If you are having trouble getting started with your mixed media art or need some ideas of what to do next or simply want to try a new technique or material, here is an idea-generating list to read through. You can use any combination of these ideas or put your own twist on them.
1. Watercolor. To create an interesting watercolor background, you can layer transparent colors over one another, allowing the bottom colors to show through. A transparent watercolor effect can be achieved by mixing the color with water before applying it to your surface.
2. Fabric cut-outs. Select some fabric that has simple shapes or motifs. “Paint” around the edges with a mixture of white glue and water to prevent fraying. After the glue has dried, cut out your shape using a pair of scissors. You can use this to decorate greeting cards, wall art, art journal pages etc.
3. Aluminum foil background, crinkly effect. For an interesting background, you can crinkle a piece of foil and then smooth it out by hand, and color it with permanent markers, shoe polish or ink.
4. Aluminum foil dimensional design. Another way foil can be used in your art is by drawing a simple design on cardboard and going over the drawing with a line of hot glue or tacky glue. After it’s dry, cover the cardboard with foil and press gently around the glue lines (using a soft rag or cotton swab) to reveal the design. Go over it with paint or shoe polish and wipe off the excess, which leaves paint in the grooves, and gives emphasis to your design.
5. Quilling shapes and designs. You can create beautiful dimensional art using strips of papers that are rolled, shaped, and glued together. You can buy precut strips of paper or cut your own using a paper shredder or a craft knife.
6. Nature finds. Take a walk outside and pick up twigs, weeds, bark, small stones to use in your art. Make sure to check for bugs or spiders before bringing it into the house.
7. Paper doilies. Paper doilies are an inexpensive way to add texture and interest to your background. They can be painted, folded, and used to create art.
8. Silk flowers. I use a lot of silk flowers in my projects and always save the leftovers. I like to take them apart and layer them with other flowers. If they are not the right color for my art, I’ll color them with acrylic or spray paint. Then I might add some glitter, and glue a button or brad to the center.
Flowers can also be used to spell words by putting a single letter in the center of each flower, as you can see in the free flower printable below.
9. Old textbook or songbook pages. You can find old books at library sales, garage sales and in second hand stores very inexpensively. The pages can be torn, sanded, tea stained, painted with water colors etc. and used to create wonderful backgrounds.
9. Feathers. Craft stores carry a wide variety of feathers that can add an interesting effect to your art. The feathers can be painted, dyed or decorated with glitter.
10. Patterned fabric. In The Cloth, Paper, Scissors Book, mixed media artist, Beryl Taylor shares how to integrate a fabric’s pattern into the design by using embellishments that enhance it and using fabric paints to outline the design.
11. Textured fabric. I like to use fabrics such as burlap, denim or muslin to add texture to my mixed media backgrounds.
12. Leaves. Pick the leaves off the tree and flatten in a heavy book for a few days. Then you can paint them with acrylic paint to coordinate with your art or you might choose to leave them in their natural state. You’ll need to use a sealer to protect them and keep them from breaking.
13. Modeling paste. You can create lots of cool, dimensional textures for your art by using modeling paste and stencils or other items such as plastic mesh. If you don’t want to buy the paste, you can make your own. There are a variety of recipes online.
14. Crackle technique. This is a good technique to use when you want to add an aged, weathered effect to your art. The basic idea is to apply paint to your surface and after it’s dry, put on a coat of white glue or crackling medium and cover it with a paint that contrasts the color of the first layer.
15. Stitching. You can add texture to your art by stitching around certain elements or by using stitches to fasten down items or to create shapes or designs. Some people prefer machine stitching, others prefer the look of hand stitching.
16. Drawing or Painting. One way to personalize your art is by using a drawing or painting you (or maybe one of your children) created. It can be cut out and used as a focal point.
17. Beads. Beads come in all shapes and sizes and can add texture, color and interest. I like to string them with wire and create interesting twists and shapes before attaching them to my art. Micro beads are another option. These can be used in a manner similar to glitter.
