How to Start in Mixed-Media: A Gentle Beginning for Curious Creatives
- Kasia Avery
- 1 hour ago
- 2 min read
If you’ve ever looked at someone’s layered, textured, beautiful art journal page and thought “I wish I could do that, but I wouldn’t even know where to start” — this new series is for you.
Let’s be honest: mixed-media can look intimidating from the outside. All those supplies, all those techniques… gesso, gel medium, stencils, collage, acrylics — it can feel like an entirely different language. But at its heart, mixed-media isn’t about complicated rules or having the “right” tools. It’s about playing, layering, and discovering how materials interact in your own hands.
That’s what our new YouTube series, How to Start in Mixed-Media, is all about.
A Series for Total Beginners
This isn’t an art course where you need fancy supplies or years of experience. We start from the very beginning — how to collage, how to make marks, how to add texture, how to combine paints and papers in ways that feel natural and freeing.
Every video focuses on one simple area of mixed-media so you can build confidence step by step. You’ll learn how to use what you already have — things like tea, coffee, paper scraps, or pencils — to make something that feels expressive and truly yours.
What You’ll Learn
Here’s a peek at what’s coming up in the series:
Collage Basics – how to build backgrounds, balance your page, and glue without stress.
Mark Making – discovering your own visual language with pencils, ink, and everyday tools.
Texture – simple ways to add depth using modeling paste, stamps, and more
Painting – using acrylics, watercolours and inks to bring emotion and life to your pages.
Composition - I’ll show you how to follow simple rules that make a big difference!
My 5 step art journaling formula - easy steps to create brilliant pages every time.
Finishing Touches – how to pull everything together with linework, contrast, and composition.
Colour - we’ll build simple yet gorgeous colour palettes and I’ll show you a foolproof way to do it every time.
Each video is practical, with lots of demonstrations and truly beginner-friendly. You can follow along in your art journal or on any piece of paper — no pressure, no perfectionism, no “rules.”
Because Creativity Shouldn’t Feel Scary
I believe that art is for everyone — not just people who call themselves artists.
You don’t need to have a plan, or even know what you’re making. You just need a bit of curiosity and a willingness to get your hands messy.
Mixed-media is one of the most forgiving, freeing forms of art. You can paint over mistakes, collage over things you don’t like, and keep layering until it feels right. It’s art without fear.
See you on my channel,
Kasia x