Creating mixed media is a great way to learn how to create art, especially if you have a desire to make something but don’t know how to get started.
You don’t need any particular skills. While knowing how to draw and paint can help you in the creative process, it’s not a requirement.
You can learn as you go along. Often as I’m creating I’ll want something specific in my art, but I don’t know how to create it so I’ll use it as an opportunity to learn something new. For example, when I was creating my Loon assemblage, I wanted loon feathers as part of my art. I knew I wouldn’t be using real loon feathers, so I took it as an opportunity to learn how to color my own feathers.
With mixed media, it’s easy to get started. You can use the things you already have on hand. In the beginning, I often used pieces of cardboard or thick paper as my base. To decorate it, I used acrylic paints, tissue paper, leftover silk flowers, pages from old books, pieces of fabric and ribbon. Since I was using products that weren’t expensive, I felt more at liberty to take chances and try new techniques. If it didn’t work out, well … no big deal.
It helps you “find your voice.” In the beginning you might emulate other creatives, copying their styles and trying to reproduce their results. That’s a good way to learn (as long as you don’t try to pass it off as your own).
In the book, Steal Like an Artist, Austin Kleon writes, “Nobody is born with a style or voice. We don’t come out of the womb knowing who we are. In the beginning we learn by pretending to be our heroes. … Copying is about reverse-engineering. It’s like a mechanic taking a car apart to see how it works.”
However, over time, as you keep creating art, your style evolves. It gets better and more refined. You’ll discover what works and what doesn’t, what you like, what you don’t like. You discover the type of art you most enjoy creating.
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