18. Iris folding. An iris fold design in a shape of your choosing can make a good focal point for your art. For example, I created a Valentine’s Day card using an iris fold heart design and iridescent strips of paper.
19. Paper napkins. Paper napkins are available in a wide array of patterns, designs and colors and offer an inexpensive way to decorate almost any surface. You can use the whole napkin to decoupage onto your background or cut out certain parts to enhance or act as a focal point in your art.
20. Metal washers. I use a lot of washers in my art. They come in many sizes and I can buy them very inexpensively at my local hardware store. Sometimes I’ll decorate them with wire and beads or paint them with nail polish or alcohol ink. If I’m going for an industrial look I’ll leave them plain.
21. Corrugated cardboard. You can add a wonderful, natural look to your art by using corrugated cardboard. You can remove some of the paper from the cardboard so that the corrugated lines can be seen. This is a good way to recycle some of that cardboard you’ve been saving.
22. Clear glass gems or clear glass circle pieces. These can be used to bring attention to small items or images in your art. You can use clear silicone glue or Diamond Glaze® to attach them on top of a small photo, silk flower, words or phrases etc.
23. Jewelry. I buy a lot of jewelry from second hand stores, dollar stores and garage sales. Not to wear, but to use in my art. Necklaces, bracelets, earrings and rings can be dismantled (or not) and used as focal points or accents for your art.
24. Words and quotes. Adding words, phrases or quotes to your layout is a way to make it more interesting and personal. Some ways to add wording to your mixed media are: handwriting, printing out from your computer, cutting words out of newspapers or magazines or buying stickers.
25. Stick-on jewels or rhinestones. Jewels come in a myriad of colors and textures. While not appropriate for every project, when they are used in the right way, jewels can add that extra pizzazz to your mixed media art.
26. Gauze or cheesecloth. This type of material can be glued to your background or tucked behind embellishments to add interest and texture. Another option is to cover your art with a layer of gauze to tone down the colors and give it texture as well as a sense of cohesiveness.
27. Wire. Wire can be used in a variety of ways: it can be utilized to frame an item in your layout, or it can be twisted or coiled to add interest, or shaped into an object or word. Wire can also be painted or rusted to complement your theme.
28. Washi tape. This is a fun, easy way to add interest and color to your projects. You can also create your own washi tape: adhere rows of double-sided sticky tape onto a patterned fabric, paper or tissue paper and then carefully cut around the tape using a good pair of scissors.
29. Aluminum shapes. Interesting effects can be had by cutting shapes out of aluminum foil and putting them back together (leaving space between them) to create an image or pattern.
30. Drawing on aluminum foil. Use a dull pencil or ballpoint pen to sketch out your design and then color it in with sharpie markers or alcohol inks.
31. Decorative trims. Trims such as ric rac, lace edging or embroidered ribbon can be used to add texture to your background, finish an edge or be used to frame or separate sections of your art.
32. Rubber stamps. You can stamp a detailed image in black, color it in and cut it out to use in your art. I like to mat it with coordinating paper or cardstock. Stamps can also be used to create interesting background textures. When it comes to stamping, you are not limited to rubber stamps. You can use a variety of items to create shapes, patterns and textures. A few ideas: leaves, bubble wrap or shelf liner, bottle caps, silk flowers etc.
33. Wet paper embossing. There are many variations of this technique. It involves layering several layers of tissue (toilet paper, paper towels etc.) wetting them and placing on a stamp or raised design and gently pressing around the grooves. This will impress the design into the tissue and after it’s dry, it can carefully be cut out, colored and used as an embellishment.
34. Dimensional letters. You can use dimensional paste or clay to create letters or words to add to your art layout. For example, in creating art for my mom, I used an alphabet stencil to create letters that spell “MOM.” I sealed them with white school glue before attaching them to my art.
