Beginner's - ArtTrader Magazine

Art TRADER
m a g a z i n e
Making Mixed Media
Backgrounds: A
Beginner’s Approach
By Sal Scheibe
I’m a fairly new artist to the world of vintage images; pointy
hats and collage and much of what I’ve learned is the result
of trial and error. I’ll admit that my first efforts were really
poor, embarrassingly so! But through some research,
lots of inspiration and a handful or two of practice, I’ve
come up with some simple background techniques that
serve me well when making a collage/mixed media piece.
Now, I’m not Jane Professional Collage Artist here — I’m
warning you in advance. I’m basically a simple artist who
enjoys mixed media art so this article is geared toward my
fellow newbs [*waves hello*], so this is not for you super
pro collagers… though I hope you enjoy my beginner’s
article too.
I like my collage backgrounds to be flat for a couple of
reasons. The first one being that it’s really hard to glue
elements to a bumpy surface! And the second being that
it costs money to mail out mail art so the bulkier my art,
the more I pay in postage. I also want to consider our dear
swap hosts in this semi-flat decision too. Sending bulky art
to multiple participants can add extra costs to their hosting
duties. Plus flat art fits nicely into penny sleeves and 9
pager sleeves for my ATC binders.
Starting Paper
My background paper is usually a somewhat sturdy
cardstock — about 40 - 80 lbs. I find that by the time I glue
on my paper backgrounds and all of the design elements,
plus a cardstock and label for the backing, my ATC is fairly
thick and quite sturdy.
-44-
Materials
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Colored pencils
Markers
Watercolor or acrylic paint
Colorful scrapbooking papers
Textured paper
Tissue paper
Newspaper or old book pages
Tea bags and ground coffee