Mosaic Monday

"Glass Octopus & Squid Sketches"

above: Blank tiles papered and ready for glass.

I am back in class and working on mosaics again. I decided to do a bunch of small glass sketches. I consider these "sketches" due to their small size and the speed in which I am working. These little tiles are 5 x 5 inches and I have 2 basic designs that I am trying with different color combos. Some of my favorite color combinations may be worked into a larger piece and the yellow & brown tile squid is already being added to a larger piece by itself.

When you work in mosaics and when you are new to mosaics like I am you often start a piece with no clear idea of how things will look in the end. How will the glass colors work together and what color of grout will be best? By working small I can easily take risks without fear of putting several weeks in a piece only to be disappointed by an unfortunate grout color choice. In this case I was surprised to find that I actually liked the subtle brown, blue and gold more than the bold orange & green. The design on the burgundy & yellow octopus (bottom right on top pic) is my least favorite and I probably would choose not to create this design larger.

Next On The List: Photography! I have got to spend some time with my camera and figure out a good way to photograph mosaics. My best girlfriend has a nice lighting booth she has designed to shoot jewelry. I may borrow that for my smaller works. With mosaics you do not want to eliminate all reflections as this will flatten them some, however you do want to minimize the light reflections and gain control over them.