How to Create Mosaic Art
Mosaic art is one of the oldest forms of art known to man. It allows for full creative expression with endless possibilities. Mosaic art is created from small bits of broken china or glass, called tesserae, inlaid into a medium such as clay or grout. Mosaic art is generally found on tiles that are used to decorate a bathroom or pool. Mosaic art is also found adorning the tops of outdoor tables, clay pots and it's even found sometimes in wall murals.
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Things You'll Need
- Old china, various colors
- Cloth
- Hammer
- Pencil
- Craft glue
- Ready-made grout
- Dry towel
- Wet towel
Instructions
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1
Cover the china with a cloth. Using a hammer, smash the china through the towel until you feel you have pieces that are small enough to use to make your mosaic design. Lift the cloth to check the size of the pieces and continue hammering as necessary.
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2
Decide where you want to display your mosaic art.
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3
Use a pencil to draw your artistic design onto this designated surface.
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4
Sort through the china pieces and make small piles grouped according to color and size.
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5
Set the pieces of tile onto your design. Arrange them until you have it decorated exactly as you like. Due to the irregular shape of the pieces, you may cross over lines of your design as you arrange the pieces together.
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6
Put glue on the bottom of each piece one at a time and place it back onto your design.
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7
Pick a color of grout that will complement your mosaic. Use your fingers to push it into the spaces around the china pieces.
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8
Smooth away excess grout on top of the mosaic pattern with a dry towel.
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9
Wait 30 minutes and then use a wet towel to wipe away more grout on top of the tiles. Don't dig away any of the grout between the china pieces.
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10
Polish each piece of china with the wet towel. Allow to dry.
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1
Tips & Warnings
Only use flat pieces of china for your mosaics. Don't use rounded pieces such as edges of plates or teacup handles.
If you are making mosaic tiles, don't choose light-colored grout because it will quickly become dirty-looking from all the foot traffic.
References
- Photo Credit mosaic image by moonface from Fotolia.com
