Using mixed media in art means using more than one type of art supply, such as paint and ink, paint and pastels, pastels and ink, and so on. You can even use various small items such as buttons, leaves and beads. The wonderful thing about mixed media art is that there are absolutely no boundaries; you can throw anything together to create something.
Instructions
1. Begin with a clean canvas. Canvas is sturdy enough to hold any attached items and can withstand any amount of paint or other wet media that you wish to use.
2. Dip a paintbrush into any paint of your choice and glide it across the canvas. You can paint something specific, such as a landscape, or create abstract and non-objective designs, such as splatters or strange shapes. You can use any type of paint that you'd like, but in mixed media it's a good idea to stick to acrylic or watercolor paints because oil paints take a very long time to dry and sometimes don't mix well with other media. Allow the paint to dry.
3. Add extra details to the painting by using pastels, inks or permanent markers. Use the ink and markers to outline parts of the painting to make them stand out. Use the pastels to add extra color or blending to the piece.
4. Glue any small items that you'd like to the art piece. You can create a border using the small items or just use them as simple embellishments to accent certain parts of the art piece. If you'd like to add a photo or paper printout, glue it to the canvas and use a medium to blend it into the painting. For example, dab some paint around the perimeter of the photo or scribble over the photo with the pastels to make it match the rest of the piece.
5. Allow the piece to completely dry before hanging it up or using it elsewhere.