35. Sandpaper. Many times I’ll use sandpaper in my creative endeavors. Not only do I use it to scuff and tear up cardstock and other materials, I also use it as a background or as a way to mat words or phrases. Other times I cut shapes out of it to use as embellishments.
36. Stickers. I come from a big family and once in awhile, I decide to make a birthday card for one of them. Sometimes, inspiration eludes me and I spend way too much time staring at my blank card and shuffling through my stash. One day, I placed a scrapbooking sticker on my blank card and was amazed at how easy it was to choose papers and embellishments that coordinated with it.
37. Old or used greeting cards. Over my lifetime I’ve collected a lot of greeting cards. I don’t want to throw them away but I also don’t want to store them in a box, down in my basement, never to be seen again, so I started repurposing them in my art. For cards that are really special, I not only use the front of the card, but I also cut out and use any handwritten words written on the inside.
38. Shelf liner. I like to buy shelf liner from the dollar store to use in my art. Often I’ll spray paint it gold or black before I use it. Note: I usually do my spray painting on newspaper which leaves behind a beautiful design that can be used in other projects.
39. Wood shapes. “Woodsies” come in many shapes and sizes and are a blank slate for creativity. They can be detailed with a permanent marker and then painted or combined with other shapes, or embellished with decorative paper or fabric, ribbon, lace, gems, etc. I like to use round or rectangle shapes to serve as a base for words, phrases or scriptures that I’ve printed out.
40. Fashion accessories. Before getting rid of clothes, shoes, boots, slippers, purses etc., check to see if you can salvage any part of it to use in your art. While I try not to ruin anything that could be used by someone else, I like to save things such as belt loops, belt buckles, pieces of leather, bows, interesting tags or pockets, shoelaces, zippers, buttons, hems with beautiful stitching.
41. Grains. Rice, millet, oatmeal, dry beans, lentils etc. can be used to create interesting texture and designs in your mixed media art. Use grains to create pictures, fill in shapes or words or to use as a background. If you choose, you can color the grains with food coloring and alcohol or spray paint, depending on the type of grain you are using.
42. Pastas. Macaroni, spaghetti, noodles, pasta shells, wagon wheels, penne etc. can all be used to create or embellish your art. Before you start creating, you may want to color the pasta either with a mixture of food coloring and alcohol or by painting it with acrylic paint. After it’s dry, you can glue it to your base. If you enjoy creating symmetrical designs, using dry pasta is an easy way to make complex-looking art.
43. Metal Food Can Lids. Have you ever thought about using the tops of metal cans in your art? You can create texture by pounding it with a hammer or punch a design into the lid by using a hammer and nails. The lids could also be colored with nail polish, sharpie markers, or alcohol inks. Another option is to rust the lids by sanding and applying peroxide and salt.
44. Dried Fruit Slices. Oranges, lemons, limes, apples and other fruits can be sliced and dried either naturally or with an oven or microwave and glued onto a base. It’s a fun way to make art for a kitchen or dining area.
45. Netting/Mesh/Tulle. Before you throw out that plastic produce bag your oranges came in or that leftover tulle, take another look at it. Wouldn’t it make a wonderful texture for your art? To attach it, you can use a few brads, a bit of super glue or glue some washi tape or other elements on top of it. Another option is to tack it down with a few stitches. The stitches could be done in a coordinating color to add interest
46. Dried flowers and botanicals. After my mother-in-law died, we received a beautiful flower arrangement from my brother and his family. I wanted to preserve the flowers so I hung them upside down by taping them to the side of a cupboard. I left them for a few weeks, and then sprayed them with hairspray. Now I have some pretty, vintage dried flowers to use in my art.
47. String art. To create string art for your mixed media piece, you’ll need to use a sturdy base (wood works well). Your image or design can be printed out onto some computer paper and temporarily attached to your board.
Go around the edge of the shape and make a mark every half inch or so. Then you pound nails partway into the wood (wherever your marks are). Make sure the nails are all the same height. Then you can remove the paper and start weaving your string to make the design.