6 Ways To Make Easy Mixed Media Backgrounds

Today I am going to show 6 ways that I made easy background papers using supplies that you might already have around your craft room!

Please note: This article contains affiliate links, and that means that I may earn a commission if you buy something. Read my full disclosure here.

Why I Wrote This Post

I had made a bunch of cool pages in disc bound art journal and had a bunch of blank back pages that needed a little help!

With that in mind I headed on over to my stash of supplies and already made papers and found some things that I could use to create fast and easy backgrounds, ready to put some fun mixed media artwork on at a later date!

What Is A Background?

So before we get to the super fun making process, lets first talk a second about what a background is!

When you are making a background (or choosing a background) for a piece of art, you want to consider what you are going to put over it!

Say you are going to be placing a white or cream colored image on a background…. if you use a stark white or light background there will be very little contrast.

Now that might be EXACTLY what you are going for or you might want to choose a darker image to provide more contrast!

You can also mix the same kinds of colors in your artwork with your background (which is what I do often) and create a pleasing whole artwork!

The backgrounds of your art should be as interesting or as boring as you want and should help convey a feeling about the art, not BE the art!

Easy Mixed Media Backgrounds Video

6 Kinds of Easy Mixed Media Backgrounds

I know many of my peeps struggle with making backgrounds but they are one of my favorite things to do!

I love fiddling around with paper and having no end goal in mind! It is just calm and peaceful for me to spend an afternoon making backgrounds!

So let's dive into how to make super simple background papers for your art journal!

White Tissue Paper Backgrounds

This one may be the easiest of all time, but it does give a plain white background some dimension with the wrinkly bits!

Simply use some cheap white tissue paper, bought in bulk to start this background! Crinkle it up before you lay it down and Mod Podge it to your paper!

Gel Print Tissue Paper Backgrounds

If you are like me you have done a ton of gel print backgrounds with acrylic paint and may have a stack of them laying around, just waiting for you to use!

For this background I had tissue paper gel prints so I added so vintage paper under them to give it a bit more interest!

Mixed Paper Backgrounds

I think you will so surprised at how fun this is make! Just take all different kinds of paper from around your craft room, tear it up and then glue it down all higgly-piggly!

If you need some vintage background papers, check out the free printable Websters Dictionary pages!

Scrapbook Paper Backgrounds

I have SOOO much scrapbook paper that I bought in the 1990s thinking that I would be a scrapbooker. If that is you too, just grab it based on the colors or patterns and add your own gel prints or flair to it!

You will be freaked out by how the bottom scrapbook layer looks cool and hip when surrounded by actual artsy papers!

Deli Paper Backgrounds

I don't like using deli papers as much as I like using tissue paper for my artwork. the slickness of the deli paper does't work for me, but it might work for you!

It definitely gives your artwork a different feeling and texture than just a plain painted background or tissue paper that tends to melt into the background.

Colored Paper Backgrounds

If we are talking stash, how many pads or sets of plain colored paper do you have lying around your art room?

They make a great base for a background because the color peeks through instead of having a stark white background or having to put down vintage papers before you collage!

Mixed Media Backgrounds Wrapup

I hope this post inspires you to make amazing mixed media backgrounds for your art!

Remember that you can't go wrong with this project… in the end it is just a background for your art journal pages! What you put on it afterwards is what people will notice.