Mosaic quality, appeal, function

Colorful. Surprising. Emotional. Evocative. I want people to enjoy looking at a mosaic I made, but the piece must also be appealing to the touch. Each little bit is smoothed or ground in some way - - no sharp edges! I use a hand-held carborundum stone and sometimes tumble the glass in a rock tumbler or use a Glastar grinder.

Place your tess as closely as possible, leaving a tiny grout line.

If the mosaic is a horizontal surface such as a table, I want people to be able to set their glass down without it wobbling. I want my work to last. The substrate must be suitable for the mosaic. The right adhesive must be used. I've learned a lot by trial-and-error and done plenty of research on the subject of indoor and outdoor mosaics.

Color and design -- refer to a color wheel and use complementary colors.  See more on the page Materials and Methods.

Adding on here about quality of construction.  I recently completed two mosaic mannequins that are adorned with shed deer antlers and birds perched on their shoulders.  I take great care to  install these objects so that they are permanent.  I can envision someone picking the piece up by the antler and having it come loose and the piece falling to the floor.  So the antlers are bolted to the substrate.  I also use a product called Apoxie Sculpt, a two-part incredibly tough substance that I use to make a bed for odd-shaped pieces to nestle into, such as the antler and the feet of the bird.  At the same time, it acts as an adhesive.