How to Make: Homemade Shield for a Glass Grinder

When I rearranged by work space recently, I moved my glass grinder. Better location in most respects, with the big exception of an electrical outlet right behind the new location. Directly in the path of the lubricating water spatter!

My solution was to modify a large IKEA Trofast storage bin.

I turned the bin upside down and sat it on the lid. Using a red grease pencil, I drew in cutting lines. About 3" up from the new bottom and about 4.5" into each side. I also cut out the depression in the new top area (previous bottom of the bin).

My Dremel tool, with a cutting wheel, worked quite well to modify the bin. Make sure you use eye protection! Some melted bits of plastic did go flying.

New Mosaic Art Butterfly WIP

Butterfly measures about 9" x 5" and is pieced from stained glass. Working title is "Silent Beauty". Finished mosaic will measure about 10 3/4" x 7".  {Odd size, yup. I've a few of these odd sized small boards on hand. Might make a related series with them. And then move on to using standard sizes that can be easily framed!}

I started this project last month and then stalled while I pondered how to approach the background (earlier WIP picture in previous post).

Next up: Transfer this to a piece of concrete board. Right now it is assembled on clear contact paper and you are looking at the right side. I'll glue paper to the face, remove the contact paper from the back, glue the butterfly to the concrete board then remove the glued paper.

The idea is that the butterfly will have a beautiful smooth texture and the background will be more highly textured for contrast.  I've decided to use smalti for the background. That should give it a nicely textured look and the uniform material will not detract too much from the focal. And I get to play with smalti :)

Cat Silhouette Sun Catchers

Cat Silhouette Suncatchers

 And now I know there is a strong correlation between a love of mosaics and a love of kitties! Half of the 18 kitty silhouette suncatchers I made are on their way to new homes- but the ones above are still waiting for their forever home :)  

Hand-cut 22 gauge copper kitties were torch-enameled in black and added to a glass mosaic 'scene'. Copper foil around edge with hanging loop and suction cup.

These suncatchers, along with a few other suncatcher designs, are available in my Etsy shop.

Meanwhile, I have been working on a new, smallish, wall mosaic. First of at least two planned for this subject. Sneak peek:  

Reversible Mixed Media Glass on Glass Mosaic - Part 1

This series of posts will highlight some of the how-to on the making of my "Fire and Rain" glass on glass reversible mosaic. Below is the finished main flower on the 'Fire' side. Click images to enlarge.

Fire side of "Fire and Rain" 9 7/8" x 14 3/8"

The flowers on this side are all made up of individually mosaiced flower petals.

First I cut up a clear glass jar that previously had been used to hold spaghetti sauce. The wide mouth made it easy to use wheeled nippers to get in there to break the glass. Look at the jars in your pantry and you may also see some with interesting curves to the jar glass, especially those with non-vertical sides.  This one had a nice wide curved shoulder area that then sloped down to a highly curved sort of foot area.

Each of those five flower petals above is one large piece of shaped clear glass.

• Once I had my jar broken into large chunks, I played with their orientation so the curves resembled flower petals.  
• Then I marked them with a sharpie marker and nipped them into their final shape with my wheeled nippers. 
• I finished the shaping with my grinder to ensure no sharp edges and to give the edges a 'frost' look.
• When I was happy with their shape, I used GE Silicone II glue to attach them to a sheet of clear glass as well as to each other.

Next step was to prepare the colored glass for the mini mosaics for the flower petals.

I nipped narrow, about 1/8",  bits from colored glass. My plan was to use these bits cut side up on top of the petals. Then the natural curve they have from the wheeled nippers could be used to follow the curve of the clear glass petals. BUT, people touch mosaics! So, to smooth the sharp edges of all those little bits, I placed them all in a small glass jar, added water 3/4 of the way up and a bit of dish soap and then shook them.  And shook them.  And shook them some more. At least 10 minutes of shaking and they still had a semigloss sheen but no sharp edges.

Finally, I could begin mosaicing!

Again, GE Silicone II glue was used to attach the prepared bits to the clear glass petals.

That yellow 'blob' in the center is a cool castoff from a glass blowing shop. It did not make the final mosaic but a similar one was used instead.

Lipstick red grout then completed the flower.  The flower buds on this 'Fire' side of the mosaic were completed the same way.  The green 3D pieces are also glass blowing castoffs.

"Fire and Rain"

Next post will be about the 'Rain' side of the mosaic.
Image at left shows both sides of the completed mosaic as it looks against a white background.

Part 2 of discussion of this mosaic can be viewed here: http://blog.mosaicsmith.com/2012/07/part-2-reversible-mixed-media-glass-on.html

"Fire and Rain" has sold.

I create original design silver jewelry too!! 
https://www.mosaicsmith.com/collections/all   or
https://mosaicsmith.etsy.com

Creating the Straw Hat for Miss Dolphin

Miss Dolphin is based on a drawing by my then 10 year old daughter and she was my design assistant for the mosaic as well. She had major input, as well as veto power, on the choosing of the materials for this project. We were bringing HER drawing to life, afterall.

The straw hat proved to be a challenge to find a material she would be happy with.

