Turning one piece of art into another is a creative twist to layering mixed media art techniques. Create something, cut it up, and create something new!
In favor of keeping creative juices flowing and the practice of daily art making in routines, this project is described in different phases to allow the artist to step away numerous times during the creative process. The idea is to create a complete piece of art, and then cut it up in order to incorporate it into another.
Phase one – for this phase of the mixed media art project, you will need the following materials:
- One piece of sturdy paper (cardstock, watercolor paper, Bristol board, etc.), your choice of size
- Collage material (from magazines, ephemera, scraps, etc.)
- Heavy-duty glue stick
- Decoupage (or gel) medium
- Sponge brush
- Small containers of water
- Glitter glue, numerous colors
- Acrylic paint, numerous colors
- Toothbrush
- paintbrushes
- Scissors or paper cutter (should be very sharp)
Follow these simple instructions to complete the first phase of this mixed media art project:
- On the sturdy piece of paper, layer collage materials so all the paper is completely covered. Use either the glue stick or the decoupage medium depending on how strong the adhesion needs to be. Do not worry if the collage materials go beyond the edge of the paper.
- Seal the piece completely with one or two layers of decoupage (or gel) medium to ensure materials do not fall off and edges do not peel up. Allow the collage to dry completely before moving on to the next step. Speed drying time through use of a heat gun or hair dryer.
- Using the paper cutter or scissors, trim all the edges so the edges of the paper are clean.
- With the acrylic paint, the toothbrush, and paintbrushes, splatter acrylic paint all over the piece. Do not worry about making a mess or if a pattern is formed.
- Take out the glitter gel glue and swirl numerous colors all over the collage.
- Set the collage aside to dry completely. Speed up drying time through use of a heat gun or a hair dryer.
Phase two – for this phase of the mixed media art project, you will need the following materials:
- A piece of stretched canvas or canvas board, your choice of size
- Acrylic paint, numerous colors
- Paintbrushes
- Toothbrush
- Collage materials
- Decoupage medium
- Sponge brush
- Small containers of water
- Charms, game pieces and other “weighty” mixed media objects
- Flat found art objects
Follow these simple instructions to complete this phase of this mixed media art project:
- Take out the collage and the paper cutter (or scissors). Cut the collage into four equal parts and set them aside.
- On the canvas, swirl paint in random strokes and colors. Affix collage materials directly into the paint. It is necessary to work in thick layers to ensure the collage materials have good adhesion. Keep this as random as possible.
- Affix the collage quarters to the painting. If there is not enough adhesion, add decoupage or gel medium to the back of the collage quarter and affix it to the canvas.
- Layer found objects, collage materials, and weighty objects to the painting. Splatter more paint all over everything using a color that will stand out (like white, yellow, or black).
- Allow the painting to dry completely. Speed up drying time through use of a heat gun or hair dryer.
- Seal the entire piece using decoupage (or gel) medium. Use multiple layers of this medium to ensure a strong seal and adhesion.
There are additional ways to bring this project into further phases. For example, you could embellish the edge of the canvas, or you could add a mixed media picture frame matte around the entire piece. Or, you could stitch in buttons, add pins, or glue on funky fibers. As you can see, there are a lot of possibilities to keeping the creative juices flowing beyond just one sitting with projects such as these.
