Step-by-Step Mixed Media Floral Painting Tutorial

If you’ve ever wanted to combine collage and acrylics into a bold floral still life, this step-by-step guide will walk you through the entire process. This is perhaps a more traditional approach to collaging mixed with my loose. expressive brushwork and style.

The minimal background lets the brushwork and collage shine — and that’s intentional. If I know I’ve got thin line work coming (like stems and leaves), I keep the background quiet. A loud, busy background would only fight the details and kill the overall feel.

Materials & Canvas Prep

I’m working on an 11x14 reject acrylic canvas — the perfect surface to experiment without pressure. I start with a quick layout sketch using a liner brush and white acrylic paint. This keeps the composition light and adjustable.

Creating the Vase & Flower Shapes

For the vase, I cut a large shape from my handmade collage paper (created by staining leftover white drawing paper with random leftover acrylic hues). Then, I cut smaller shapes for the flowers, using unpainted areas of the paper to keep them bright.
To make the design more dynamic, I vary the flower shapes into three different sizes so no two look the same.

Blocking in the Tabletop

Next, I block in the tabletop with acrylics — not worrying about exact color matching. The goal here is to get a base layer and adjust later if needed. Once that’s set, I glue the vase and flower shapes in place using Mod Podge and an old brush.

Negative Space Painting & Details

Now comes the magic: I negative space paint around the flowers with a cool green background. This instantly makes the flowers pop. I add pink centers to each flower, white vertical stripes on the vase, and a hint of yellow ochre to balance the overall cool palette.

The Final Painting & Composition

The result is a fresh, lively still life with a dominant cool color scheme and just enough warm accents to keep the composition vibrant. This is a beginner-friendly project too, especially or anyone that wants to dip their toes in collage painting.

Want to go deeper with collage & mixed media?

👉 Explore the Mixed Media Hub
👉 Browse Collage Painting Ideas
👉 Dive into the Garage Collage Barrage

Supplies I Use All the Time

These are my go-to materials for almost every mixed media project I create. Do I add new ingredients occasionally? You betcha! But these are the go-to materials I rely on most. I know how they behave, how they layer, and how to get the best results from them.

• Acrylic Paints – I only buy heavy body for their thick texture and thin them with water for fluid glazing and washes. See my favorite set →
• Watercolors Paints – Great for transparent layers and unexpected color effects. Exact colors are below.  Shop my watercolor picks →
• Acrylic Inks - Excellent way to add transparent layers to mixed media artwork. Mixes well with everything! See the inks →
• Synthetic Acrylic Brushes - You need a variety and I have listed my go-to's below. I use Princeton brands, very dependable! See the brushes →
• Watercolor Brushes - Get a decent grade but avoid all-natural as synthetic blends have come a long way. Shop my picks →
• Collage Papers – A mix of pattered, and printed paper you see me use is from Hobby Lobby, and it's usually found in the scrapbook section. Browse paper packs →
• Palette Knives – Good to have around for scooping paint and smearing techniques. See what I use →
• Blick Super Value Canvas Packs - Comes in many small and medium sizes up to 20x16". Love em'. Best bulk stretched canvas →
• Mixed Media Paper – Sturdy enough to handle wet and dry techniques. Strathmore is the way to go! Best paper for mixed media →
• Watercolor Paper - Top choice is 140 lb. cold press by Fabriano Artistico. Cost effective and crispy white. Best watercolor paper →
• Caran d'Ache Water-Soluble Crayons – Perfect for adding scribbles and linear interest to mixed media art. Check them out →
• Gator Board - Best firm boards you can find! Buy a large sheet and cut out down. These are used as backing for my paper when I paint. Check it out →
• Mod Podge - Reliable and affordable adhesive for paper, thick and thin. And get the Matte! View the glue →

My preferred hues; Cadmium Yellow, Yellow Ochre, Alizarin Crimson, Cadmium Red Light (or Medium), Ultramarine Blue, Cobalt Blue, Burnt Sienna, Titanium White

My preferred acrylic brushes; #12 Large round, 2x Medium rounds, 2x Detail, or liner brushes, Large and medium fan brush, a few medium size bristles and old, small house painting brush for glue.