Mosaics
 

Have any of you done mosaics as a hobby? It can be very meditative and enjoyable-time just flies.
I've been doing it for about 5 years, but the old arthritis is now making it very difficult for me to continue, as it takes a toll on the hands, arms, shoulders and neck.
My last piece was the tiger, 90 x 60cm, and it took me 25 hours over 7 months. Still have to grout it yet.
I grouted a large piece yesterday for my daughter and boy, am I paying for it today!!
Anyway, here's the link.
See my mosaics http://www.ringo.com/photos/albums.h...erId=167827849

Peter,

I LOVE mosaics...I have done one table with my daughter when I was recovering from a bad MS attack and I wanted to do something artistic that I had never done before.

Yours are WONDERFUL....I love the Tigers...beautiful....

Thank you so much for sharing.

I have been collecting stuff to mosaic a coffee table and two end tables and a spot that was a mirror on a chiffarobe.

What materials do you usually use?

those are awesome, the angel fish was my favorite

Hi the Bird! Thanks.
I use MDF board and ordinary wall tiles. Board is usually 12-16mm thick so it wont sag with the large pieces.

I'm partial to the seascapes:)
very nice.

Oh wow!
 

Peter B....YOU sure ARE one AWESOME artist!
I'm gonna go break a few dishes, then paste them to a table!
I've seen that done too...but yeah, understand how must hurt you so much.
Keep up your wonderful talent!
You R blessed for sure!
Chery/CryTears

These are wonderful...
 

You have so many.... you must be selling them?

I've been thinking of expanding my semiprecious stone hobby into a mosaic motif. I've seen one fellow, who makes a map of Michigan (weighing 60 lbs) using slices of
Petoskey stone and others. His work is beautiful too (but something like that would need a special diamond saw etc).

Peter, do you have design training?

These are beautiful! The one mosaic I did was very frustrating. I was not happy with the spacing or placement of pieces. Guess I should have taken a class! Do you individually cut your pieces to get shapes that fit well, or is it luck and patience?

These are beautiful! The one mosaic I did was very frustrating. I was not happy with the spacing or placement of pieces. Guess I should have taken a class! Do you individually cut your pieces to get shapes that fit well, or is it luck and patience?

Many thanks to Jo55, weegot5kiz, crytears, mrsd and greta for your kind remarks.
I was making these to sell and have sold quite a few, especially dragonflies and birds. The Kookaburra was a commission for a wedding gift, and I have just sold a large pelican. The small tiger was also a commission.
I usually work from photos as my drawing skills are low. I'm quite good at copying or interpreting, but hopeless from scratch.
The tile is smashed with a hammer, usually, and used as is or trimmed to neaten and fit.
Grout width is very important, and must be consistent. Grout adds a whole new element to the work so must be carefully thought out.
I did attend a mosaic course with my wife, and found it very useful to learn techniques and a few tips.
I'd like to do some more fish, larger, with shadows, set of 3. Also a wider Australian outback scene.
Having a 'bear trap on my head ' day today, and that's after the injection, so it can only get better.....

I'm sorry about your beartrap...I hope it goes away soon....

Peter you really are good and an inspiration to me! Thank you for sharing your work.

When you do break tiles, to you worry about the edges being rough? Do you smooth them at all?

Hi the Bird. bear trap is gone and the injection is starting to settle things down.
Rough edges aren't usually a problem.
I use the smooth outer edges of the tiles to edge the mosaic, so that gives a nice even edge to the whole piece.
Some tiles that aren't baked at a high temperature tend to crumble when cut or broken, and these can give an irregular edge. I try to avoid using this tile.
Some edges can be really sharp, so you do get the odd cut as you go. But it is not much of a problem.
I now use a small plastic syringe for the glue application-nice and light and easy to use.
I hope you have been inspired to do some mosaics. love to see your work.
Any other queries, don't hesitate.

my aunt dose mosaics with sea glass she has collected over the many years she has spent going to the diffrent beaches. she even makes holiday decorations with them and gives them out as gifts. I have an angel and an easter egg that look pretty neat. dose anyone else use sea glass doing their mosaics?????????????????????? and also I was watching antiques road show, they had a picture from the 1800s all made from tiny peices of glass so detailed I could not believe my eyes :eek:. I would not have guess it was all out of glass, each strand of hair, the diffrent shades ,highlights and shadows on the man face ... wow I just found it so amazing!! it wasnt a small picture either it was big almost window size. I thought of this thread when I saw the picture. Peter keep up your art it is wonderfull ;)
Peace
BMW

I love mosaics!! and i love this thread! thanks for the inspirations, all :)

i keep broken earthenware, glasses, bowls, etc... especially if they have sentimental value (like my grandmother's ceramics that broke) to make mosaics, but so far all i've done are 2 clay pots that hold house plants. i did not grout (cuz i thought naked looked really cool), but occasionally a piece falls off...

i use tile pieces, shells, costume jewelry parts and pieces... really anything that tickles me... especially if it sparkles...

i saw a huge mosaic at a museum in washington dc that inspired me a few years ago... it was made of everything but the kitchen sink! game pieces, toys, all kindsa stuff.

i love seaglass!!! love it! i would mosaic my whole house in seaglass if i had a huge free pile of it :D

oh good Some one else knows what sea glass is. most of my friends look at me like I am a bit nutty when I tell them I am looking for sea glass to give to my aunt :rolleyes: .My aunt has jars and jars full of it and I send her what ever I find. she is in her late 80s and has been collecting for years.
Peace
BMW

Hey Burnt! I know what sea glass is too!

