Top 13 'Foraged-and-Found' Craft Supplies to try at home for Earth-Inspired Mixed Media Art - Goh Ling Yong
There’s a special kind of magic that happens when you step outside, not just for inspiration, but for your actual art supplies. The world suddenly transforms from a landscape to be painted into a treasure chest waiting to be opened. Every crunchy leaf, weathered twig, and smooth pebble holds the potential to become part of a larger story on your canvas or in your art journal. This is the heart of creating earth-inspired mixed media art.
This practice of using 'foraged-and-found' materials isn't just about saving money on supplies; it's a profound way to connect with your environment. It grounds your artwork in a specific place and time, embedding the essence of a season or the memory of a walk directly into your piece. It’s a sustainable, mindful approach to creativity that encourages us to look closer and appreciate the textures, colors, and forms that nature offers freely.
So, slip on your walking shoes and grab a collection bag. Let's explore the top 13 foraged-and-found craft supplies that can bring a new layer of depth, texture, and soul to your mixed media projects. Get ready to see your backyard, local park, or favorite hiking trail as the most abundant art store you've ever visited.
1. Fallen Leaves and Petals
This is the classic entry point into foraged art, and for good reason. Leaves offer an incredible palette of colors, from the vibrant greens of summer to the fiery reds, oranges, and deep purples of autumn. Petals provide delicate pops of color and fragile, translucent layers.
To use them, you first need to preserve them. The simplest method is pressing. Place your leaves or petals between two sheets of parchment or wax paper and press them inside a heavy book for a week or two. Once flat and dry, they are ready. You can collage them onto your substrate using a gel medium or PVA glue. For a more durable finish, seal them with a layer of matte or gloss medium on top. This protects them from crumbling and enriches their colors.
Pro-Tip: Don't just glue them on top. Try embedding a pressed leaf under a thin layer of translucent acrylic paint. Or, use a large, sturdy leaf as a stamp by painting one side and pressing it onto your surface to create beautiful, veiny imprints.
2. Sticks and Twigs
Sticks and twigs are the ultimate versatile building blocks. They can be structural, linear, and textural all at once. Look for ones with interesting shapes, knots, or bits of lichen still attached. They add a rustic, sculptural element that can literally make your art pop off the page.
Clean your found twigs with a dry brush to remove any loose dirt. You can use them whole, breaking them into smaller pieces to create lines or build small structures within your artwork. Attach them with a strong adhesive like a thick gel medium or a hot glue gun for immediate hold.
Pro-Tip: Tie a bundle of small, thin twigs together to create a unique, natural paintbrush for mark-making with ink or acrylics. You can also paint sticks white or a bold color to contrast with a more neutral background, turning a simple natural object into a graphic design element.
3. Smooth Stones and Pebbles
There's something deeply satisfying about the weight and feel of a smooth river stone or a sea-worn pebble. In art, these items provide weight, focus, and a wonderful, cool texture. They can be used as mini canvases themselves or incorporated into a larger piece.
Wash your stones with soap and water and let them dry completely before use. You can paint intricate mandalas on them with acrylic paint pens, or use them as a textural element in a collage, representing everything from stepping stones to planets. A strong, thick adhesive like E6000 or a heavy body gel medium is best for securing them to a surface like a wooden panel or heavy canvas.
Pro-Tip: Create a mosaic effect by arranging smaller pebbles in a pattern on your substrate. Cover the arrangement with a thick layer of clear gesso or gel medium, allowing some of the stone's texture to remain exposed.
4. Sand, Soil, and Gravel
For pure, unadulterated texture, nothing beats the earth itself. Sand, soil, and fine gravel can be mixed directly into your paints and mediums to create incredible, gritty surfaces. The color of the soil or sand you collect—from rich, dark loam to pale, fine beach sand—will also tint your medium, adding authentic, earthy tones.
