Summer Is for Trying New Things—Start with Mixed Media Collage

I’ve always loved being creative, but I never thought I was very good at drawing or realistic
painting. This made me think I could never be a “real” artist. This belief changed when I
discovered mixed media collage, which was a gateway to unlocking my creativity and
confidence as an artist. Mixed media collage is a very open-ended way to make art that allows
you to be creative with paper, paint, pens, and lots of wonderful mistakes. Over the years, I have
integrated mixed media collage into my teaching and have seen it have the same artistic
confidence-boosting effect on students. While the technique may seem a bit intimidating at first,
it is actually quite easy when broken down into manageable steps.

Start with an Idea
First, I start with an idea. I look through magazines, photographs, and my memory to find an
image that I want to create. Sometimes the image is something from real life, like a picture of our
cabin in Maine or the water tower near my house at sunset. Sometimes it is a collection of
images that conveys an idea, like the mixed media collage outside my classroom door, which is
filled with hidden images that symbolize my love of teaching reading and writing. In the
classroom, my students have used mixed media collage as a way to share facts that they have
learned about a topic and to create illustrations to accompany original poetry.

Gather Supplies
Next, I gather my supplies. I prefer to use a canvas panel or a wood painting panel. In the
classroom, I have used thick watercolor paper as a cost-effective base. I choose bottles of paint
that match the color scheme that I have in mind. I also round up lots of different colors and
patterns of paper. Recently, my students and I have even begun to print our own unique papers
using a Gelli plate. I gather various sized paint brushes and my bottle of gel medium. I also need
two pairs of sharp scissors. I have a large pair for general cutting and a tiny pair that is perfect
for precision cutting. I also have acrylic pens, gel pens, and chalk pastels close at hand.
Build the Background
After I have my supplies, I start to build the background of my painting. Sometimes I glue down
pieces of paper using watered-down gel medium and a big, flat paintbrush. Then I usually paint
the background a solid color, allowing some of the papers to peek through. After the first coat
dries, I paint over it several times with watered down washes of different shades of the same
color. This gives the background some depth.

Making Layers
The next step is to build the layers that make my picture. I usually start with a hand-drawn image
or a copy of a photograph. This will become my template. Using a marker, I divide the image
into parts that I can imagine being cut from different patterns of paper. I then make several
copies so that I don’t have to worry about mistakes when cutting. Using the image as a template,
I cut pieces of patterned paper that fit together like a puzzle. I try to choose lots of different
patterns and shades of paper. I use the gel medium mixture to attach each piece to my canvas.
When I make a mistake, I figure out how I can turn it into part of the picture. This process of
letting mistakes and in-the-moment inspirations guide my process is one of my favorite parts of
mixed media collage.

Finishing Touches
After I assemble the picture, it is time to add the finishing touches. This is what visually binds all
of the pieces together and makes the artwork come to life. It is also the step in the process where
I work most intuitively. I often trace around pieces with a dark charcoal pencil and smudge the
edges. I create shadows and pops of colors using paint and chalk pastels. I sometimes add detail
using acrylic pens, gel pens, and permanent markers. Finally, I coat the whole painting with gel
medium or spray varnish.

Give It a Try!
Making mixed media collage takes time, the willingness to make a mess, and the ability to see
possibility in mistakes. All you need to get started is a canvas or wood panel, paint, scraps of
paper, and a big imagination. I encourage everyone to give it a try, with the promise to yourself
that you will withhold self-judgement and go where the process leads. You never know what
masterpiece you could create!

---

Author

Lisa Helsel is a fifth grade teacher at Stone Academy of Communication Arts in Greenville. She began her career with a bachelor’s degree in early childhood education but truly discovered her passion for teaching after pursuing a masters in educational psychology with a focus on self-regulated learning. In addition to bringing artistic risk-taking and creativity into her daily lessons, she enjoys getting messy with students in her after-school Mixed Media Playground class.