I also have been collecting broken pottery and guess what I found? some handpainted mosaic tiles my dad did! I am really tickled!

When I get moving I'll post the pics!

Keep inspiring us Peter!

hi Bird, That is neat you finding hand painted tiles your Dad made ! special for sure and I bet a sweet surprise to boot :) .
funny I live in beach town and most of my friends here don't know what sea glass is. Ha ha more for me when I can find it.
Take care Bird :hug:... and yes Peter keep Inspiring :D
Peace
BMW

The one mosaic I did, used all sea glass. I bought mine from the craft store though.:) I thought it was hard to grout since the glass was uneven and had high and low points.

Hi Greta, that's a very good point, as grouting uneven or rounded pieces can be very tricky and time consuming. You don't have to grout if you don't want to. Some pieces look better not grouted, other are much improved.

I've been doing kid birthday stuff all week and dreaming about my tiles!!!

Gotta keep this thread up so I stay inspired!

Good idea.
I find that doing mosaics is very absorbing, time flies, and it is like a meditation session.
Mind you, the pain hits a day or two later, but I take the view that if I'm going to be sore, I won't mind so much if I have something to show for it.
So the pleasure is worth the pain.
I would suggest that before you start anything, spend a good bit of time with the design and colours. Putting the piece together is easy, but getting the design right is where the work is. I am very fortunate to have an artistic daughter, at home, who guides me on this, and lets me know when it is not right.
Enjoy.

I've done mosaics for years. I have numerous tables around the house that I've done. I've sold lots on ebay.
I take a break from mosaics during the winter because it is too cold to sit outside and grout and don't want to do it inside.

I use stained glass and plates that I cut up. What I don't use or don't think I'll use I sell on ebay. Somebody can always use my extras lol

Kathy

I bet they are gorgeous Kathy!

How ya doing?

:D

I don't think I told you that I tiled my tub this past fall/winter....it turned out gorgeous! But without elbowgrease from hubby! I got fatigued as I grouted the tub and left it, thinking I could get it off later....

whoops - it was cement based grout so he spent many an hour working, chiseling, acid applying, and chiseling and ....

but the tub is gorgeous!

Your 'tub' as in your bathtub? I'd love to see a picture...what a neat idea. I did one mosaic (stepping stone type); nothing like the works of art here, but an original 'Tootsie'. It is a stepping stone I put in my garden and it says 'MOM'. I used some of my mom's old china and other bits of glass.

Tootsie

Pictures please!!!

Well let me go see if I can get that camera to work!! :D

I took the pics! Gotta transfer them now!

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2259/...5d7c44.jpg?v=0

here's my table top that I did after my worst MS attack, made with my daughter, 13!!! :D

Here's my tub!!!

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2299/...e87d29.jpg?v=0

The pink looks garish in this picture, but in real life, it is very lovely!!! If I say so myself!

the 2 rows of tile were already there (offwhite ones) and they had JUST discontinued that color when I decided to do this! The small tiles are stone. I used stone and ceramic for the front of the tub (this was CARPETED!!! Can you believe anyone would carpet the front of a tub!)

Anyway the floor you see is concrete, we pulled the linoleum up there so I could get to the bottom - we will redo the floor after my husband remodels the toilet room and makes it wheelchair accessible (in the event that is needed again)

Here is the part of a very large quilt I'm working on...been working on it for years! Hand!

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2280/...f75bbe.jpg?v=0

Bird - I love it. How beautiful. Quilting and mosaics are actually similar. They are all awesome.:)

wow Bird that looks pretty! I cant sew very well but I do have a sewing machine I tryed to make curtians but found I dont like sewing much after that. :rolleyes:
hey you should have this in the quilting thread too, I bet they'd all want to see it !!!! Jaimie has one up.
Peace
BMW

kewl Bird
I didnt see your table till now and wholey cow that rocks!!!!!!!!!!!!
Tub looks like lots of time and work but table looks like it was more fun?????

[QUOTE=the Bird;235604here's my table top that I did after my worst MS attack, made with my daughter, 13!!! :D[/QUOTE]
Beautiful work the Bird, love the design and colours. So bright and fun.

You have brightened it up and made it into a very special place. Looks like quilting on the front. Great job-can just feel the back ache!

The table was definitely a lot of fun to make! My coordination wasn't really good then, but it was a lot of fun!

I really enjoyed doing the bathtub, but I knew it was a more permanent deal! If I didn't like it I was stuck with it! So I approached it a little differently!

I have quilted for over 15 years, but I have slowed down drastically!

Mosaics are really intriguing to me now!

That is so nice. I'm impressed.

I really thought you had tiled your tub, not the tub surround:D...

Now this makes sense. I couldn't for the life of me figure out how you could put tile in a tub!

Tootsie

LOL Tootsie, you have to understand all that tile on the front of the tub and on the part you would sit on to get out of the tub was CARPET!!!! You should have seen the mold when we got brave enough to pull it off!

LOL

Why oh why didn't we take before and during pictures!!????

Peter,

I'm making a robin on a birdbath! It is turning out so neat!!! My son dropped a bowl and broke it and said, "This can be used on the bird bath!" And I am going to put it on the robin!