I was at Buck Hill Studio last Saturday making my first mosaic ever.
My talented friend, Dee, hosted an incredible all day mosaic workshop for new and experienced mosaic artists.
I’ve been wanting to try my hands at a glass mosaic for a long time and I finally got the chance! Thank you, Dee!
Dee does incredible work in many different mediums, so be sure and check out her blog where she posts a painting a day.
My instructor, Louise, didn’t waste any time showing me the tools of the trade. Dee gave me a clay-board, Louise let me use all of her glass cutting stuff and all of their glass pieces were shared.
These are some seriously generous ladies!
She went over some of the basic layout designs with this great sample board she made. I love the Latin names: Circulatum, Regulatum, Vermiculatum…
Here’s Louise showing me how to score and cut glass…
I wanted to do something with a butterfly so I sketched up a design that wasn’t too complicated, went and picked out some glass, and started cutting and fitting the pieces onto the board.
For the butterfly I painted on some color with acrylic paint and then used clear glass on those sections so the colors would show through.
I glued all the pieces on and then it was time to grout…
Then I wiped it with a damp sponge…
I was supposed to put some beads or something in the larger spaces to fill them up but in my excitement over grouting my first mosaic,I totally forgot about that part. The grout looks really dark at first but lightens up after it dries.
I painted gesso around the sides and then painted a shade of gray to match the grout.
And here’s my first mosaic, dry and ready to hang…
Thanks again, Dee and Louise!
I had a great time and am already thinking about more designs….
And things to put on my Christmas list. 🙂
***
Thanks for coming by today!
Very nice! Takes most people a long time to make a mosaic that nice. You did a great job!
Stacy
Awesome workshop and beautiful mosaic piece Scarlett!
Love the vine with the butterfly… speaking of Butterflies, you may want to checkout my blog 😉
That is a piece to be truly proud of! I’ve always wanted to do a huge piece in the garden (having never done any mosaic, EVER!) but yours has so much feeling to it. I LOVE also the idea of being able to paint beneath clear glass! You have me quite inspired!
Love
Tracey xxx
Great job! Very clever to paint the butterfly wings and then cover them with clear glass.
That’s a beautiful design!
All right! Another convert! You will be so good at this and as hooked as I am. Hint: buy scrap glass from stained glass stores to get started. You can also get it on ebay. Stained glass artists always have a lot of scrap that they don’t use. Also great videos on youtube will help you learn technique. You go, girl!
@Floy –You know I was thinking of you the whole time!! Thanks for the tips, it was so relaxing to fit all the pieces together…I know I want to do it again. I want to incorporate some found objects next time. 🙂
Wow! This is gorgeous! I’ve always wanted to try mosaic work, but the glass cutting makes me a bit nervous.
@Christina –That part had made me nervous,too, but it wasn’t that bad. I wore gloves and only cut myself once the whole day.. Not too bad for a first try with new tools. 🙂
Well, Scarlett….you’ve done it again!! It was a pleasure to have you in my teaching studio and to have Louise do her magic by showing others the “in”s and out’s” of creating a mosaic. Thanks to others in the workshop, we had a nice selection of glass (including fused glass) which is always a great addition to any mosaic. Bravo, girl friend!
Bravo Scarlet! Lovely and well thought out design and execution! I had a great time with you! Louise
What a beauty! It is so satisfying to tackle something new and be pleased with the outcome! Hugs,
How impressive Scarlett, I am excited that you are learning this craft. You would be very impressed to see some of these designs here in Turkey. Great Job!!
@kathy– Can’t wait to see your photos from your trip! Hope you’ve got some of the mosaics there. 🙂
Ah, Scarlett, yes, art is medicine. It makes a happy heart if it can, and we know a happy heart is good medicine (Proverbs 17:22)!
Wonderful to meet you and to celebrate this beautiful new kind of work for your repertoire!
The music is too so very lovely, please tell me the name of it!
In His love,
Carol
@Carol –So happy to have you visit, thank you for your encouragement! (See my comment below for music title) 🙂
Pretty, pretty~!
I use to make mosaic stepping stones when my kids were little~~love the art mosaic you made…beautiful Scarlett 🙂
xo
Kay Ellen
Great job! Your talent always amazes me! Your first time and it’s gorgeous! Soooo jealous! Can’t wait to see more!
What a fun day, I always love learning a new medium! Your butterfly mosaic is wonderful! t.xoxooxoxo
Hi, can you pls tell me, which piece ist this – the wonderful music??
Thank you a lot!
Lys
Gorgeous! I love mosaics; I have wanted to try this medium! Yours came out so beautiful~ I bet it is addicting, it looks so fun~ Thank you for sharing the class, with us. I’m so happy you went and tried something new 😀
@Carol, @Lys –The music playing for this post is a tango played by Itzhak Perlman on the film score for “The Scent of a Woman”.
Wow!!! Wonderful.
Anna
This is so lovely. What a joy it is to see a design in your mind and translate it so beautifully into a piece of art.
Love it Scarlett, love all the colors of the glass and so smart to paint out the butterfly and put clear glass over it. Brilliant once again. Love you sweetheart, Aunt Mel.
Great Job for your first Mosaic! I loved the idea to paint some of it and use clear glass, it turned out great!
Your mosaic is lovely and I really like how you colored your butterfly and added clear glass. I would never have thought this is your first time. Beautiful dear…
Your mosaic is absolutely gorgeous – well done! I now know what I want to have a go at……….!
x
Hi Scarlett – so wonderful you’re enjoying new things .. the mosaic looks so pretty – and delighted you’re planning more mosaics ..
Cheers Hilary
this is gorgeous!!! I so wish I could do this too! Love love love it!!!
totally stunning and has inspired me! ..
LOVE this gorgeous mosaic – and the idea to paint beneath clear glass is such a great idea. Can you tell me, please, what glue did you use for the clear glass? I’d be worried the glue would dry ‘wrong’ somehow. Alice
Hi Alice, they gave me E-6000 glue to use in the class. I think your concerns are well-founded because there are now lots of little air-bubbles visible under the glass. I don’t mind the look but it’s not what I planned. I had put the glue down onto the board first but I wonder if brushing the glue onto the back of each piece of glass itself would’ve prevented this? I’ll have to ask my mosaic friends about it, I’m still a beginner! 🙂 Thanks for stopping by!