Mixed Media Techniques

When it comes to artistic expression, there are limitless possibilities. The artistic genre known as "mixed media" is an especially broad and varied type of art, as it allows artists to mix a wide array of materials and techniques together to create new and different forms of art. Mixed media combines two or more forms of artistic media together in a single composition, such as collage and pencil drawing, or photography and painting. In mixed media art, any medium can be mixed with any other, resulting in many unique works of art.

"Waiting" Copyright Shanti MarieThis genre can involve the mixing of different materials or techniques into paintings. Some artists, for example, affix fabric, tiles, metal or paper to a painted canvas, so the art seems to jump out of frame. Others mix in collage or mosaic techniques to their paintings. Mixed media paintings can incorporate clay or modeling compound, candle wax, tissue paper, string and sand, or apply paint with a knife or sponge.

"Collage Journal #2" Copyright Shanti Marie"Collage" is a French word which means "gluing"; it involves gluing materials like paper or cloth onto a surface. A mixed media collage artist takes this artform and combines it with other media like paints or pencil drawings. Some collages are monochromatic, others are full of color; some are abstract, while others are more literal depictions. In her collages, Shanti Marie uses a variety of mediums like gluing on tissue paper she has painted, and using crayons, pastels and felt tip pens. Sometimes she glues on pieces of old jewelry or watch parts. In her work "Collage Journal #2", Marie decorated the cover of a composition book. To avoid getting paint or glue on the inside of the books, she often glues the pieces together on a separate paper and then glues the entire sheet onto the book cover.

"Disappearance" Copyright Ilona FriedArtists who create intricate mosaics have a special kind of passion; these often elaborate designs are created slowly, piece by piece, often from many different types of materials, glued onto a surface such as a wall, tabletop or vase. Ilona Fried, the artist behind Mixed Media Mosaics, has abstract and figurative mosaics displayed in private and museum collections. Fried uses many materials in her work, including different varieties of glass, ceramic tile, stone, glass and metal beads, buttons, coins and sometimes paint. She says she enjoys contemporary mosaics because "there are no rules and the possibilities for expression are limitless." There are a variety of different techniques used to create mixed media mosaics. Some artists combine mosaic techniques with collage, rubber stamping and assemblage, for example. Mosaics can be created simply by gluing tiles to a tabletop. Still other artists design two-dimensional pieces that can hang on a wall. Mosaic artists commonly use polymer clay to make tiles, which are painted and affixed to a surface. And unlike most of us, a mosaic artist might be happy when a plate or bowl is broken; beautiful mosaics can be created using the pieces of broken dishes.

Artwork Copyright Yuko IshiiMixed media photography is another dynamic artform limited only by the artist's imagination. It combines photography with other media like paint, charcoal drawing, collage or assemblage. This type of artist may paint over or around a photo, or attach other photos or materials. Mixed media photographer Yuko Ishii combines photography and painting, scratches original pictures, attaches small photographs and coats the works with wax. Ishii uses found objects like bottles and junk metal which he mixes with organic materials such as flowers, sand and ash along with acrylic paint.

"Butterfly" Copyright Steve HollingerA mixed media sculpture is a three-dimensional work that combines various materials and techniques; sculptures can be abstract or more realistic. Techniques include carving, casting molds and assembling materials together. The artists use everything from glass, stone and wood to found objects like car parts, bottles and wire. Some sculptures even move. Artist Steve Hollinger has done mixed media sculpture using a wide variety of techniques. Some of his sculptures have solar-powered movement, including "Butterfly" which, when the light hits it, the wings flutter. It was made using tissue, wire, a wooden box, a wood and glass case, and a solar mechanism.

"Charybdis" Copyright Ron RobertsonMixed media assemblage can combine many different materials to express ideas. Assemblage artists, like some mixed media sculptors, combine found objects, industrial and everyday materials. There are two- and three-dimensional assemblages that can include just about any material or object you can imagine from paper, flowers and photos, to bicycle parts, dolls and bottles. Ron Robertson creates mixed media assemblage works, many of which are inspired by his life experiences, his passions and opinions. Often he'll use found objects in his work, such as in "Charybdis", assembled from pieces of driftwood and flotsam found on beaches in his home city of Santa Barbara, California