Mosaic is a form of decorative art where a picture is designed and assembled from small, normally colorful, pieces of mosaic materials called tesserae. Tesserae can consist of pieces of glass, tiles, shells and rocks. Even though mosaic art is a fun hobby, it can take some great skill to design and create mosaic art.
The art of mosaic dates back
millennia where the earliest known examples were found in Mesopotamia. Modern mosaic has become a popular form of craft which is not limited to professionals. Various mosaic materials are now being used including mirrors, beads, glass and can also include odd items such as photographs. Anchient mosaics leaned more toward the architectural whereas modern mosaics are found in various areas including flowerpots, bicycles and on the street's surface.
There are three main mosaic techniques:
Direct Method:
This method involves the direct placing (or gluing) of the mosaic pieces onto a surface. This method is great to use on surfaces with a 3D element such as vases and is mainly suited for small projects that are easy to transport.
Indirect Method:
This method is ofeten used for large projects, project with repetitive elements or areas that needs specific shapes. The tiles are placed face-down on a paper using an adhesive. It is then transferred onto the final surface which can include walls and floors.
Double Indirect Method:
This method is fairly complex and would require great skill to avoid damaging the work. It involves placing the tesserae face-up on a certain medium such as adhesive paper, and applying the pieces as it will appear when completed. A similar medium is then used atop the original format and the pieces transferred from one medium to the other. It is then applied to the final surface as explained int he Indirect Method.
|
