Mosaic artwork is something that many people love. It looks very intricate when you see a lot of tiles put together in a way that creates a beautiful flower or a scene. According to most people, it also looks very hard to do. However, whether you can draw or not, you can still create beautiful mosaics with a few supplies and a little creative thinking. Here are a few tips to get you started on the road to learning how to create your own mosaic artwork.
What Is Mosaic Art For?
With Mosaic art, you can decorate anything and make it immediately more beautiful. You can use mosaic tiles in kitchens as a backsplash, floors in any room of your home, mantles, tables, stools, or any other area. A lot of people like putting a mosaic in their bathroom because it adds beauty to an otherwise small, cramped space.
The best part though, is that anyone can create a beautiful mosaic because there is no wrong way to get it done. If you are creating a flower and it does not come together exactly as you envisioned, that is okay. It is a one of a kind creation that will still look amazing. Are you ready to give your creativity free reign?
Tools and Supplies
The first step in creating a mosaic piece of art is the idea. You can get ideas from something that you envision or a coloring book. An animal that you think is pretty. Fish are often preferred in a bathroom. If you can find it, sea shells are also good. Once you have decided what you want to create, you will have to draw at least a rough outline of it on the area you plan to put mosaic tiles on. A lot of people use tiles or wood, but any surface area that is relatively solid will work. You can either free-hand draw or trace the image.
You will also need the tile pieces. Tiles come in a variety of sizes, shapes, colors and materials. There are some mosaics that use glass tiles or pebble looking pieces. Some are squares while others are circular. Most all tiles can be busted up if you have smaller details and the wrong sized tiles to create your project. With mosaic artwork, it is all about you and how you want it to look when complete.
From here, you will begin to create your one of a kind piece of art. Keep in mind that you can use tile cutters or snips to shape pieces as you need to. If you want to add more oddity to your shapes, you can consider putting them into a bag and busting them with a hammer. You get to decide.
Make It Come Together
You will have to glue tiles to your mosaic one at a time. There are glues that are designed for mosaics. If you are creating a stepping stone, you can simply press the tiles into the concrete as you go. The only important thing here is that you leave gaps of less than 1/8 inch between the tiles. If you have odd shaped tiles and there are larger gaps, it is okay as long as at one point they are less than the 1/8 inch away from another tile.
Once glued, you will need to let it dry for 24 hours. Then, using regular tile grout, you will want to grout the tiles. This is used to fill in all of the gaps within your mosaic and do not worry, if you end up grouting over the tiles, you can wash it off when the grout has dried.
When your masterpiece has dried thoroughly and you have washed the grout off, you will be able to say that you created it in-full. Have fun creating your very own mosaic artwork!