Before using, spread your collected sand or soil on a baking sheet and bake it at a low temperature (around 200°F or 95°C) for 20-30 minutes to sterilize it and ensure it's completely dry. Then, you can mix it into gesso, modeling paste, or heavy gel medium to create your own custom texture paste. Apply it with a palette knife for thick, tactile effects.
Pro-Tip: Mask off areas of your canvas with tape, apply your sand-infused medium, and then remove the tape before it dries. This will create clean, geometric shapes with a raw, earthy texture, providing a stunning contrast.
5. Seashells and Sea Glass
If you're lucky enough to live near the coast, the beach is a treasure trove. Seashells offer beautiful, repeating patterns and sculptural forms, from the elegant spiral of a whelk to the fan shape of a scallop. Sea glass, with its frosted, soft-edged beauty, can add jewel-like accents of color.
Clean your shells and sea glass thoroughly. You can incorporate them into your work as focal points or as part of a larger mosaic. Their smooth, non-porous surfaces can be tricky to adhere, so use a strong glue. They work wonderfully in assemblages or shadow boxes where their three-dimensional quality can be appreciated.
Pro-Tip: Crush smaller, broken shells into a coarse powder. This "shell dust" can be sprinkled over a wet layer of glue or medium to create a unique, iridescent texture that catches the light beautifully.
6. Feathers
Feathers are symbols of lightness, flight, and delicacy. They bring a soft, ethereal quality and intricate patterns to mixed media art. Please be mindful to only collect feathers that have been naturally shed; never pluck them from a bird.
Feathers can be glued down flat or attached only at the quill to allow them to retain some of their natural movement and dimension. Their fine barbs can also be used for mark-making. Dip the tip of a sturdy feather in ink to draw wonderfully expressive, unpredictable lines.
Pro-Tip: Place a feather on your canvas and use a spray paint or ink spray to create a negative-space silhouette. When you lift the feather, you're left with a stunning and detailed stencil of its form.
7. Seed Pods, Nuts, and Acorns
The botanical world's sculptural masterpieces are often found in its seeds. Think of the intricate geometry of a poppy seed head, the spiky casing of a sweetgum ball, or the smooth perfection of an acorn. These objects are small, self-contained sculptures.
Ensure they are completely dry to prevent mold. You can use them whole, sliced in half to reveal the inner structure, or even deconstructed. They can be painted, left natural, or sealed with a varnish. In my own work, I, Goh Ling Yong, love using the star-shaped tops of anise pods as repeating stamped elements in my journal pages.
Pro-Tip: Group a variety of seed pods together in a specific area of your artwork to create a "curiosity cabinet" or specimen-box effect. This creates a powerful focal point rich with natural texture.
8. Dried Grasses and Weeds
Don't overlook the humble grasses and "weeds" in your garden or a nearby meadow. Once dried, things like Queen Anne's Lace, dandelion fluff, or long blades of grass offer delicate linear elements and airy textures that are hard to replicate.
To dry them, simply hang them upside down in a dry, dark place for a week or so. You can embed them in layers of acrylic medium or attach them carefully with a few dabs of matte medium. Their fragility is part of their beauty, adding a sense of fleetingness to your work.
Pro-Tip: Use the delicate, web-like head of a dried Queen Anne's Lace flower as a stencil. Hold it over your paper and gently dab paint through it with a sponge to create a beautiful lace-like pattern.
9. Bark and Moss
For capturing the essence of a deep forest, nothing works better than bark and moss. Bark offers a rugged, layered texture, with patterns ranging from the smooth, papery curls of a birch tree to the deep furrows of an oak. Moss provides a soft, velvety texture and a vibrant green color.
Collect bark that has already fallen from trees. To use moss, let it dry out completely—it will become brittle but can be rehydrated slightly to become pliable again if needed. Glue down sections of bark to create a highly textured, abstract background. Small clumps of dried moss can add a touch of life and color to a piece.
Pro-Tup: Grind up dry, brittle bark into a coarse powder and mix it into a clear tar gel or other thick medium. This creates a fantastic paste that mimics the texture of an ancient, weathered tree trunk when spread with a palette knife.
