Friday, January 29, 2016

Top Ten Trends In Mixed Media


Twice a year, the Craft & Hobby Association (CHA) publishes a report for their members that covers the trends in the industry. Relevant to manufacturers, retailers, designers, bloggers, crafters and artists, this document presents a snap shot of both the current and the upcoming trends in the world of craft and art.

For Winter 2016, the report was expanded and includes the following categories: Altered Pages, Art & Illustration, Canadian Craft Trends, Colors & Motifs, Children's Crafts, European Craft Trends, General Craft Trends, Home Decor Handcrafted, Jewelry Art, Mixed Media, Needle & Sewing Arts, Paper Arts & Craft, Renegade Crafts Stateside, Renegade Crafts Global, Surface Design, Tools & Techniques, and Wearable Art.



As a member of the Trends Committee of the Designer Section of CHA, I am responsible for writing the section on mixed media. I wanted to share some of latest trends from the report with you.

Top 10 Trends in Mixed Media

1. Art Journaling: more focus on art rather than text, with a continued emphasis on authenticity and the addition of hand-drawn details and visually complex imagery; Bible journaling continues to gain popularity as well

2. Mark Makers: markers, pens and pencils continue to be popular and used in conjunction with many of the other 2016 trends (see #1, 5, 10)

3. Collage: an art mainstay seeing a resurgence, with paper, metal, fabric and hand/machine stitching increasingly popular

4. Texture: the addition of increasingly varied texture mediums on the market is fueling an increased interest in all-things textural and dimensional

5. Text and Lettering: this trend, strong in the past few years, continues with no end in site

6. Stencils: popularity continues with trends evident in abstract patterns, nature-themes, background texture, and text

7. Color Palette: increased use of subtle color tones and metallics can be seen, along with a decrease in bright, bold colors

8. Design Elements: circular, organic and natural shapes are replacing the hard, geometric shapes popular in recent years

9. Portraiture: an increased interest in adding faces to art continues, especially with the help of stencils, masks, and collage

10. Coloring: coloring books for adults are booming and fueling increased interest in pencils, crayons, sketching, and stamping

Seeing your own trends? Add your thoughts to this post in the comments section.

14 comments:

Sue Marrazzo Fine Art said...

Thanks for the list!
I'm feeling...#5,#7, and #8!

Unknown said...

Thanks for the list! I have definitely seen these trends in the art/craft world!

Maha said...

Thanks for the list!

Sisterhood of the Muse said...

Thanks for posting the List. I can especially relate to #3 Collage and #6 Stencils. :-)

elle said...

I DO have a colouring book! :O I am using markers for my grand kiddies. Want more circles, want easier access to my stencils and I'm texting up a novel! ;^) And now you say Canada is trending. ha!

Karenliz Henderson said...

Very interesting. In the past few weeks I've been combining #1, 3, 8, and 8. Thanks Seth for the list.

Anonymous said...

Yes...very interesting! I'm sure I have an app for all ten! (0:

~*~Patty S said...

Interesting list Seth which does confirm so much of what is out there at the moment.
All of it fun. Although the coloring book thing does not chime with me for some reason.
Happy Friday!
oxo

Renee said...

Spot on!

Amber K said...

I love when you post these lists!

Jo Murray said...

Must be true...I see it all everywhere!

Anita Houston The Artful Maven said...

Always one of my favorite posts from you. Good one too! Thanks!!!

jinxxxygirl said...

Glad to hear you say that natural designs are trending as i never liked the geometric designs... I never jumped on the coloring book trend... i like to draw my own coloring books... Coloring someone elses drawings pulls me away from doing my own..Always been a fan of metallic...especially antiqued metal... and still love layers... Thanks for this Seth. Hugs! deb

Kay Wallace said...

It looks like the industry is having an on-again, off-again love affair with text! While it seems to be less important than art in art journaling, I will continue to use text to tell the story and play a supporting role!