Robinson Kristen - Explore Mixed Media Collage

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Dont feel like you have to acquire all of these products at once. Begin with the projects whose materials you already have. Then, as you progress, add a few materials as you go along. Pretty soon your mixed-media toolkit will be overflowing!

• acrylic paint pens: Burnt Umber, gray, white
• acrylic paints, assorted
• acrylic sealer, brush-on
• adhesives, assorted
• awl or T-pin
• baby wipes or soft cloths
• beading needle
• binder clip
• bone folder or old gift or credit card
• brayer
• brushes, assorted
• bubble wrap
• canvas and papers, assorted
• cardstock, printed
• Catalyst Wedges
• charcoal pencils
• charcoal sealant
• cheesecloth
• circle template
• cloth rags
• crackle medium
• craft knife
• craft mat
• cup or lid
• cutting mat
• drill and 116" (2mm) bit
• embellishments, assorted
• embroidery floss: crme, ecru
• fabric scraps
• felt, crme
• fiberfill
• frisket
• Fun Foam
• gel medium
• gelatos including gray
• gesso, white
• glaze
• hammer, cut tacks, double-point tacks
• heat gun
• hole punch, 14" (6mm)
• hot glue gun
• instant coffee granules
• iron and ironing board
• lighter
• linen
• masking tape, cotton tape, paper tape, tape
• melting pot
• molding paste
• needle and thread (black, black perle cotton, blue, crme, perle cotton, taupe, white, etc.)
• painting wedges
• palette
• palette knife
• paper clay
• paper towels
• pencils
• pens and colored pencils, assorted
• plaster wrap
• plastic containers
• punch tool
• resin paper
• ruler, metal
• sanding block
• sandpaper
• saw
• scissors
• Scor-Tape
• scraper
• scribe
• silk: crme and other
• solvent ink
• spatula or silicone blade
• spiral notebook paper scraps
• spray bottle
• spray sealant, clear acrylic
• spreader
• squeegee
• stamps and stamp pads, assorted
• stapler
• StazOn ink, brown
• stencils, assorted
• string and twine
• Styrofoam: 2 spheres and 2" (5cm) ball
• toothbrush
• watercolor, crayons and pencils
• wax paper
• wax pencil: blue
• wax, beeswax, beeswax pellets, sealing wax
• wire cutters

Mixed media is one of the broadest and most exciting terms I can think of in art. For most of us, our mixed-media journey began years ago, long before the phrase was coined or even considered an art form. Thinking back to elementary school, I remember creating projects that ranged from noodles, paper and string to tapestries created with threads, buttons and paper scraps; both are good examples of simple forms of mixed media.

I can specifically remember the first time I heard mixed media used as a label for artwork. Perhaps one would call it an aha moment. Suddenly I felt validated in the work I had completed years ago in college, work my professors viewed with a questioning eye, oftentimes in wonderment and sometimes in frustration. More than once I heard the words You cannot mix fabric on a canvas with paint. While we all know you truly can mix fabric and paint, it was through this experience that I developed a strong sense of what my artistic voice really was and what I enjoyed creating.

Ruths memories are much the same. From the schoolroom and beyond she was always putting things together, long before the art world really embraced mixed media. As a trained jeweler, it was not until later in life that she found her true artistic voice in creating mixed media art. It was when she began mixing fabric, paint and jewelry techniques that her art evolved into what it is today.

It is our fervent hope that the following pages offer up a bounty of inspiration, ideas, new techniques and perhaps the key to opening that window to mixed-media art that you have been seeking. Let nothing hold you back when you create. The sky is the limit!

To say that an entire book could be written just on mixed-media techniques is quite the understatement. When mixing mediums, elements and techniques, the possibilities are virtually endless and limited only by our imaginations.

The following pages are comprised of an array of versatile, well used and easy techniquestechniques meant to inspire you while working with paint, paper, wax, plaster and much more. It is a virtual bounty of how-tos that can be mixed and matched as well as altered to fit your artistic journey.

Much like a cookbook, each technique is created with ingredients meant to be explored and worked with in a manner that fits your style and your artistic voice. If some of the products are new to you, be sure to take time to read the labels. Now, get your workspace ready and prepare to immerse yourself in creativity as you begin your mixed-media collage journey!

Artist tapes have become one of the hottest trends in mixed media. While there is a vast selection to choose from, nothing compares with custom artist tape. Creating your own tape can be done with just a few simple products that most of us have on hand and in just a handful of minutes.

Cut at least three strips of cotton tape and adhere them to a nonstick craft mat. With a dry paintbrush apply acrylic paint. Allow to dry.

With solvent ink and a stamp of your choice, create a base layer of imagery.

Again with solvent ink, apply a second layer of imagery over the first.