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.
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.