Take some air drying clay, a rolling pin and a cookie cutter… Add some gold paint…. Then some PVA glue and blingy glass, glittery tiles – or broken china, beads, shiny paper or textiles. Whatever you can get your hands on! You can sprinkle on glitter to fill the gaps too… Leave to dry…then […] Read more...
Mosaic feelings & a little competition…
One of the things I teach in my class is to embody feeling in your mosaic. Of course, you do this partly by your choice of colours and tone. But in mosaics, special attention goes to the shape, layout and texture of tiles as well as the effect of grout lines and the gaps and […] Read more...
Paper mosaic heart (or whatever takes your fancy!)
Paper mosaic making is a great activity for children and grown-up’s alike. I just did it with a group of 30 adults at Crafty Pint (crafts in a London pub, no less!) and it was great seeing how absorbed people got making this. Here they are in action… Whilst it seems pretty obvious how to […] Read more...
A magical mosaic in the making…
This is the 4th in the series of large outdoor mosaic insects for a local school and it is an absolute beauty . I love love love it so much I think I need to make one for myself!. Here is the process of making it (with tips for mosaic artists along the way). Some […] Read more...
Organising a small studio or home working space
My quest for re-organising my studio is complete (for now!). Here’s some pictures and tips, some of which can be applied across disciplines, as well as to mosaics. If you are just staring out, there some ideas for setting up a making area at home too 😉 1. Take-away tubs. I have reluctantly relinquished […] Read more...
A shiny top tip from a magical mosaic creation…
…one of my favourite creatures, the ever-magical dragonfly. Helped along in its glittery, shiny path by a top mosaic tip that I have used again and again (see below!). Here’s a little one I knocked out as a practice run for a commission for 3 garden dragonflies which I am about to do. Its not […] Read more...
Turning garden slabs into mosaic paving stones.
This is what it was like before…. Here’s how it looks now…. There are more involved ways of creating mosaic garden pavers, involving the reverse method, casts and cement. But for a quick and easy way, just buy cheap garden slabs. Make your mosaic on mesh, sticking the pieces to the mesh using cement adhesive […] Read more...
When art and community meet…pics and top tip!
You are never to young or old to make mosaics. And here is the proof. These are pictures from one of the mosaic community projects I have been running in the last two months (yes, I’ve been a busy bee). Lots of women are gathering to make this mosaic celebrating our unity amidst our diversity. […] Read more...
A new mosaic with a different kind of ‘grout’
The British Association for Modern Mosaic’s next exhibition is fast approaching with a delicious theme – all things ‘Gothic’. Now…for years I have wanted to experiment with using wooden fretwork as a kind of ‘grout’ and this was my chance – fretwork with the Gothic quatrefoil all over… (the Gothic quatrefoil is an architectural symbol […] Read more...
Children’s mosaic tea light holder (& tip for 3d work)
Carrying on the series of tutorials for making mosaics with children (that is good for very little ones as well as bigger kids), here is a lovely tea light holder for you to make that involves no cutting and materials that are readily available. The key thing to notice here is the type of glue […] Read more...