Easy Beginner Collage Art with Fruits & Veggies

If you’re looking for a super simple, beginner-friendly collage painting project, you’re going to love this one. This is the same loose, playful demo I created with my kids to make artwork for our kitchen. It’s low-pressure, colorful, and perfect if you want to explore collage without overthinking the details.

This lesson is part of my beginner collage series, where I share easy ways to loosen up, paint more freely, and enjoy the process. Everything you’ll see here can be scaled up, scaled down, themed for a room in your house, or adapted to any subject you love.

Mixed Media Mastery Bundle

Learn how to paint loose, expressive artwork using acrylic and collage. This bundle walks you from beginner basics to confident mixed media techniques—all in one place.

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Materials I Used for This Collage

Nothing fancy here. I keep it simple so anyone can follow along. See all my mixed media supplies below.

• Pre-painted collage paper (made from leftover acrylic on drawing paper)
• Scissors or an X-acto knife
• Glue or gel medium
• A sheet of mixed-media or watercolor paper
• A small set of acrylics for touch-ups

At the end of most painting sessions, I’ll smear leftover paint onto scrap paper until I have pages filled with textures and random brushstrokes. Later, I cut these into shapes to build collages. It’s a quick way to create a ton of variety without buying special paper.

How I Built the Fruits & Veggies Composition

In this demo, I kept the shapes loose and painterly—nothing too tight. This is all about embracing imperfections.

Here’s the basic flow:

1. Cut simple shapes for fruits, veggies, and a few stray leaves
2. Arrange everything loosely before committing
3. Glue pieces down so they overlap naturally
4. Add a few painted marks to tie everything together
5. Let the white background breathe (this makes the colors pop!)

My kids and I made a bunch of these for our kitchen—peppers, peas, tomatoes, mushrooms—really anything goes. You can theme yours too: tacos, drink bottles, coffee mugs, or anything that fits your space.

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.