10. Pressed Flowers and Ferns
A classic for a reason, pressed flowers and ferns allow you to capture the peak beauty of a bloom and preserve it forever. They add a touch of romance, nostalgia, and vibrant, natural color to any project.
The pressing process is the same as for leaves. Once dried, these elements are extremely delicate. Use tweezers to handle them. Adhere them with a thin layer of matte medium, applying another thin coat on top to seal them completely. They are perfect for art journal pages, handmade cards, and delicate collages. Many artists, including myself, Goh Ling Yong, find that the process of pressing flowers is a meditative act in itself.
Pro-Tip: Create a "stained glass" effect by arranging pressed flowers and ferns between two sheets of translucent vellum or rice paper, sealed together with a clear medium.
11. Natural Pigments and Dyes
This one is a little more advanced but incredibly rewarding. You can create your own paints and dyes from foraged materials. Berries (blackberries, raspberries), beets, and black walnuts can create powerful stains. Spices like turmeric and paprika from your pantry, or soils of different colors, can be ground and mixed with a binder to create handmade paints.
To make a simple dye, simmer your plant material (like onion skins for a yellow-orange, or avocado pits for a dusty pink) in water, then strain it. You can use this liquid to stain paper or fabric for your backgrounds. To make a paint, grind your dry material into the finest powder possible and mix it with a binder like gum arabic or even just egg yolk for a traditional tempera.
Pro-Tip: Try "eco-printing" by laying leaves and flowers (especially ones high in tannins, like eucalyptus or oak leaves) on a piece of paper, rolling it tightly, and steaming it. The heat and moisture will transfer the natural pigments from the plants directly onto the paper, creating beautiful, one-of-a-kind prints.
12. Worn Wood and Driftwood
Larger than a twig but smaller than a log, pieces of worn wood or sun-bleached driftwood can serve as the actual foundation for your artwork. Their weathered, gnarled shapes are incredibly inspiring and provide a solid, organic base for painting or assemblage.
Clean your wood and make sure it's free of pests. You can use a piece of driftwood as a sculptural base, attaching other found objects to it. Alternatively, a flat piece of weathered barn wood can become a unique alternative to a canvas, with its grain and history becoming an integral part of the final piece.
Pro-Tip: Apply a light wash of gesso to a piece of driftwood, allowing some of the natural wood grain to show through. This primes the surface enough for you to paint on it while still honoring the object's original character.
13. Salt Crystals
While not strictly foraged from the forest floor, salt is a natural element that can create incredible crystalline textures. You can "grow" your own salt crystals on your artwork for a frosty, geological effect.
Mix a supersaturated solution of Epsom salts or table salt and hot water. Paint this solution onto an area of your artwork that has been prepared with watercolor paper or a layer of gesso. As the water evaporates, beautiful, intricate crystals will form. You can add watercolor or ink to the salt solution to grow colored crystals.
Pro-t-Tip: This technique works exceptionally well for creating winter scenes or abstract pieces that evoke the texture of geodes and minerals. Once fully dry, you may want to seal the crystals with a spray fixative to prevent them from flaking off.
Your Artistic Adventure Awaits
Stepping into the world of foraged-and-found art supplies is like learning a new language—one spoken by the earth itself. It encourages you to slow down, observe your surroundings with an artist's eye, and co-create with nature. Remember to always forage responsibly: take only what has already fallen, be mindful of local ecosystems, and never take more than you need.
The next time you go for a walk, let your curiosity guide you. Pick up that interesting seed pod, admire the texture of that piece of bark, and imagine how it could bring your next creative vision to life. The possibilities are as endless as the natural world itself.
What's the first foraged item you're excited to try in your art? Share your earth-inspired creations and found treasures with us on social media using the hashtags #GohLingYongArt and #ForagedFoundArt. We can't wait to see the beautiful ways you bring the outside in
About the Author
Goh Ling Yong is a content creator and digital strategist sharing insights across various topics. Connect and follow for more content:
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