Revamp Your Art: A Great Way to Recycle Your Bad Drawings and Paintings

This mixed media fish collage painting is a fun, loose, and creative way to give your old sketches and “bad” artwork a second life. By repurposing discarded pieces as the foundation for new art, you can create vibrant, textured compositions that are full of energy — while also keeping the process playful and stress-free.

If you want to explore more ideas and a complete beginners path to mixed media, check out the Mixed Media Hub.

Materials & Setup

For this project, I used the glowing materials. You can see my full supply list at the follow of this post. See my complete mixed media toolbox below.

• Surface: 11x14" paper.
• Base Artwork: Old figure drawing sketches (from a previous class).
• Mediums: Acrylic paint, calligraphy ink, bone black acrylic.
• Collage Tools: X-Acto knife, scissors, matte Mod Podge, foam core (as a cutting surface).
• Brushes: Small liner brush, cheap house brush for broad strokes.

Step 1 – Starting with Old Art

I began with a sheet of my old figure drawings — perfect for cutting into new shapes. The random lines and marks from the sketches instantly added unique patterns to the fish forms later on.

Step 2 – Building Background Texture

Using a bristle brush, I painted the entire surface edge-to-edge with a mix of yellow ochre, raw umber, titanium white, and diarylide yellow. To create visual interest:

• Pressed an old rag into wet paint for texture.
• Added water drops to lift pigment for layered effects.
• Scratched into the wet paint with an X-Acto knife for subtle lines.

Step 3 – Cutting & Placing Fish Bodies

Once dry, I cut fish shapes from the old drawings, making each slightly different — some longer, some chubbier — to avoid repetition. The varied line work from the original sketches gave each fish its own character.

Step 4 – Adding Fish Heads & Details

• Cut out black fish heads and glued them in place.
• Painted eyes in bone black, each with its own size and smudge pattern.
• Added simple fins for just enough believability without losing the loose style.

Step 5 – Finishing Touches

With all pieces glued and details in place, I photographed the finished piece in natural light to show the textures. The result: five lively fish swimming across a textured background — all born from what would have been discarded artwork.

Final Thoughts

This method works for any subject, not just fish. You can adapt the palette, shapes, and background to fit your style — all while recycling old work into something new and expressive.

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.