Debasree Dey

I have to admit: for the longest time, I shied away from black. It felt heavy, overpowering, and too final. But lately I’ve fallen in love with black, especially when paired with white.

In collage, mixed media projects, or art journaling, black becomes a compelling character—adding depth, contrast, and mystery to every layer. That’s why building a stash of black and white collage papers for mixed media art journaling is essential for any creative arsenal.

In this post, I’ll show you how to create your own black papers—from smooth, velvety sheets to textured, layered wonders. Use these backgrounds or print-and-mark techniques as foundations for your next journal spread, collage panel, or mixed media masterpiece.

I have to admit: for the longest time, I shied away from black. It felt heavy, overpowering, and too final. But lately I’ve fallen in love with black, especially when paired with white.

In collage, mixed media projects, or art journaling, black becomes a compelling character—adding depth, contrast, and mystery to every layer. That’s why building a stash of black and white collage papers for mixed media art journaling is essential for any creative arsenal.

In this post, I’ll show you how to create your own black papers—from smooth, velvety sheets to textured, layered wonders. Use these backgrounds or print-and-mark techniques as foundations for your next journal spread, collage panel, or mixed media masterpiece.

I have to admit: for the longest time, I shied away from black. It felt heavy, overpowering, and too final. But lately I’ve fallen in love with black, especially when paired with white.

In collage, mixed media projects, or art journaling, black becomes a compelling character—adding depth, contrast, and mystery to every layer. That’s why building a stash of black and white collage papers for mixed media art journaling is essential for any creative arsenal.

In this post, I’ll show you how to create your own black papers—from smooth, velvety sheets to textured, layered wonders. Use these backgrounds or print-and-mark techniques as foundations for your next journal spread, collage panel, or mixed media masterpiece.

I have to admit: for the longest time, I shied away from black. It felt heavy, overpowering, and too final. But lately I’ve fallen in love with black, especially when paired with white.

In collage, mixed media projects, or art journaling, black becomes a compelling character—adding depth, contrast, and mystery to every layer. That’s why building a stash of black and white collage papers for mixed media art journaling is essential for any creative arsenal.

In this post, I’ll show you how to create your own black papers—from smooth, velvety sheets to textured, layered wonders. Use these backgrounds or print-and-mark techniques as foundations for your next journal spread, collage panel, or mixed media masterpiece.

Collage mastersheets are your ticket to fearless experimentation—big, bold surfaces where you can layer scraps, papers, paints, and marks without worrying about “ruining” a precious canvas. It’s like a playground for your creativity – they let you experiment with images, color and texture in a low-stakes way.

In this post, I’m sharing 12 different types of collage master sheets I’ve developed through my own mixed media practice. Each one explores a different approach—whether it’s blending edges with gesso, creating patchwork grids, playing with translucent layers, or mixing unexpected materials. Some techniques are fast and intuitive, others slow and meditative, but all of them are rooted in freedom, exploration, and texture.

The beauty of collage master sheets lies in their versatility. You can use them as backgrounds for journals or paintings, cut them up into snippet rolls or tags, or even turn them into standalone abstract pieces. Most importantly, they help you loosen up and enjoy the process—because the process is where the magic happens.

Collage mastersheets are your ticket to fearless experimentation—big, bold surfaces where you can layer scraps, papers, paints, and marks without worrying about “ruining” a precious canvas. It’s like a playground for your creativity – they let you experiment with images, color and texture in a low-stakes way.

In this post, I’m sharing 12 different types of collage master sheets I’ve developed through my own mixed media practice. Each one explores a different approach—whether it’s blending edges with gesso, creating patchwork grids, playing with translucent layers, or mixing unexpected materials. Some techniques are fast and intuitive, others slow and meditative, but all of them are rooted in freedom, exploration, and texture.

The beauty of collage master sheets lies in their versatility. You can use them as backgrounds for journals or paintings, cut them up into snippet rolls or tags, or even turn them into standalone abstract pieces. Most importantly, they help you loosen up and enjoy the process—because the process is where the magic happens.

If you love the look of weathered surfaces, layered textures, and imperfect beauty, a grungy art journal page is the perfect playground. In this tutorial, we’ll walk through how to transform a two‐page spread—already coffee‐dye stained—into a richly textured, moody journal layout packed with collage, paint, fabric, and hidden journaling.

Sometimes, all it takes is a single sheet of paper to open the door to endless creativity. In this blog, I’m sharing my process of creating a richly layered, textured, and beautifully imperfect grungy art journal.

If you’re looking for a freeing, intuitive, and expressive project, this Mixed Media Grungy Art Journal is perfect for you. With just one A3 sheet, some found papers, and a whole lot of messy creativity, you can make a richly layered, beautifully textured mini journal that’s raw, real, and full of soul.

Have a bunch of old cardboard boxes lying around? Instead of tossing them in the recycling bin, why not turn them into something beautiful and functional? In this blog, I’ll walk you through how I transformed a plain food packaging box into a grungy, vintage-style texture box—perfect for storing art clusters or mixed media scraps.

The technique is simple, budget-friendly, and packed with texture. Plus, it’s a method you can use across so many different art surfaces!