If you're looking for a way to break out of a creative rut, mixed media printmaking might be exactly the kind of mess you need to get into right now. There is something incredibly satisfying about taking a traditional process, like making a linocut or a monotype, and then completely throwing the rulebook out the window by adding whatever else is lying around the studio. It's not just about getting a clean pull off a plate anymore; it's about what happens when that print meets ink, thread, old book pages, or a splash of watercolor.
I've always found that traditional printmaking can feel a bit intimidating if you're a perfectionist. There are so many rules about paper dampness, ink viscosity, and pressure. But when you shift your focus to a mixed media approach, those rules start to feel more like suggestions. The goal isn't necessarily to create a perfectly identical edition of ten prints. Instead, it's about the unique character of every single piece you touch.
Why the "mixed" part is so addictive
The best thing about combining different methods is that it removes the fear of the blank page. If you have a print that didn't quite turn out the way you wanted—maybe the ink was a bit patchy or the composition felt off—you don't have to toss it in the bin. In fact, those "failed" prints are often the best starting points for a mixed media piece. You can layer over them, cut them up, or use them as a texture for something entirely new.
It's really a process of building up a history on the paper. You might start with a simple gel plate background, then layer on some stencils, and finally run it through a press with an etched copper plate. Each layer adds a different vibe. Some layers are transparent and ghostly, while others are bold and opaque. That depth is really hard to achieve with just one single medium.
Tools you actually need (and some you don't)
You don't need a massive, industrial-sized printing press to get started with mixed media printmaking. While having a press is great, a lot of people do amazing work right on their kitchen tables.
The Gel Plate
If you haven't tried a Gelli plate or any kind of silicone printing plate, you're missing out. It's probably the most accessible entry point for this kind of work. You just roll out some acrylic paint, lay down some textures (like bubble wrap or leaves), and pull a print. It's fast, it's tactile, and it works perfectly with other media because the acrylic dries so quickly.
Inks and Paints
I like to mix it up. Using water-based block printing inks is standard, but don't be afraid to bring in your heavy-body acrylics, high-flow inks, or even those oil pastels that have been sitting in the drawer for three years. The way oil-based products resist water-based ones can create some of the coolest textures in your work.
Collage Materials
Keep a "scrap stash." Old maps, sheet music, tissue paper, and even dried-up tea bags can be incorporated into your prints. You can use a technique called chine-collé, which is a fancy way of saying you're gluing thin pieces of paper down at the same time you're printing your image. It sounds technical, but it's basically just very sophisticated scrapbooking.
The beauty of the "ugly stage"
Every artist knows about the "ugly stage"—that point in a project where everything looks like a disaster and you want to give up. In mixed media printmaking, you hit this stage a lot because you're constantly layering. But the secret is to just keep going.
When a print looks a bit "meh," I usually try to add something high-contrast. Maybe a bold black stamp or a very delicate line drawn with a fine-liner. Sometimes, I'll take a needle and thread and literally sew into the paper. It adds a physical texture that you just can't get from ink alone. The "ugly" parts often end up being the most interesting areas of the final piece because they provide a gritty, weathered background for the more refined elements.
Combining old-school and new-school
It's pretty cool to see how people are merging digital tech with these tactile processes. You could take a photo on your phone, print it out using a laser printer, and do a chemical transfer onto your paper. Once that image is down, you can go over the top with a woodblock print or some hand-painted flourishes.
This hybrid approach is what makes the medium so relevant today. We spend so much time looking at flat, digital screens that there's a real hunger for things that feel "real." A mixed media print has a physical presence. You can see the indentations in the paper, the shine of the ink, and the frayed edges of the collage elements. It tells a story of how it was made.
Some tips for staying loose
If you're just starting out, my biggest piece of advice is to work in batches. Don't just try to make one perfect piece of art. Make ten backgrounds at once. Use up the leftover ink on your roller to create "ghost prints."
When you have a stack of prints to work with, you're less precious about each one. You'll be more willing to take risks, like splatting some ink across a background you spent twenty minutes on. Most of the time, those spontaneous moves are what turn a decent print into a great one.
Don't worry about the final result too much in the beginning. Focus on the feeling of the brayer moving across the plate or the sound of the paper peeling back to reveal the image. That's where the real magic happens.
Where to go from here?
The world of mixed media printmaking is pretty much bottomless. You can go as deep into the technical side as you want—learning about acid baths for etching or the chemistry of lithography—or you can keep it simple with cardboard scraps and some poster paint.
There's no right or wrong way to do this. That's probably why it's becoming so popular in art studios everywhere. It's an invitation to play, to experiment, and to make mistakes. So, grab some paper, find some old magazines, and start seeing what happens when you layer them together. You might be surprised at what you end up creating when you stop trying to be perfect and just start being curious.
The mess is part of the fun, after all. There's plenty of time to clean up the studio later; for now, just focus on the layers.