7 Mixed Media Background Ideas for Your Art
Looking for a way to create an interesting background for your mixed media art? First you need to decide on your general theme. Do you want a natural and rustic look or does your art need a bright and colorful background? Here are some ideas.
Corrugated cardboard. You can add a wonderful, natural look to your art by using corrugated cardboard. Remove some of the paper from the cardboard so that the corrugated lines can be seen. This is a great way to recycle some of that cardboard you’ve been saving.
Old textbook or songbook pages. You can find old books at library sales, garage sales, and thrift stores for very little. Pages can be torn, sanded, tea-stained, painted with watercolours, and used to create wonderful backgrounds.
Textured fabric. I like to use fabrics like burlap, denim, or muslin to add texture to my mixed media backgrounds.
Modeling paste. You can create lots of great, dimensional textures for your art using modeling paste and stencils or other items like plastic mesh. If you don’t want to buy the pasta, you can make it yourself. There are a variety of modeling dough recipes online.
Paper napkins. Available in a wide range of patterns, designs and colors, paper napkins offer an inexpensive way to decorate almost any surface. You can decoupage the entire napkin into your background or cut out certain parts to enhance or act as a focal point in your art.
Technical crack. This is a good technique to use when you want to add a weathered, aged effect to your art. The basic idea is to apply paint to your surface and after it’s dry, put a coat of white glue or cracking medium on it and cover it with a paint that contrasts the color of the first coat.
Foil. Add texture to the foil by crumpling it up and then smoothing it out by hand. It can be colored with alcohol ink, nail polish or indelible markers.
shelf lining. I like to buy shelf liners at the dollar store to use as backgrounds in my art. I often spray paint it before using it. Note: I usually spray paint on newsprint, which leaves a beautiful pattern that can be used as a background in other projects.
There is no shortage of materials that you can use to create your mixed media backgrounds. Decide what type of art you will create, and choose colors and textures that will complement your finished piece.
