It is possible to mix two art media together within one composition. The term for this art method is known as "mixed media." Combining two or more art media can be used to create abstract art and is a modern technique. Collages and assemblages are examples of types of mixed media.
About Mixed Media
The process of combining one art medium with another offers an artist the freedom to be experimental in his approach to art. He is able to express an idea through color and a textural mix of materials, such as graphite, ink, paper, printed images or fabric, as well as any type of object. This results in a mixed media abstract work.
Techniques
One technique of working with mixed media is to layer and blend the different art mediums upon a canvas, paper or object to form a collage. An artist can start by drawing in graphite before she applies a paint-based medium in an expressive way to create the background for the mixed media composition. She then introduces other materials into the piece by pasting them in layers. Another technique is assemblage, which is a 3D form of collage. It consists of using found objects and other non-traditional art materials to create a three-dimensional work of art.
Considerations
Mixing art media is not appropriate for a realistic art work. Paintings rendered in a traditional art medium such as watercolor, acrylics or oil paint on canvas or paper are more suited to realistic subjects. Mixed media lends itself to more abstract themes. An artist also has to consider blend two or more art media together smoothly, so the transitions made from one medium to another flow smoothly and create a unified whole.
History
Mixed media was introduced into the art world around 1912 by Pablo Picasso, Georges Braque and other artists involved in the Cubist movement. This movement was concerned with changing society's perception of art and of how objects were depicted within a composition. Mixed media came into play during the Cubist movement's "Synthetic" phase, in which paint was used in conjunction with other materials, such as admission tickets, newspaper cuttings, paper and charcoal, within their paintings to form collages. Picasso and Marcel Duchamp also worked with found objects and, in the 1950s, the 3D form of collage became popular, referred to as "assemblage" art.
