Tutorial: How Drew makes his mixed media collages
TUTORIAL
Creating mixed media collages is one of my favorite ways to explore the endless possibilities of combining texture, color, and pattern.
In this blog post, I’m excited to walk you through my exact process, step by step, from selecting collage papers to adding the final details that make each piece uniquely mine.
I’ll also share the specific tools and materials I use, along with a few tips I’ve learned over the years to help you get the most out of your own creative sessions.
Let’s get started…
ADD YOUR BASE LAYER
1. Select collage papers for base layer. Most of my collage papers are printed on a gel plate.
- Here I'm use a Speedball Handbook Journal.
- I use gel plate printed papers printed on copy/cartridge paper.
2. Trim papers and glue down on to page.
- I use UHU or Elmer’s glue sticks.
3. Add a layer of translucent acrylic ink.
- I like Liquitex alcohol inks
- I use a silicone color shaper to spread the paint
BUILD UP THE LAYERS
4. Add marks using markers.
- I like various markers, from Sharpies, to Tombow, to acrylic paint markers, to waterproof pencils and crayons like Neocolor 1.
5. Add more collage elements.
6. Add opaque paint to cover up some of the previous layers.
- I like using Golden heavy body acrylics.
ADD FINAL LAYERS
7. Layer of gel printed tissue papers using matte medium as glue.
- Spectra art tissue works well. Any wet strength tissue can work.
- I like Liquitex Matte Medium.
8. One last layer of collage, because I can’t help myself.
- In this collage I used pieces of torn posts I ripped off walls in NYC, applied with glue stick.
9. Trim the collage.
- I place an ALVIN cutting mat under the page and trim using an Xacto knife and metal ruler.
Happy creating!🎨
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