Published February 24, 2026 · 14 min read
Mixed media art is the practice of combining multiple materials and techniques in a single work. Acrylic paint meets spray paint. Ink bleeds into collaged paper. Texture paste builds mountains beneath layers of transparent glazes. The result is art that cannot be achieved through any single medium alone — work with physical depth, visual complexity, and a tactile richness that pulls viewers in close.
If you have been painting with a single medium and feel like something is missing, mixed media is your next frontier. This guide covers the essential techniques, materials, and principles that will transform your practice, whether you are a complete beginner or an experienced painter looking to expand your toolkit.
Mixed media art uses two or more artistic media in a single work. The term is broad by design. A painting that combines acrylic and charcoal is mixed media. So is a work that layers spray paint, collaged newspaper, ink, and metallic leaf on a canvas covered in texture paste. The common thread is the combination of materials that interact with each other to create effects impossible with any single medium.
The history of mixed media stretches back to the early 20th century. Pablo Picasso and Georges Braque pioneered collage by gluing newspaper, wallpaper, and other found materials into their Cubist compositions. Kurt Schwitters built entire artworks from discarded urban detritus — ticket stubs, wrappers, broken signage. Robert Rauschenberg blurred the line between painting and sculpture with his "Combines," which incorporated everything from tires to stuffed goats.
Today, mixed media is one of the most dynamic areas of contemporary art. Artists are free to use any material that serves their vision, and the results are some of the most visually exciting and texturally rich work being made anywhere. The accessibility of materials — spray paint from a hardware store, ink from a craft shop, found objects from daily life — makes it one of the most democratic art forms.
Before diving into techniques, assemble your mixed media toolkit. You do not need everything at once — start with the basics and add materials as you experiment.
Start with inexpensive materials while you learn. Hardware store spray paint, craft store acrylics, and recycled paper for collage are perfectly fine for practice and experimentation. Upgrade to professional-grade materials when you start creating work you want to keep or sell. The techniques matter more than the brand.
Acrylic paint is the backbone of most mixed media work for good reason. It is water-based (easy cleanup, low toxicity), fast-drying (you can layer quickly), extremely versatile (thick impasto to thin washes), and compatible with virtually every other medium. It also bonds well to most surfaces, making it an ideal base and glue layer for mixed media.
Underpainting. Start with a loose, expressive acrylic underpainting that establishes your color foundation. Use bold, saturated colors — they will peek through subsequent layers and add depth. Do not worry about precision at this stage. The underpainting is the skeleton of the work, not its skin.
Dry brushing. Load a wide, flat brush with a small amount of paint and drag it lightly across the surface. The paint catches on raised textures and skips over low areas, creating a weathered, revealing effect that exposes layers beneath. This is essential for creating visual depth in mixed media.
Glazing. Thin acrylic paint with a glazing medium or water to create translucent layers. Each glaze shifts the underlying color without covering it, like looking through tinted glass. Build up multiple glazes to create luminous, complex color that cannot be achieved by mixing on a palette.
Impasto. Apply thick acrylic straight from the tube or mixed with heavy gel medium using a palette knife. Impasto creates physical texture and sculptural marks that catch light and shadow. This three-dimensional quality is one of mixed media’s greatest strengths.
Spray paint brings an energy and quality to mixed media that no brush can replicate. The fine mist creates smooth gradients, the nozzle creates precise lines and splatter patterns, and the aerosol delivery produces a mechanical quality that contrasts beautifully with hand-painted marks.
Atmospheric backgrounds. Lay down spray paint backgrounds before acrylic work. Hold the can 12–18 inches away for a smooth, even gradient. Layer multiple colors while still wet for organic blending. The aerosol mist creates soft transitions that acrylic brushwork cannot match.
Stencil and mask work. Use painter’s tape, cut paper, or found objects as stencils. Place them on the surface and spray over them. When you remove the mask, sharp-edged shapes emerge against the sprayed background. This contrast between hard edge and soft spray is a signature of mixed media aesthetics.
Controlled splatter. Hold the can close to the surface (3–6 inches) and press the nozzle briefly to create controlled drips and splatter. Tilt the canvas to let gravity pull the paint in specific directions. This technique adds spontaneous energy and the characteristic "street art" quality that gives mixed media its edge.
Layering with acrylic. Alternate spray paint layers with acrylic layers. Spray paint dries within minutes, so you can quickly build complex layer stacks. The interaction between the flat, smooth spray paint and the textured, brushed acrylic creates visual tension and depth.
Always use spray paint in well-ventilated areas or outdoors. Wear a respirator mask rated for organic vapors (not just a dust mask). Protect surrounding areas with drop cloths. Spray paint fumes are toxic — never compromise on ventilation.
Ink behaves differently from paint. It is more fluid, more unpredictable, and more willing to follow gravity, water, and capillary action wherever they lead. This unpredictability is its greatest strength — ink creates organic effects that feel alive and impossible to fully control.
Ink washes. Dilute India ink with water to create translucent washes. Apply with a wide brush or pour directly onto the surface. The ink will pool, flow, and settle into crevices, creating natural gradients and watermark effects that add atmospheric depth.
Ink dripping. Load a brush or pipette with ink and let it drip onto a tilted surface. The ink traces gravity lines down the canvas, creating organic veins and tendrils. These drip lines add a sense of motion and spontaneity that complements controlled acrylic work.
