6 Tips For Mixed Media Beginners

Mixed media can sometimes have a reputation for being the "anything goes" corner of the art world and honestly, that's both the appeal and the challenge. When there are no 'rules', it's surprisingly easy to get stuck and not know where to begin. Paper, paint, ink, fabric, found objects, thread, where on earth do you start, and how do you stop it all turning into a chaotic mess on the page?

It's Kate's specialist medium and she teaches mixed media to everyone from total beginners to experienced painters looking to explore their creativity and push the boundaries. Here are our top tips for getting started with this medium.

1. Start with a limited palette of materials

As a beginner it can sometimes be difficult to know where to begin, often we reach for everything at once, six papers, four paints, glitter, tissue, string, and then get confused as to how we're going to use it all. Our advice is to pick two or three materials to start (say, acrylic paint, torn paper, and ink) and commit to just those. Constraints don't limit creativity in mixed media; they're what can end up making a piece feel cohesive rather than cluttered. Then, as you get more experience, you can start to experiment with adding more materials to your piece.

2. Build in layers and let each one dry

Mixed media rewards patience perhaps more than almost any other approach to art-making. By working in distinct layers such as background wash, then collage elements, then linework, then final details gives each stage room to breathe and lets you make considered decisions rather than rushed ones.

Practical tip: if you photograph your piece after each layer it's much easier to know when to stop as you can look back and see how far you've already come.

3. Use gesso as your reset button

One of the most freeing things you can learn in mixed media is that almost nothing is a permanent mistake. A layer of white or clear gesso brushed over a section you don't like gives you a fresh, slightly textured surface to work back into, with collage papers, ink, and paint underneath, still faintly visible, adding depth to what comes next.

This single technique removes most of the fear that stops beginners from experimenting boldly.

4. Think about texture before colour

We know it's tempting to reach straight for paint, but some of the most interesting mixed media surfaces are built from texture first. Tissue paper, muslin, corrugated card, or even bubble wrap pressed into wet gesso can make a wondeful canvas. Then, by adding colour afterwards with washes or dry brushing, it will catch in the texture in unusual ways.

5. Keep a "scrap bank"

Items such as pages from old books, sheet music, maps, dictionary pages, wallpaper offcuts, tissue paper from parcels become a treasure trove for creating mixed media pieces. Keeping a growing folder of interesting papers and ephemera means that when inspiration strikes, you're not starting from a blank cupboard. Charity shops, old books, and even your own recycling bin are surprisingly good sources!

6. Know when to stop

This is the hardest tip to follow and perhaps the most important one. Mixed media pieces can absorb an almost unlimited number of additional layers and it can be genuinely difficult to know when you've reached "finished" rather than "overworked." A useful trick we've found over the years is to step away for a coffee break, or even the day, day, and then look at the piece with fresh eyes.

Ready to get your hands messy?

Mixed media is a brilliantly creative, trial-and-error medium best learned in a room with paper scraps everywhere and a tutor on hand to reassure you that yes, it's meant to look a bit chaotic halfway through!

Our mixed media classes at Kate Hughes Creative run throughout the year, and no prior experience is needed. Browse our upcoming mixed media courses here and come make something wonderfully creative with us.

Got a mixed media material you swear by that we didn't mention? Let us know in the comments below.