Mixed Media Textures by Pearlywinks
 
Mixed Media Textures is a collection created for anyone who loves the layered, imperfect beauty of traditional mixed-media artwork — but wants the freedom to build those effects digitally.
This pack brings together the look of plaster, gesso, watercolour washes, aged parchment, craquelure, faded script and distressed decorative surfaces, giving you a ready-made collection of backgrounds that already have that gorgeous “worked on” feeling before you add a single element.
I wanted these textures to feel as though they had been built up slowly by hand — layers added, rubbed back, painted over, cracked, stained and weathered — because those little imperfections are what give mixed-media artwork so much character.
Beautifully worn, layered and imperfect
The collection moves through soft ivory, parchment, beige, greige and warm neutral tones, keeping the palette incredibly usable while still giving every surface its own personality.
You’ll find beautifully aged plaster, cracked and craquelure finishes, creamy impasto, dry-brushed surfaces, torn-paper effects and soft watercolour washes. There are also more decorative textures featuring faded handwriting, ledger-style marks and distressed damask, perfect when you want just a suggestion of pattern or vintage detail appearing through your artwork.
Some textures are very subtle and atmospheric, while others have much stronger brush marks, cracks and surface detail. This means you can choose whether the texture quietly supports your design or becomes one of its main features.
So many creative possibilities
Mixed Media Textures can be used as complete backgrounds, but they are even more useful when you start cropping, layering and blending them.
Create instant mixed-media, vintage and shabby-style backgrounds
Add plaster, gesso or painted texture beneath digital artwork
Layer faded script behind florals, portraits and focal images
Use craquelure textures to give artwork an aged or time-worn finish
Add subtle watercolour washes without covering your original design
Fill shapes, frames, lettering and decorative elements
Create distressed journal pages and altered-book effects
Use small cropped sections to make completely new backgrounds
Combine several textures together to build your own layered surfaces
Use them with masks, blending, overlays and double exposure
Add atmospheric texture to botanical, heritage, romantic and abstract designs
Create the appearance of traditional paint and paper techniques without needing to physically reproduce them
Made for layering
This is probably where the collection becomes really interesting.
A faded script texture can be reduced until only the slightest handwriting remains. A plaster surface can sit beneath a botanical image to make it look as though it has been painted directly onto an old wall. Craquelure can be layered over artwork to introduce age, while dry-brushed gesso can soften areas and create that wonderful partially-covered appearance associated with traditional mixed media.
You can use one texture on its own or build several together.
That means the same texture can produce a completely different result depending on the artwork beneath it, the blend you choose and how much of the original surface you allow to show through.
Traditional techniques, digital freedom
The textures are supplied as high-quality A4, 300dpi digital papers, making them suitable for both digital designing and high-quality printing.
They work beautifully inside Atelier by Pearlywinks, particularly when experimenting with layers, masks, opacity, blending and double exposure, but they are not restricted to Atelier and can also be used in other compatible graphics and crafting software.
What I particularly love about this collection is that it gives you the character of traditional mixed media without telling you what the finished piece has to become.
Start with plaster, add a little faded script, bring in a watercolour wash, perhaps introduce some craquelure — and suddenly you have created a surface that is completely your own.
Mixed Media Textures by Pearlywinks — layers, marks, cracks and imperfections made for creating.