Creating mixed media pieces is a fulfilling artistic activity to attempt with all types of wet and dry materials. Artists create mixed media pieces by combining any two types of media, such as acrylic paint with oil paints. However, mixed media artists aren’t limited to creating pieces with paint and other typical artist media. Photographers create works using mixed media by combining their photos with paint, pencil, pen, or other types of media. Many artists will experiment with developing their own unique methods of using various papers, photographs, and wet media to make collages of their own work.
Mixed Media Through the Ages
Although photography is a relatively new media for artists, mixed media works were popularized long before the invention of the camera. For example, Leonardo Da Vinci is known to have used gold leaf in his paintings. Even though photography is a viable media today, current artist Lawrence Weiner chooses to use text in his mixed media work. However, if someone is interested in creating works of art in the modern digital age, incorporating photographs into the composition is a viable option that might produce the desired result the artist aims to achieve.
Ways of Experimenting With Photographs
Watercolor:
Using watercolor paint on photographs adds a whimsical element to the picture that didn’t exist in the original. Photographs with watercolor take on a mysterious, unique quality. If an artist is unsure of how to begin with this technique, they should try printing a picture with plenty of white space on the edges.
Ink:
Artists use this technique to make their pictures stand out by adding shapes or colors to the original photograph. In order to avoid making mistakes on the original, it’s helpful to have an extra copy of the photograph. This gives the artist some freedom to experiment with ink without the fear of messing up the picture.
Collage:
Professionals recommend this technique to people who are hesitant about painting on their pictures. There’s something satisfying about cutting paper up to arrange it differently into a cohesive new piece. This technique for creating mixed media work often looks multidimensional.