Beginner's Guide to Making Mosaics. Delphine Lescuyer
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Introduction
The word “mosaic” describes a wide variety of creations throughout history: the mosaics of ancient Rome and Greece, Byzantine art, the elegant floors of the Art Deco period, the whimsical Maison Picassiette in Chartres, France (a house completely covered in mosaic), the architect mosaicists of the 1970s, the building façades of Odorico (a famous French mosaicist), the magnificent creations of Gaudí in Barcelona, and more. History has seen a multitude of styles and forms of expression. Mosaics are as well suited to the walls of a royal palace as they are to the lawn ornaments of a humble backyard. Indeed, the mosaic’s charm is that it is a handicraft both noble and yet accessible to a broad audience.
Who hasn’t hoarded a little batch of tiles or broken plates in the hopes of making a mosaic someday? Or gazed at a mirror framed in glass or ceramic mosaic tiles, thinking, “I can do that!”—only to discover that technical assistance was required?
The purpose of this book is to introduce beginners to the basics using contemporary designs that don’t require having a background in drawing. Advice and tips throughout will help you succeed in your first mosaic creations.
There are a wide variety of materials to choose from to make a mosaic. The most important is to select those best suited to your mosaic’s destination (the substrate on which it will be created) and how it will be used. Read on to learn all about the materials, tools, and techniques you’ll need to get started.
Materials
There are two basic approaches in decorative mosaics for beginners: you can create from recycled materials, or you can start with materials designed for mosaic art (such as glass and porcelain tiles).
Tesserae
Tesserae is the name given to the decorative materials used to create mosaics; they are often small glass or ceramic tiles. Here are just a few of the many types of tesserae.
Ceramic mosaic tiles
The glazed ceramic tiles shown here are 1" (2.5cm) square, though they can be purchased in other sizes, too. They are an excellent choice for mosaic art. They may not be colored through the entire body of the tile, however, as you can see. You may have to search for and purchase bath tiles to get particular colors or looks.
Porcelain mosaic tiles
The tiles shown here are matte and colored through the body. They come in squares of different sizes, such as 1" (2.5cm), ¾" (2cm), or 9/16" (1.5cm) squares. They are highly wear-resistant (and a little more difficult to cut). They are often used in flooring. They can be smooth on both sides or striated.
Vitreous glass tiles
Vitreous glass tiles come in squares of different sizes, such as 1" (2.5cm) or ¾" (2cm) squares. They are often striated on the back and beveled on the edges, which can make them rather unstable when they are cut into very small pieces. Vitreous glass tiles come in an especially wide range of colors.
As the materials shown here all measure 1/8" (3.5mm) in thickness, they can be mixed together in the creations featured in this book. If your tiles are a different thickness than the ones used in this book, that’s fine; you can always mix tiles of the same thickness.
Other tesserae
Other elements can be used, including mirror, millefiori glass (which comes in rods
Where to buy tesserae?
There are specialized stores that sell tesserae by weight. This allows you to buy exactly the quantity you need in a wide range of colors. You may also find supplies in your local craft stores, though the selection may be more limited (see note on page).
Some home improvement stores sell mosaic tiles in their ceramic tile department. These often come in 12" (30cm) square sheets, glued to a mesh, and can be removed from