Alcohol ink effects. Alcohol inks on non-porous surfaces (or acrylic sealed canvas) create stunning cellular and marbled patterns. Drop the ink, then use a straw, air blower, or canned air to push it across the surface. The results are psychedelic and organic — no two attempts look alike.
Ink with water misting. Apply concentrated ink to a surface, then mist with a spray bottle. The water pushes the ink in unpredictable directions, creating feathered edges, blooms, and organic patterns that would be impossible to paint by hand.
Texture transforms a painting from a two-dimensional surface into a three-dimensional experience. When light moves across a textured surface, the painting changes character throughout the day. Viewers are drawn to touch the surface (even when they know they should not). Physical texture is one of the most powerful tools in mixed media.
Modeling paste. Apply with a palette knife, trowel, or old credit card. Modeling paste can be spread thin for subtle texture or applied thick (up to half an inch) for dramatic sculptural effects. It dries to a hard, sandable surface that accepts paint beautifully. Score it with tools while wet to create lines, patterns, and marks.
Gel mediums. Heavy gel medium holds brushstroke and palette knife marks permanently. Mix it directly with acrylic paint for textured color application, or apply it clear and paint over it once dry. String gel creates ropy, dripping textures. Pumice gel adds a gritty, sandpaper-like surface.
Found texture. Embed materials into wet medium or paste: sand, gravel, fabric scraps, torn paper, cheesecloth, lace, string, wire mesh, dried botanicals. The key is ensuring the adhesive medium fully encapsulates the object so it bonds permanently.
Subtractive texture. Apply a thick layer of paint or medium, then scrape, scratch, gouge, or comb into it before it dries. Palette knives, forks, combs, sticks, and any rigid tool can create linear texture. The revealed layers beneath add color complexity to the textural effect.
Collage is the original mixed media technique. The act of incorporating pre-existing materials — paper, photos, text, fabric, found objects — into a painting adds layers of meaning, visual variety, and surprise that pure painting cannot achieve.
Paper collage. Tear or cut paper (newspaper, book pages, tissue paper, handmade paper, printed ephemera) and adhere it with matte medium. Tearing creates organic, feathered edges that integrate naturally. Cutting creates sharp, graphic edges for a more deliberate look. Layer tissue paper for translucent color effects.
Image transfer. Transfer printed images onto your painting surface using gel medium. Apply medium to the surface, place the image face-down, smooth it out, let it dry, then gently rub away the paper backing with a damp cloth. The transferred image becomes part of the painting surface, ghostly and embedded rather than sitting on top.
Fabric integration. Adhere fabric (canvas scraps, cheesecloth, burlap, silk) to the surface with acrylic medium. Paint over and through the fabric. The weave of the material adds texture and pattern that complements painted marks. Cheesecloth is especially effective — its open weave creates a lattice effect when painted over.
Dimensional elements. For work that pushes toward assemblage, consider adding dimensional objects: wire, small hardware, keys, buttons, natural materials. These elements must be securely attached (epoxy or heavy gel medium) and thoughtfully integrated into the composition.
Layering is the master technique of mixed media. Every method described above becomes exponentially more powerful when used in combination across multiple layers. The key is understanding the relationship between what is hidden and what is revealed.
Build from chaos to order. Start with loose, expressive, even messy layers. Spray paint, ink washes, broad acrylic gestures, collaged paper. Then gradually add more controlled, intentional marks on top. The lower layers provide energy and complexity. The upper layers provide structure and focus.
Reveal, do not cover. The most compelling mixed media work shows its history. Use dry brushing, scraping, sanding, and selective coverage to let earlier layers peek through. A painting with visible strata of material creates a sense of time and archaeological depth that flat, single-layer work cannot match.
Alternate opaque and transparent. Alternate between opaque layers (heavy acrylic, spray paint) and transparent layers (ink washes, glazes, thin acrylic). This push and pull between concealing and revealing creates the visual richness that defines great mixed media work.
Respect drying times. Let each layer dry completely before adding the next (unless you specifically want wet-into-wet blending). Acrylic dries in 15–30 minutes for thin layers, longer for thick applications. Patience between layers is the difference between clean layering and mud.
"Mixed media is not about using everything at once. It is about finding the combination of materials that says what no single medium can say alone." — SpunkArt
Mixed media work requires proper finishing to protect the variety of materials used:
At SpunkArt, mixed media is not a choice — it is a necessity. Every painting combines acrylic, spray paint, ink, and unconventional materials because no single medium can capture the full range of energy, texture, and emotion the work demands.
The SpunkArt process typically follows this arc: start with aggressive spray paint backgrounds that establish the color atmosphere. Build texture with modeling paste and palette knife work. Layer heavy-body acrylics in gestural, spontaneous marks. Add ink drips and washes for fluidity and organic movement. Scrape, sand, and reveal earlier layers to create depth. Finish with focused details and controlled marks that give the eye a place to rest.
The result is work that feels like it has been through something — layered, weathered, alive. Every painting records its own creation process in its surface, a physical history of decisions, accidents, and discoveries.
Browse SpunkArt’s collection of original mixed media abstract paintings. Every piece combines acrylic, spray paint, and ink for work that demands to be experienced up close.
View the Collection Commission Custom WorkMixed media art rewards experimentation. The techniques in this guide are starting points, not rules. Combine them, break them, invent new ones. The materials will teach you what they can do if you stay curious and keep making work.
For more on abstract art, read our beginner’s guide to abstract art or learn about collecting abstract art. For free creative tools, visit spunk.codes.