6 Mixed Media Combinations You Have To Try

Combining two different mediums into a single drawing is a great way to mix things up, try new styles, and get creative playing about with your art materials. 

In this video, I'll show you six options for combining different drawing mediums that I think are well worth you playing about with. 

I create a series of really quick and simple tree studies on a page in my sketchbook, and it turned out to be a very enjoyable little exercise. 

If you'd like to have a go, I've added download links to the reference photos below, along with a materials list and a high-resolution version of my sketchbook page.

Reference Photos

Tree 1 Photo: Download

Tree 2 Photo: Download

Tree 3 Photo: Download

Tree 4 Photo: Download

Tree 5 Photo: Download

Tree 6 Photo: Download

Phil's Final Drawing: Download

Materials List

Remember, you don't need the exact same materials or same brands as me, especially for quick sketches.

• Small set of 12 watercolour half pans, student quality, with standard colours. I use a Winsor & Newton travel set. I use this for the palette too.
• Small synthetic brush, round shape, number 6 size.
• Jar for water.
• Two black fine-liner pens, waterproof ink. I use a Sakura Pigma Micron with a 03 and 05 nib. I use the larger nib when adding pastels and the smaller nib with watercolour.
• Set of pastel pencils. I use a set of 24 by Faber Castell (Pitt).
• Set of coloured pencils. I use a set of 24 by Faber Castell (Polychromos).
• A 2B graphite pencil.

 Other Free Lessons Mentioned in the Video

• Greek Ruins (watercolour first, then ink)
• How to Draw Trees

Other Combos to Play About With

• Charcoal over watercolour.
• Graphite with hatching and then watercolour over the top.
• Predominantly charcoal but with a few spot colours with pastel pencil. Think Banksy's girl with the red balloon.
• Mainly graphite with coloured pencil to accentuate areas.
• Acrylic paint with pastel over the top. 

Don't forget to join our free community for artists of all abilities (it's a great place to share your art and learn with other like-minded hobby artists): https://www.artkula.com