mixed media art

What is mixed media art? Mixed media refers to a visual art form that combines a variety of media in a single artwork. For example, if you draw with ink, then paint over it with watercolors, then add some highlights in colored pencil - that's mixed media!

Mixed media is very closely related to other art forms such as assemblage and collage. Assemblage is a 3-dimensional sculptural form, in which found objects are "assembled" together in a quirky and unique way. Collage involves a rearrangement of pre-existing elements, such as cut-up paper of all sorts (newspaper clippings, gift wrap, vintage ephemera, old book pages, stamps, postcards, etc), as well as various other small items glued to the surface of the paper, canvas, or wood.

In general, mixed media can certainly incorporate 3-dimensional objects and things like cut-up paper, but for the purposes of this topic, we'll focus on artwork whose main feature is usually a combination (or mix) of media, such as acrylics, oils, crayons, pencils, etc.

Mixed media is fun because it can take so many forms. The sky's the limit! On the right, you can see a variety of artworks that I created using mixed media. Most of these pieces include a few of the following: acrylics, watercolor, watercolor pencils, colored pencils, and /or ink.

With mixed media, anything goes. However, you will need to take some ordinary precautions, such as making sure that your foundation (base layer) is sturdy enough to accept whatever you throw on top of it without buckling or bending. You may also want to do some smaller tests to examine how the media work together, to make sure you can achieve the desired effect. For instance, applying ink on top of watercolor will have a very different look than watercolor applied on top of ink. So it's best to fiddle around on a small-scale to figure out how the media interacts, before attempting a large-scale or detailed artwork!

By using a combination of media in one artwork, you can utilize the best that each medium has to offer!

Here is a small gallery of some of my mixed media art:

Got a question about making mixed media art? The best way to learn is by experimenting and asking questions, so this is the place to ask your mixed media questions. You can read mixed media questions submitted by other site visitors and also throw in your comments, advice and suggestions, too!