963) at the beginning of the 20th century.

As artists, we’re constantly trying to push the boundaries of what is considered to be Art. Picasso and Braque’s approach was to challenge the way their predecessors had depicted nature.

If you’re interested in learning more about Picasso’s Still Life with Chair Caning in 1912, one of his first attempts at a collage, there’s a great in-depth analysis video on YouTube by SmartHistory.

How do artists mix wet and dry media?

You may have already created mixed media art without realizing it. If you enjoy sketching with a pencil and have added coloured pencils or ink pens to the mix, then you’ve essentially created mixed media art.

My recommendations for mixing wet and dry media :

1. Start with your sketch layer using a graphite pencil (drawing) or create a charcoal underpainting (acrylic or oil painting).
2. Continue with a layer of your preferred wet media (refer to the list below).
3. Adding details is especially easy when you’re drawing. Use anything from ink pens, gel pens, markers and pastels.
4. As for acrylic or oil paintings, you could use pastels to add highlights or texture.

I’ve encountered a lot of incredibly talented artists during a trip to Amsterdam for an Urban Sketching Symposium in 2019 and many of them also layered their mediums.

For those unfamiliar with this event, it’s essentially an annual convention for artists who share a passion for observational drawing. The location changes every year, and it’s a wonderful way to meet artists from all over the world. I highly recommend it!

Many Urban Sketchers use a combination of graphite, ink pens and watercolour. These materials are all fairly compact, therefore easy to carry with a sketchbook.

You can sketch a rough outline with your pencils, then add a splash of colour with your watercolours and level up your contrast with a brush pen… Obviously, this is just an example. Everyone’s artistic process will differ.

Here are some examples of dry and wet media:

Dry media:

• Graphite pencils
• Coloured pencils
• Watercolour pencils
• Mechanical pencils
• Pastels
• Charcoal

Wet media:

• Ink pens
• Brush pens
• Acrylic (plus acrylic inks and markers)
• Oil
• Gouache
• Watercolour
• Gel pens
• Markers

Looking for mixed media painting ideas? Take a look at my 26 unique painting ideas for beginners. You can easily make these using a mix of dry and wet media.

5 Mixed Media Techniques (Beginner-friendly)

1. Layering (your materials)

By far the easiest and most commonly used technique in mixed media. As a beginner, there’s no need to reinvent the wheel when you’re learning.

Layering is the process of overlapping your mediums or materials in layers to add depth and/or texture.

Here are some of my favourite mediums and materials combinations in order of application:

• Mixed acrylic inks as a background on paper, coloured pencils for your subject and ink pen for details.
• Gouache base, coloured pencils for overlaid contours and acrylic markers for details.
• Graphite pencil sketch, add your values with markers and details with ink pens.
• Light charcoal sketch, acrylic paint for your subject and once that layer is completely dry, you can use oil paint for your details.
• As I mentioned above, some Urban Sketchers sketch with graphite, add pops of colour with watercolour and finish with a brush pen for details.

Remember that layering with different materials may be challenging at first. You might have to go through a series of trial and error before you achieve the desired result.

2. Paper Collage

A collage is an art piece made from gluing materials like pieces of paper, photographs or fabric in a unique composition.

Have you ever made a collage while you were in school? If not, the process is pretty straightforward.

I recommend the use of an acrylic liquid gel medium as your glue component. Gel medium dries relatively fast and becomes waterproof.

Collages are always so interesting to look at. If you’re painting on canvas, you can start with a layer of gesso, then add a layer of your shredded or cut paper pieces and continue with more acrylic applications.

3. Incorporating Textiles

Have you ever seen an embroidered painting? It’s really cool! Integrating some sort of fabric or yarn into your paintings or drawings can add so much texture.

Take inspiration from all types of Fiber Art. Think of sewing, quilting, crocheting… You could create intricate stitches on canvas by hand using yarn or threads.

Examples of textiles you could use:

• Old clothing or bedding
• Fabric by the yard (flannel, cotton, denim, bamboo, silk, etc.)
• Lace
• Felt
• Blankets
• Carpets

4. Adding Washi Tape

You may already be using some sort of masking or washi tape to secure the edges of your painting or drawing.

Unlike masking tape, washi tape is made with natural materials such as bamboo and is heavily decorated with patterns or artwork.

For its uses in mixed media artwork, you might add washi tape to a part of your drawing or painting that may already require a print for a piece of clothing or fabric. It could even be used to represent wallpaper in a home.

You could go as far as replacing the negative space in your piece with it. The point is to make it part of your work, not something you would be removing once you’re done.

5. Mixing Traditional and Digital Media

Are you familiar with Procreate or Autodesk Sketchbook? These two painting and drawing apps are especially popular among digital artists who use tablets like the iPad.

Sketch your subject with a range in value, in your sketchbook or on a loose piece of paper. Scan it onto your computer. Then insert the file into your preferred illustration software. Colour your piece with fun digital brushstrokes and print the result.

Once printed, you could continue by layering more mediums such as pastels or pens. At this point, it becomes a matter of personal preference.

Key Takeaways

Mixed media art “mixes” multiple mediums or materials into one artwork.

According to Tate, the first two pioneers of this genre and the Cubism art movement were Pablo Picasso (1881-1973) and Georges Braque (1882-1963) at the beginning of the 20th century.

How do artists mix wet and dry media? Start by learning about your medium’s unique properties.

Begin with a sketching layer using a graphite pencil for your drawing or create a charcoal underpainting if you’re using acrylic or oil. Continue with a layer of your preferred wet media. Use ink pens, gel pens, markers and pastels for details for a drawing. As for acrylic or oil paintings, you could use pastels to add texture.

Examples of dry and wet media:

• Dry media: Graphite pencils, Coloured pencils, Watercolour pencils, Mechanical pencils, Pastels and Charcoal.

• Wet media: Ink pens, Artist brush pens, Acrylic (plus acrylic inks and markers), Oil, Gouache, Watercolour, Gel pens and Markers.

5 Mixed Media Techniques for Beginners:

1. Layering your materials
2. Paper Collage
3. Incorporating Textiles
4. Adding Washi Tape
5. Mixing Traditional and Digital Media