> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://craftedbyrobert.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # Abstract Fish Painting with Collage Paper and Acrylic - URL: https://craftedbyrobert.com/abstract-fish-painting-collage/ - Published: 2026-10-17T08:39:18.000Z - Updated: 2026-10-17T08:39:18.000Z - Description: A failed watercolor, some paint-covered scraps, and a little blue acrylic. Here’s how I turned studio leftovers into a loose mixed media fish painting. - Author: Robert Joyner - Tags: Mixed Media Maybe my favorite way to epicycle bad art and scrap paper. A failed watercolor and a stack of paint-covered paper might not look like much of a starting point. But that’s exactly what I used for this abstract fish painting. The fish weren’t cut out and glued down individually. I built a loose collage first, then painted the blue background around the fish shapes. The scraps became their bodies, and a few simple marks brought them to life. This is the kind of project I enjoy: taking stuff that’s been sitting around the studio and finding out what else it can do. No precious materials. No perfect reference photo. Just a little experimenting. ## Materials for this mixed media fish painting Here’s what I used: - An unsuccessful watercolor on paper as the base - Painted drawing paper, torn into irregular strips - Matte Mod Podge - Acrylic paint for the background and details - A brush for the background and a small brush for the finishing marks - A clean rag to wipe away excess glue The old watercolor gives me an interesting surface to build on. I leave some of it showing between the collage strips, so it becomes part of the finished painting. If you have a drawer full of paintings that didn’t work, congratulations. You’ve already started gathering supplies. ## Make collage paper while you paint Most of my collage paper happens while I’m working on something else. I put a large sheet of inexpensive drawing paper underneath or beside my painting. The sheets I use are roughly 18 × 24 inches. When there’s extra paint on my brush, I wipe it onto that paper before rinsing. Sometimes I use the paper as a palette, too. Over time, it collects random colors, brushstrokes, overlaps, and little combinations I probably wouldn’t have planned. That’s what makes it useful. When it’s dry, I have homemade collage paper with plenty of variety. Wiping off the extra paint also keeps some of it out of my rinse water, so the water stays cleaner longer. You don’t need to make beautiful collage paper. Let it collect the leftovers and see what happens. ## Tear and glue the paper into strips For this project, I tear the painted paper into strips of different widths and lengths. I want irregular edges, so there’s no need to get a ruler involved. I brush matte Mod Podge onto the old watercolor and start attaching the strips. Most run vertically, with a few horizontal pieces breaking things up. At this stage, I’m building a surface rather than assembling individual fish. I leave gaps where the watercolor underneath can show through, and I don’t try to organize every color. Once the strips are down, I press them firmly and wipe away excess glue with a clean rag. Then I let the collage dry completely. That matters because I don’t want the paper edges lifting while I paint over and around them. In the video, I work on two pieces, which gives one time to dry while I’m busy with the other. ## Paint the background around the fish This is where the collage starts turning into something recognizable. I mix a vivid blue and paint around simple fish shapes, leaving the collage exposed inside their bodies. This approach is often called **negative painting**: you define the subject by painting the space around it. A pointed head, a body, and a tail give me enough to work with. I’m not chasing a particular species or trying to make every fish anatomically perfect. The collage supplies the color and texture. My job is to give it enough structure that you can see fish. I can also rotate the paper before starting and look for an arrangement I like. There’s no obligation to keep the original watercolor facing the same direction. ## Why the strips help connect the painting One of my favorite things about this process is what happens after the blue background goes in. The vertical strips originally crossed the whole surface. Once I paint around the fish, parts of those same strips appear in different bodies. Repeated colors and marks help connect the fish, even though each one looks different. That gives the painting some continuity without making everything match. There’s a useful idea here: **build an interesting surface first, then use simple shapes to organize it.** You don’t have to plan every mark inside the subject. Keep Learning! [![CTA Image](https://storage.ghost.io/c/ee/ee/eeee3f8a-028a-4efa-99e3-5af9bc505602/content/images/2026/10/learn_more_painting_techniques.jpeg)](https://craftedbyrobert.com/courses) Learn to draw, paint, and experiment with more freedom. Explore my painting courses and creative learning resources. [Explore Art Courses & The Lab ](https://craftedbyrobert.com/courses) ## Add a few details—and know when to stop Once the background is in, I add eyes, a few fins, some loose scales, and a mouth here and there. That’s plenty. The collage already has a lot going on. If I start describing every scale and outlining every edge, I can cover up the character that made this worth doing. For the finishing marks, I use a small brush and a dark purple. A few quick strokes help the fish read clearly while keeping the painting loose. Sometimes a scrap or an existing brushstroke already suggests an eye or a fin. When that happens, I leave it alone. There’s no prize for painting something twice. ## Give the leftovers another shot What I like about this abstract fish painting is how much comes from materials I already had: a watercolor that went sideways, cheap drawing paper, and paint that would otherwise have ended up in the rinse jar. The process gives those leftovers a purpose. It also gives me a reason to play without worrying about producing a masterpiece from the first brushstroke. Try making a collage surface, let it dry, and paint around a few simple fish shapes. Leave some rough edges. Keep the details light. You might be surprised by what’s already hiding in that scrap pile.