I reference the term “mixed media” all over my website. If you know what that means, great! If you don’t really understand what that means, this is for you! This will be the first post in a series, Mixed Media Moxie, that will give you the download on all things mixed media and how wonderful it is for healing and perspective changing. After you see how easy and fun it is, I hope you jump in and engage with all the medias and start (or continue for those who already enjoy the awesomeness) creating your own mixed media art along with me.
What is Mixed Media Moxie?
Let’s start off with some definitions:
The word “media” in reference to art is plural for “medium” and refers to what the artist uses to create her artwork – for an oil painter, their media is oil paint. For a watercolor artist, their media is watercolors.
The term “mixed media” means to use different media in the same piece of art. So, if you create a piece of art with paint and ink, you have created a mixed media art piece.
The word “moxie” means “courage, pluck, perseverance, etc.; guts” which is what I want to be moving towards in art and in life, don’t you?
So my definition of Mixed Media Moxie means Courageous Creating with All the Things!
Another artsy term I might use is “support” which is what physically holds the media you are using, some examples are paper, canvas, plywood, metal, and board.
Here’s some different things that I use in mixed media, but it’s by no means an exhaustive list:
Media
- Acrylic paint
- Watercolor paint
- Crayon
- Pen/Pencil
- Ink
- Chalk pastels
- Oil pastels
- Spray inks
- Gelatos
- Decorative paper – includes sheet music, scrapbook paper, handmade paper, etc…
- Thread/string
- Beads
- Wire
- Drywall mud (joint compound)
- Modeling paste
- Tar gel
- Gesso
- Glass bead gel
- Fiber paste
- Matte medium
- Gloss gel medium
- Stained glass
- Mirrors
- Grout
- Netting
- Glue or Mod Podge
Tools
- Old credit cards (or hotel room keys)
- Various sized brushes
- Your fingers
- Cosmetic sponges
- Q-tips
- Paper towels
- Baby wipes
- Spray bottle of water
- Pallet knife
- Scissors
- X-acto knife
- Stencils
- Texture makers (bubble wrap, exposed cardboard, etc…)
- Gel plate
- Brayer
Supports
- Mixed media paper (it’s heavier to handle water-based media)
- Canvas panels
- Stretched canvas
- Cradled boards
- Art journal
- A repurposed book
- Cardboard
Setting Up Your Creating Space
Look around and see what art supplies you might already have at your house. Organize them all together in one space that you will be able to create in. This area should at least have a desktop or some other worksurface that you can cover to protect the surface from paint (and the floor too if you’re messy like me!) A spare bedroom is great! But if you are short on space, use what you have to get started. For awhile, I used my dining room table!
Next time, we’ll be back with more Mixed Media Moxie where I’ll walk you thru some great ways to get started creating!
This post contains some affiliate links for your convenience (which means if you make a purchase after clicking a link I will earn a small commission but it won’t cost you a penny more!)
