What is Mixed Media?

What Is Mixed Media Art?

The term “mixed media art” is a broad definition that covers many arts and crafts, including collage, assemblage (both 2D and 3D), altered objects, including books and boxes, handmade greeting cards, artist trading cards (ATCs) and tags, art journalling and book making as long as you use more then 2 different media's.
The “mixed media” used includes paints, papers and broad range of all descriptions, glues, buttons, fabrics, found objects, photos, metal bits, fibres, things from nature, inks, pencils, crayons, markers, pastels and polymer clays, to name a few.

What materials do I need to get started?
The beauty of mixed media art is the flexibility to start with things around you and expend from there. To get started you need a substrate or base. This could be a clean sheet of paper, sketchbook, a cereal box or anything else that may be sitting still.  Then, if you are heading down the collage path, you’ll need something to stick with (glue sticks are fine to begin with) and something to stick on (coloured papers, newspapers, catalogues, and anything else that grabs you).
If you are heading down the drawing / painting path, then once you have your substrate, you’ll need something to make a mark, whether its pencils, paints, crayons, markers or pastels.
Any or all of these are all you need to get started. Just use the things you have around you

What skills do I need to get started?
Another attractive feature of Mixed Media Art is that you don’t need fine art or drawing skills. That doesn’t mean you are excluded from mixed media art if you do have these skills, but it opens up a world of creativity for the rest of us who like to make things but “Can’t draw”.
The skills you need to get started are as simple as being able to use a pencil, scissors and glue. These skills will expand and develop with practice, depending on which “branch” you follow.  More complicated skills of mixing paints and developing your “artist eye” will happen as you expand your own creativity. Specific skills for particular media or art types will present themselves as you move into these areas. As with many things in life, the techniques and teachers will appear when you are ready.

The best thing with Mixed Media is there are NO Mistakes, nor any right or wrong way of doing things. There are no boundaries or rules to follow, it is all about where your creativity takes you. Mixed media can be kept simple with minimal clean lines, or a fussy and manic as you like, just shove it all on!! It's a great way to use up your scraps too, we all are guilty of keeping those little bits and pieces thinking it's too pretty/nice to just through away (even those teeny tiny off cuts of ribbon/lace)

Mixed Media is also a great way to upcycle because Anything Goes, keep finding game pieces to that game that you threw out ages ago, don't throw it away keep it for a project. Got a pack of cards that have a few missing - turn them into little mini pieces of art. The possibilities are endless.
Make mixed media work for you, don't doubt yourself thinking you can't do this that or the other because it's might not be your style etc, just add your own twist to things

1 comment:

  1. What a beautiful explanation of mixed media this is. Obviously the person who has written this has an art degree. I also love the blog design and layout here.