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Want something different for your home? Something truly unique? Maybe a stunning art masterpiece that everyone is irresistibly drawn to admire as soon as they walk through your door. Maybe you want something a bit more functional, such as a distinctive piece of furniture. What if you found something that combines the two? Lovely stained glass mosaic tables add color and warmth to your home or office. They serve not only as beautiful works of art, but they also serve a useful function as furniture. Related Article Tags: , , , , , , , , ,
Tesserae are the pieces arranged and adhered to the base material to create your mosaic design. They can be of any material and shape. Don't limit yourself to the common tessera types. Use your imagination. Try buttons and other fun or unusual material. For example, I once saw a family picture collage with a mosaic frame that included one baby tooth from each grandchild. Be creative! Related Article Tags: , , , , , , , , ,
Where you don't put tesserae determines your grout lines because grout fills in everything on your base material left uncovered by tesserae. Strive for consistent grout spacing over the entire mosaic. If you use mismatched shapes (e.g., broken pieces of miscellaneous crockery), this is virtually impossible, but do your best to maintain consistency. Big gaps left between tesserae because you were in too much of a hurry look messy. Related Article Tags: , , , , , , , ,
Always plan your mosaic project before buying, cutting, or gluing the first piece of tessera. Don't try to be spontaneous (your mosaic will suffer if you do). Start by answering a few general questions: Why am I creating this particular piece, what's its purpose? Is there ample room to display it and can the wall safely support a heavy mosaic? What kind of light will shine on it? Related Article Tags: , , , , , , , ,
How do you create lovely stained glass mosaic tables? Once you know these basic steps, your creativity can take over. If you want something truly unique in a mosaic table, forget the many common styles of round mosaic bistro tables on metal stands that look they were produced on an assembly line. Instead, try integrating a beautiful stained glass design onto the table top of a piece of real-wood furniture. Related Article Tags: , , , , , , , , ,
Which type of adhesive is best for mosaics? It depends on your base material, mosaic method, whether you're working horizontally on a table or vertically on a wall, whether your mosaic is exposed to moisture, and personal preference. Many websites and articles say Weldbond is the best adhesive for indoor mosaics and that it's the preferred glue of professional mosaic artists worldwide. Is it really better than plain Elmer's White Glue? Related Article Tags: , , , , , , , ,
Ever wonder what grout actually is? As a mosaic artist who frequently uses it, you should. Yes, grout is cement. But what's cement? Even if you couldn't care less, as a mosaic artist, you should understand the materials used in your work. Portland cement is the most common type of cement. So, let's discover just exactly what cement is. Related Article Tags: , , , , , , , ,
Ever wonder how to sign your indoor glass mosaic art so the signature will not rub or wear off? Nothing seems to stick permanently to glass. Permanent marker is not permanent. Acrylic and enamel paint rub, chip, or flake off. So, how do you make a permanent signature on glass? Related Article Tags: , , , , , , , , ,
Making wonderful glass mosaic tile art is easy! Let me show you how. Tessera material comes in varying thicknesses. Stained glass is about 1/8-inch thick, vitreous glass tiles are 3/16-inch thick, smalti can be as much as 1/4-inch thick, and marble gems are about 1/2-inch thick. The 1/16-inch difference between vitreous glass tiles and stained glass doesn't sound like much, but in the context of mosaics, it's significant. Related Article Tags: , , , , , , , , ,
Always shop around before buying mosaic tools and materials. Many glass vendors now sell on the Internet. Some are great, some not so great. Some have a huge selection, but lousy prices and service. Some have a lousy selection, but great prices. Shop around before buying and you'll eventually find a vendor you like. Related Article Tags: , , , , , , , ,
Photo Mosaics are actually a very new invention, believed to be first created in the 1990's. Photo mosaics have become widely popular around the world, though, for their unique appeal.
A Photo Mosaic is a photo made up of many smaller photos. To say it another way: A photo mosaic is a photo that has been divided up into small squares or rectangles. Each rectangle is the replaced by a separate photo that closely approximates the color the rectangle was.
Making wonderful glass mosaic tile art is easy! Let me show you how. Have you ever watched your mosaic grout seemingly shrink before your eyes as it hardens? Arrrrg! The grout lines are no longer flush with the tesserae and tiny pinholes mysteriously appear. Now what? Related Article Tags: , , , , , , , , ,
Ever wonder what glass actually is? Do we cut it or break it (is there a difference)? Why and how does scoring a line allow us to control the way glass breaks? To fully understand why we cut glass the way we do, we should first understand a bit about glass itself. There are two types of solids: amorphous and crystalline. (Huh? Amorphous? Wasn't he a character in the movie series The Matrix? No, that was Morpheus.) Related Article Tags: , , , , , , , ,
You're so anxious to hang your first masterpiece that it seems like the frame store is taking forever finish the frame. Finally, they call to tell you it's ready for pickup. Wow, they did a great job and the frame makes your mosaic look even better. You can't wait to hang it on the wall and show it off. It weighs a ton and you're nervous wondering whether a 10-penny nail in flimsy drywall can hold all that weight. Now what? Related Article Tags: , , , , , , , ,
Tesserae size is nearly as important as andamento in creating the desired look and feel of a mosaic. With proper planning, patience, and attention to detail when grouting, results from incorporating texture can be wonderful (without them, results can be disastrous). Related Article Tags: , , , , , , , , ,
After laying your beautiful mosaic floor tiling, you then install elegant-looking 5.25-inch-high baseboard. How do you paint the baseboard to get professional results without slopping paint all over your new mosaic floor tiling? The secret is, before installing the baseboard over the tile, put down blue painters tape on the floor in a position so the baseboard will be on top of the tape at least 1/4-inch. Related Article Tags: , , , , , ,
Working with color in mosaics is much more challenging than most other art media, such as paint and colored pencils. The painter's color palette is limited only by the painter's imagination in mixing any number of colors until the desired hue is achieved. In contrast, the mosaic artist's color palette is constrained by the limited colors that glass manufacturers decide to produce, which are typically determined by what sells best. Related Article Tags: , , , , , , , ,
Would you like a mosaic tile backsplash in your kitchen reminiscent of the Greco-Roman or Ottoman Empires without breaking the bank? Not only will you love your mosaic backsplash, all who see it will want to know where you got it. Read on to discover two Lebanese sources - yes, present-day Lebanon was part of these ancient empires - that hand-craft each of their mosaic backsplashes using traditional methods. Related Article Tags: , , ,
The amount of grout for your mosaic project depends on two basic variables: 1) the size of your piece, and 2) the width of your joints. Obviously, smaller joints require less grout. It's important to mix more than you think you'll need to ensure you don't run out. This is especially true when using colored grout to ensure color consistency unless you intend for your piece to have varying shades of grout. Related Article Tags: , , , , , , , ,
Are you looking for that special piece to add the final touch of elegance to your home or office? Don't go the local frame or furniture store and thumb through a bunch of mundane prints. Don't go to the flea market and browse through $20 paintings that literally took 15 minutes to paint. Instead, consider mosaic art. Mosaic art is unique, unusual, and oftentimes a conversation piece. Not only is it beautiful, it's durable so you can display it anywhere. If it's made properly, it can even be displayed outdoors by the pool or in the garden by your favorite sitting place. Related Article Tags: , , , , , ,
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