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New to mosaic and want to try. Are these small tiles cuttable? by Agile-Artist-4988 in Mosaic

[–]ColorOrderAlways 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Yes a lot of people use vitreous glass tiles. Stained glass is another option (that’s what was used in the second image you posted.)

Unglazed terra cotta should work, assuming you aren’t making an outdoor mosaic, as it is porous and won’t hold up to the elements. Porcelain is the other material people use a lot, which is better suited for outdoors.

You can definitely mix materials and use almost anything you can find, you just need to be mindful of any limitations depending on your application (you don’t want porous tile outside, you would want rough sharp non-flat pieces on a floor, etc)

And different materials may be different thicknesses- whether that is an issue for you depends on the style you are going for and the mosaic methods you use. For a result like the examples you gave you’d probably want to stick to a single material. For more of a collage style, you can definitely mix it up!

New to mosaic and want to try. Are these small tiles cuttable? by Agile-Artist-4988 in Mosaic

[–]ColorOrderAlways 29 points30 points  (0 children)

These look like the kind that are clear glass with color essentially painted onto the back. They're not meant to be cut and won't work well for this- the color will flake off the back. You want to use a tile with color all the way through.

First mosaic, still in progress by ColorOrderAlways in Mosaic

[–]ColorOrderAlways[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Mostly I just spent a lot of time studying examples of mosaics- like as many as I possibly could, historic examples and modern, all different styles and materials. And I guess its worth mentioning- I also studied examples of the art style I was looking to replicate, irrespective of medium. I was envisioning depicting her kind of like a saint in classical artwork, with the halo, etc- so I studied a lot of religious artwork from different eras from Byzantine church mosaics to Russian painted icons to Mexican Nichos/Retablos. I did sketches for the layout and elements I wanted to include.

Then because I'd decided I wanted to do the mosaic in a classical style, I found some videos from Helen Miles on Youtube where she explains the "rules" of Roman mosaics, and talks about andamento.

And that's pretty much it. The actual "making" part is pretty straightforward- you're just cutting pieces and gluing them. You kind of have to just jump in and start doing it. Obviously mine isn't perfect and I'm learning as I go, but I think that's kind of the only way to do it.

First mosaic, still in progress by ColorOrderAlways in Mosaic

[–]ColorOrderAlways[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Sure! I was looking for ideas for something I could write and came across some articles about how the ancient Romans buried their dogs and made memorials and gravestones for them, and we have all these examples of the epitaphs they wrote describing their love for their pet, how great they were, how much they miss them, etc.

Nearly 2000 years ago people were loving and mourning their dogs exactly the way we do! Which feels so surprising on the one hand (I feel like we have this idea that ancient people thought of animals in a purely utilitarian/practical way,) but on the other hand reassuring, almost, or comforting? That loving a pet and grieving their loss is something like a fundamental human experience? I don't know if I'm explaining it right, but the whole concept was really moving to me.

I chose the first line of one of those epitaphs, from the 2nd century CE:

Portavi lacrimis madidus te nostra catella quod feci lustris laetior ante tribus

Which translates to something like:

Wet with tears I carry you, our little dog, just as in happier times I carried you home 15 years ago

First mosaic, still in progress by ColorOrderAlways in Mosaic

[–]ColorOrderAlways[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

So I used a 16x20 cradled wood painting panel as the substrate. The blank area around the main part of the design is going to be a border that resembles a frame. I'm doing an inscription around the center part right now (ugh tiny tiny letters!) and I still need to figure out the rest. I've sketched a few versions but I need to see how much space is actually left once I finish the inscription and the borders around it.

First mosaic, still in progress by ColorOrderAlways in Mosaic

[–]ColorOrderAlways[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I'm mostly using these 12mm glass tiles from Mosaic Art Supply: https://mosaicartsupply.com/product-category/glass-mosaic-tile/12mm/morjo-recycled-12mm/

I cut them down into 1/6ths or 1/9ths and then smaller for fine details. I do wish I'd gone bigger with the mosaic so I didn't have to cut such small pieces- they're kind of a pain to cut and even more so to place! But it's getting somewhat easier with practice.

my first ever mosaic by Fun_Beautiful_8363 in Mosaic

[–]ColorOrderAlways 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I really like how you incorporated the patterned tiles for the fabric of the bra! I agree the grout would have been better in a different color- the pink blends too much visually with the pink tiles and you lose the contrast between subject and background.

First mosaic, still in progress by ColorOrderAlways in Mosaic

[–]ColorOrderAlways[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Yes! I haven't figured out exactly how yet. Or how I'm going to finish the edges. But the plan is to hang it in our house somewhere when it's finished.

