How to Make Vintage Mixed Media Art on Canvas
Vintage mixed media art uses more than one medium to create a single piece of artwork. Some examples of media you can use include paint, printed media and collages. To create a vintage look, the final piece should use or recreate imagery and objects that were popular at least 20 years ago. You can also use found objects, such as old buttons and torn pages from books and age new items by discoloring them. Before you start creating mixed media art on canvas, visualize or sketch what the final piece should look like, so you can use it as a guide.
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Things You'll Need
- Gesso
- Paintbrushes -- various sizes
- Paint -- various colors
- Paper towels or textured cloth
- Black tea bag
- Scissors
- Printed materials
- Craft glue
- Found objects (optional)
- Markers (optional)
Instructions
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Apply gesso to the canvas with a paintbrush. Wait for the gesso to dry.
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Paint the canvas with a large brush. Use sweeping strokes to cover the entire canvas. You can also paint patterns or images. Don't use oil paints.
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3
Dip a brush in water and go over the paint to fade it, if necessary. You can also remove paint with a paper towel or textured cloth. Using a textured cloth adds texture to the paint.
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Boil a cup of water and dip a black tea bag in it.
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Remove the tea bag from the water after 2 minutes. Place the tea bag on a paper towel to absorb the excess water.
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Tear or use scissors to cut images and text out of magazines, books and other printed materials. Use images that are at least 20 years old to create a vintage look.
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Rub the damp tea bag on the torn paper until you have stained it to the desired color.
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Put a heavy object, such as a book, on the damp paper. Wait for it to dry.
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Put craft glue on the areas of the canvas where you're gluing the torn paper.
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Press the paper onto the glue firmly. Overlap pieces of paper if necessary. Wait for the glue to dry.
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Glue found objects -- such as buttons, old tickets and fabric -- to the canvas if desired. Wait for the glue to dry.
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Paint or use markers to draw images or patterns on the canvas if desired. You can also write quotes from the time period depicted in the images you glued to the canvas.
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Tips & Warnings
If you aren't painting the canvas first, you don't need to apply gesso to the canvas.
If you don't want to tear pages out of old books or magazines, use copies instead.
Print images of copyright-free vintage artwork if you don't have any suitable images to use.
Print news stories from the time period depicted in the images you're using and glue them to the canvas.
Experiment with aging paper with coffee grinds, balsamic vinegar and walnut ink.
Paint may not stick to the canvas if gesso is not applied first.
References
- Photo Credit Photos.com/Photos.com/Getty Images
