3 Fast And Easy Mixed Media Background Ideas For Art Journaling

What do you need for mixed media art?

With mixed media art, it’s easy. You practically use anything you like. And I mean, anything!

Do you have any paper scraps? Use them.

What about watercolors, or a black marker, or a nice fine line pen? Use them as well.

Also, add some buttons, lace, photos, twine, flowers, and all kinds of embellies you’d love to see on your page.

How to do mixed media art?

The only advice I’d give you for doing mixed media is to do everything in layers.

If you use different media, especially wet ones, you’ll need to wait for them to dry.

Mixed media art journal backgrounds

I’m going to show you some ideas for creating mixed media backgrounds in your art journal. Expect a lot of photos so you can really see what I’m doing on the pages.

Mixed media tutorial No.1

This tutorial is for a color-rich and textured background.

Supplies you’ll need:

1. Acrylic paint, colors of your choice.
2. Kitchen sponge
3. Stencil
4. Relief paste/texture paste
5. Palette knife/piece of cardboard
6. Stamp+ waterproof ink
7. Baby wipes

Step 1.

First, layer your stencil and put some relief paste on it.

Step 2.

Use acrylic paint and a kitchen sponge to dab it over the stencil image, and the rest of the page.

Mix different colors for interesting effects.

Finally, I added some white to soften the page a bit.

Then I used the baby wipe and cleaned some of the paint off my flowers, just to pop them a bit.

We’ll do this later, after every layer of color. You’ll see, it’s a neat effect.

Step 3.

Choose the stamp you love and stamp with waterproof ink, here and there.

I used waterproof ink by Ranger Ink, black archival ink pad. I’ve loved it ever since I got it. The ink isn’t smearable, and I feel free to do anything with it!

Make it a bit distressed by not pressing the whole stamp at once.

Also, you won’t be able to, because you already have a textured background, so some of it will resist the stamp. I love this effect.

Step 4.

It’s time for some finger painting. Go wild! Just smudge it in places, and if you feel there’s too much of it, just clean some off with a baby wipe.

Step 5.

Then, while the paint is still pretty wet, use the baby wipe and clean only the flowers. See how you now see the layers from underneath? Layering, remember?

I continued to put more paint with my fingers, I added some more blue and yellow.

Step 6.

Next, I used another stencil and removed some of the paint with it and a baby wipe.

And voila, here’s the finished mixed media background! I left it as it is because I love the colors and the texture.

I might write something later or add a nice photo, I’ll see. For now, I’m satisfied with this beauty.

Mixed media tutorial No.2

Supplies you’ll need:

1. Paper scraps
2. Glue
3. Stamp + waterproof ink
4. White acrylic paint
5. An image or a cut-out you love

Step 1.

Gather some paper scraps you have around your craft room. Even the tiniest ones, don’t throw them to waste. They make wonderful backgrounds. These are some of mine:

Start gluing them down on your art journal page/spread. Don’t overthink this, just go with the flow.

You can use papers from one color palette or just use whatever color you want. Either way, these backgrounds look amazing.

This is how it looks after all the gluing is done.

Step 2.

Choose a stamp you love and stamp it in three places with waterproof ink. For a more distressed look, don’t stamp the whole image, just parts of the stamp.

Step 3.

Use your fingers again and apply white acrylic paint to distress the page even more. Lightly go over most of the page and smudge the paint.

You can use a brush, but doing this with fingers is way more fun and interesting, and you get slightly different results. A brush can never smudge like your fingers.

Step 4.

Next, I added more stamping with a different stamp. Just to break the white a little bit. Here’s the finished mixed media background:

Step 5.

If you want to add more things on top, check this out. I glued a girl from my printable design. Also, I used other paper cut-outs from my previous projects.

Mixed media tutorial No.3

This one is going to be messy, so I’m giving you the heads-up.

Supplies you’ll need:

1. Acrylic paint, different colors
2. Paper scraps
3. Glue
4. Stamp + waterproof ink
5. Palette knife or a piece of thick cardboard

Step 1.

Use paper scraps, any kind you have. They will create an interesting texture. So, you just glue them down randomly until you cover the whole page.

Step 2.

Take the palette knife and add some acrylic paint. Wherever you want. First, put one color down, then choose two more and add them in the same way.

I used beige, yellowish, blue, and pink.

Step 3.

Then, choose some stamps and randomly stamp them on your page.

A good tip for this is to stamp in three places rather than cover the whole page.

And if you want the distressed look, just don’t press the whole stamp and press it lightly.

Step 4.

Finally, I added some white acrylic paint. Again, I used my palette knife and just painted a few strokes from above and from below, not too much.

And here’s the finished background. It’s ready for some writing or drawing. But be careful with your pens on acrylic paint.

They can get clogged and you can damage the tip. Maybe the best solution would be to use a marker of some kind, or just use a paintbrush and write with it.

I’d use Posca paint pens for textured backgrounds. They are amazing tools for mixed media art.

If you want to know about the best pens and markers, check out this post on the best pens and markers for art journals.

A few tips on creating mixed-media backgrounds

If you want to try creating mixed media backgrounds, here are some simple tips you might find useful.

As I already said, work in layers. Think about what you want to be most visible and leave it for the end.

If you use a baby wipe for wiping the paint off your page, be careful to use the clean part of the wipe for every new piece you want to clean.

Otherwise, it’ll just transfer the paint you just wiped off back to the paper. A neat idea would be to save the baby wipe as an ephemera for other projects.

Don’t overthink. I think this is the best advice I can give you. Just experiment with your supplies and I promise it’ll feel good.

If you don’t like something, just paint over it and create more texture.