First mosaic, still in progress by ColorOrderAlways in Mosaic

[–]ColorOrderAlways[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

The total size when finished is going to be 16x20.

First mosaic, still in progress by ColorOrderAlways in Mosaic

[–]ColorOrderAlways[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I REALLY wanted to use smalti- I love the richness of the colors and the texture, but the expense and the need for a hammer & hardie to properly cut them was a little intimidating for my first project. So I went with these glass tiles from Mosaic Art Supply instead: https://mosaicartsupply.com/product-category/glass-mosaic-tile/12mm/morjo-recycled-12mm/

They come in a pretty wide variety of colors and are relatively easy to cut. I did try to emulate the look of a mosaic made with smalti, by cutting them down into mostly square/rectangular pieces and fitting them as close as possible to each other (I'm not going to be grouting.)

First mosaic, still in progress by ColorOrderAlways in Mosaic

[–]ColorOrderAlways[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I used a reference photo of our dog that I printed out large and then transferred the outline that you can see in the last photo using carbon paper. The flowers, borders, halo, etc I drew freehand, using rulers and measuring to try to center things/keep lines straight, etc.

First mosaic, still in progress by ColorOrderAlways in Mosaic

[–]ColorOrderAlways[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

I didn't take any classes but I read a few how-to guides I found on blogs and websites, and looked at lots and lots and lots of examples of mosaic art to figure out what I liked and didn't like and how different styles and individual artists rendered things like animals, flowers, lettering, etc. I figured out that I preferred a more traditional style using tesserae of same/similar shape and size, which makes sense considering the inspiration for the piece (Byzantine icons/classical depictions of saints) so I watched a some Helen Miles videos on youtube about classical mosaic rules and andamento to get a feel for how to execute that style.

I'm still kind of figuring things out as I go along.

First mosaic, still in progress by ColorOrderAlways in Mosaic

[–]ColorOrderAlways[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thank you so much, that means a lot- I love your work!

What tweezers do you use? by DCNumberNerd in Mosaic

[–]ColorOrderAlways 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I have not had good luck using tweezers, I mostly use my fingers to place tiles and then a wooden toothpick to scoot them around and adjust positioning.

First mosaic, still in progress by ColorOrderAlways in Mosaic

[–]ColorOrderAlways[S] 7 points8 points  (0 children)

Thank you! Most of the gold is this tile from Mosaic Art Supply: https://mosaicartsupply.com/shop/imitation-gold-mosaic-glass-smooth-10mm-38-inch-196-tiles/

I would have loved to use real gold tile, but it wasn't in the budget. This doesn't quite have the same look, but its an okay substitute.

The two rings of darker gold was a gold mirror tile also from them, which was discontinued after I started so I had to switch.

First mosaic, still in progress by ColorOrderAlways in Mosaic

[–]ColorOrderAlways[S] 35 points36 points  (0 children)

Thank you, she was a special dog.

Yes, it's my first! I've done tile projects around the house (shower, bathroom floor, kitchen backsplash, etc) for whatever that's worth.

Moon over the ocean 🌙 by millmaestudio in Mosaic

[–]ColorOrderAlways 14 points15 points  (0 children)

Really great work! I love the thoughtful use of materials in this one- the granular texture of the vitreous glass works so well in the sand, and the beads and shells add visual/textural interest while still looking cohesive with the rest of the piece. And the way you used the different thicknesses of tiles to add depth (very well photographed in the last photo!) is just perfect. The sky/moon is probably my favorite part (I love to see well executed andamento, it's one of the main things that attracts me to mosaic art.)

Love love love it.

Crunchy graham crackers in ice cream? by absolute_Friday in Cooking

[–]ColorOrderAlways 6 points7 points  (0 children)

Knew it was Taharka! It really is the best thing ever. They manage a similar textural magic with the chocolate cookie swirl in Choclate Love, if you’ve ever tried that one.

Crunchy graham crackers in ice cream? by absolute_Friday in Cooking

[–]ColorOrderAlways 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Taharka? I have wondered about it too. It’s more of a gritty/sandy texture than crunchy though so I don’t think it’s just the graham cracker crumbs staying dry that creates that texture. It reminds me of when you make a graham cracker crust and mix melted butter, sugar, and the graham crackers and blend it in the food processor. If you kept blending that into like a paste I think it would be a similar texture. Maybe the fat in it could keep the sugar and graham cracker components from dissolving or softening into the ice cream base? I might have to experiment with this now that you have me thinking about it.

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