Mixed Media introduction

This next project will be about mixing different mediums together. This is of course called mixed media. Mixed media is basically any combination of things like paint, ink, pencil, collage, etc. The main you need to understand with this type of work is how to layer each different medium.

The images below illustrate the order in which you will apply the different mediums, or you can follow this:

Draw your image with pencil.
Shade with either pencil or ink wash.
Apply your paint in thin layers. This is called a wash or glaze, and it means to mix a little bit of paint with water or another medium. You then apply this translucent layer of color over your drawing. These translucent layers will mix on the paper to make other colors. For example layering blue and yellow will create green.
After the paint has dried you can being inking with a pen.
The last step is to add final details, and if you can come back and add other highlights and details with paint, colored pencil, or markers.

Step 1 - Draw your image with pencil first.

Step 3 - Using thin layers of paint (mix with plenty of water) add color to you drawing. Try layering colors to create more interesting variations in color and texture. For this example I started with blue paint and then layered the complement of orange over it.

Step 5 - You can come back with your paint to add finer details. In this example I began using white paint to add highlights to the drawing. At this stage you could also use colored pencils, marker, inks, or even more pencil.

Step 2 - Shade your line drawing.

Step 4 - After your paint is dry you can add more detail with the pen.

Step 1 - Draw your image in pencil.

Step 2 - Do your shading with an ink wash.

Step 3 - When the ink is dry apply thin washes of color. For this one I did the blue first, and then added yellow around the grass areas. The blue and yellow will mix on the paper and create different greens. You can keep layering the paint to create more intense colors.

More examples of mixed media drawings.

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