The Mosaic Process
Surrounded by inspriation~
I always say that if I were a painter I would have my box of paints and easel and I would be good to go! Not so with mosaics. First of all (for me anyway) you must be surrounded by lots and lots of colorfull tiles. These tiles would include ceramic, glass, large, small, marble, shiny, matte, sparkly and more. Next you must be surounded by dishes. These would include fine china, everyday wear, vintage are the best, I am constantly on a search for these dishes. Florals are anongst my favorite, but mostly only vintage floral. I love tacky souveniere plates, blue and white patterns, the list goes on and on. Of course a good supply of solid color plates is essential too, again the more vintage the better. Not to mention the texture of the plate can be very important, anything with crazing or dripping of the glaze is a great find! All of this is a must for inspiration! Then there are the knick knacks. These days it's hard to find just the right ones, my favorites are from the 70's and earlier, the earlier the better. I also spend a good deal of time creating my own tiles and flowers with my kiln to have on hand to make my mosaics special and different.
The proper tools~
A variety of adhesives is necessary, you must have the right adhesive for each situation. The proper cutting tools are ever so important, no smashing of plates here! Everything is precisely cut to fit. I could spend up to 5 minutes or more making just one piece fit!
Grouting~
Blah! Yuk!! That's all I have to say about grouting except that it's a necessary evil to the mosaic process. The wrong color grout could really ruin a mosaic that took hours and hours to make. Picking the right color is very important and usually it's a tough decision, you don't know until you're finished if you made the right choice. Whatever the case, it's messy business. If it's a mosaic that is large and has many 3d elements, I could spend most of a day grouting and cleaning (and cleaning and cleaning and.....). Of course the end result is worth the effort. After grouting, the piece needs to be sealed especially if it is going to live outdoors.
I always say that if I were a painter I would have my box of paints and easel and I would be good to go! Not so with mosaics. First of all (for me anyway) you must be surrounded by lots and lots of colorfull tiles. These tiles would include ceramic, glass, large, small, marble, shiny, matte, sparkly and more. Next you must be surounded by dishes. These would include fine china, everyday wear, vintage are the best, I am constantly on a search for these dishes. Florals are anongst my favorite, but mostly only vintage floral. I love tacky souveniere plates, blue and white patterns, the list goes on and on. Of course a good supply of solid color plates is essential too, again the more vintage the better. Not to mention the texture of the plate can be very important, anything with crazing or dripping of the glaze is a great find! All of this is a must for inspiration! Then there are the knick knacks. These days it's hard to find just the right ones, my favorites are from the 70's and earlier, the earlier the better. I also spend a good deal of time creating my own tiles and flowers with my kiln to have on hand to make my mosaics special and different.
The proper tools~
A variety of adhesives is necessary, you must have the right adhesive for each situation. The proper cutting tools are ever so important, no smashing of plates here! Everything is precisely cut to fit. I could spend up to 5 minutes or more making just one piece fit!
Grouting~
Blah! Yuk!! That's all I have to say about grouting except that it's a necessary evil to the mosaic process. The wrong color grout could really ruin a mosaic that took hours and hours to make. Picking the right color is very important and usually it's a tough decision, you don't know until you're finished if you made the right choice. Whatever the case, it's messy business. If it's a mosaic that is large and has many 3d elements, I could spend most of a day grouting and cleaning (and cleaning and cleaning and.....). Of course the end result is worth the effort. After grouting, the piece needs to be sealed especially if it is going to live outdoors.