Mixed media art is the perfect answer for those of us who can’t possibly decide which supplies we like the most. Also perfect for folks that don’t like any type of rules, particularly art rules. You can start with colored pencils, add some ink, pull a wet paintbrush through it, and add some watercolor and perhaps a bit of acrylic paint for highlights and details. That’s mixed media art.
The best way to get started is to search the #MixedMediaArt hashtag on Instagram or Blue Sky and see which artists’ work you like and see if they are part of a class or have a freebie on their website or youtube channel.
The way most folks get started is to join a year-long mixed media art course with a variety of teachers so you can really see what types of things you like and learn techniques with lots of different mediums.
There are several to choose from and each has its differences.
Let’s Face It – Year-Long Course – on The Kara Bullock network 50 lessons from 26 teachers featuring faces and figures and is in its the seventh year.
Wanderlust is headed up by Kasia Avery and runs a little differently every year. I participated in 2022 and this year each week features a star art supply and techniques using that supply by different teachers. This class has been going on since 2019.
Lifebook hosted by Tamara Laport is the first course I took and the first recognizable face in 2017. Tamara’s course has a main lesson each week with 1 or 2 bonus lessons included. I found some of my very favorite teachers in the 3 years I took this course. Her teachers tend to have a bit of a spiritual spin to them as well as delving into their thoughts on what art means to them.
Bad Ass Art Journaling – led by Tiare Smith starts with creating a handmade journal followed with classes filling up the journal.
Ugly Art Club – Run by Tiffany Goff Smith, Kristen Petersen & DeeDee Catron. This is actually a month-by-month course opened quarterly for new members. 3 mini-lesson prompts per month by the 3 leaders and a guest teacher.
Fodder School – Created by Wendy Solganik & Tiffany Sharpe is a year long course with 11-12 teachers each creating lessons on techniques and a final mixed media project. The other instructors often add their own ideas and collaborate to teach even more information to the students. I’ve been taking this course for the 4 years its been offered and how I became acquainted with many amazing mixed media artists & teachers.