When I broke the lid to a funky corn-on-the-cob themed pot in my kitchen I thought that would be ideal--no. Also rejected was stained glass. (There is a limit to how thin the pieces can be cut so as to mimic straw, plus she didn't like the shininess.) Hmmm. Vitreous glass tiles- not thrilled. Tiny thin long glass beads? Not sure, kind of shiny too.

An internet search was begun and I found TinyTileMosaics! A eureka moment, lol. This company has a variety of shapes and a rainbow of colors of 'mini, mirco and nano' sized ceramic tiles. The Ovals, 5x2x3mm, proved to be perfect to create the straw hat!


Click image to enlarge-
Micro tiles, 5x5x3mm, were perfect to add a touch of red to the hat. See them also in the red stripe along with a couple nano tiles.

Happy daughter, happy me!

~~~~~~~

"Miss Dolphin" is in my own personal collection, but you can see available mosaics here:

https://www.etsy.com/shop/MosaicSmith?search_query=mosaic+art 

I create original design silver jewelry too!!

http://MosaicSmith.com 

WIP Egret Mosaic (Curious Neighbor)

Waaaay back in May 2008 I posted my first WIP picture for this guy. I have finally in the last few weeks made some much awaited progress on him. The orange glass worked out perfectly for his beak and I found a way to incorporate shells that I picked up at the beach by where I photographed him.

Click the picture for a larger view.

~~~~~~~

This mosaic is part of my personal collection. You can view it here: http://blog.mosaicsmith.com/2009/10/shading-grout.html

Prints are available from my page at Fine Art America: http://fineartamerica.com/artists/19+linda+smith

Available mosaic art: https://www.etsy.com/shop/MosaicSmith?search_query=mosaic+art 

I also create original design silver jewelry: http://MosaicSmith.com

.

Mosaic Fact: Bits Multiply - Making of a Glass Mosaic Clock

I, and I suspect every mosaic artist, have an bottomless collection of glass bits.

My thrifty nature compels me to save them. Larger bits get tossed in labeled plastic containers by color and small, even tiny, bits get tossed in a shoebox lid. I've had that lid on my work table for a while and have mentioned it before. Still looks much the same even a year later. Weird.

Occasionally I'll set out to use as many of this bits as I can in a mosaic and my 'River Sunset' clock is the result of my latest effort:

That largest red boulder was the inspiration for this entire piece. I found it just the way you see it in the shoebox lid - don't recall what project I nipped it roundish for then rejected it but I think it worked perfectly here. Just was waiting for its time. Ha, lol, didn't intend the pun :)

~~~~~~~

This clock is in my personal collection.

See other available clocks in my Etsy MosaicSmith Shop:

https://www.etsy.com/shop/MosaicSmith?section_id=18932211 

 

I also create original design silver jewelry:

http://MosaicSmith.com

Interloper WIP

This morning I finally got a chance to play with an idea I've been working on for a little clock. It is loosely based on the bouquet in the photo.

The clock will be in the large pink flower and I plan on attaching a sweet little bee bead to the minute hand- so that's where the title of this clock comes from.

At the moment I think I'll fill the background with a deep green tone on tone look of leaves and random shapes. Because I want the clock hands (black) to be visible, the grout for the pink flower will be a light green and then deepen to darker green going toward the perimeter. I shaded the grout once before and was pleased with the result.

~~~~~~~

SOLD

I create original design silver jewelry too!! 
https://www.mosaicsmith.com/collections/all   or
https://www.etsy.com/shop/MosaicSmith

Autumn Dance WIP

Well, Autumn Dance is my working title. Kicking around others like "May I have this dance?"

Where we lived in New York, the property had a magnificent Maple tree on one side of the yard and a stately Oak on the other. So all spring and summer they stood over their corners of the yard looking out at each other. With autumn and the breeze they had a chance to meet and have fun together.

Of course this story brings to mind how people can behave. Such as sticking to their own neighborhoods and occasionally circumstances will bring them together and they get along and have fun.

~~~~~~~

"Autumn Dance" has sold.

View all available mosaics in my Etsy MosaicSmith shop:

https://www.etsy.com/shop/MosaicSmith?search_query=mosaic+art 

I also create original design silver jewelry:

http://MosaicSmith.com

Glass Mosaic Maple Leaf WIP

My Egret Mosaic is on the back burner for the moment waiting for my mosaic muse to be inspired again for that project.

Meanwhile, I have begun a project I've had kicking around in my head- working title is "Autumn Dance". A portion of this mosaic features a maple leaf and the following is a series of pictures showing the piecing of the glass in a portion of the leaf. Click on the small pics to view them larger.

 ~~~~~~~

"Autumn Dance" has sold.

View all available mosaics in my Etsy MosaicSmith shop:

https://www.etsy.com/shop/MosaicSmith?search_query=mosaic+art 

I also create original design silver jewelry:

http://MosaicSmith.com

Egret WIP

This is the first official WIP post for my egret mosaic. He is moving along slowly because, well, I must be a bit insane to use such tiny pieces. I find at this stage I can only work on him for an hour at a time.

Click on the picture for enlarged view.

The feathers are made from hand-nipped bits of vitreous glass in five shades from white through grey- I blogged about them earlier. The tiles in the photo are unglazed porcelain and I plan at the moment to use them for the beach background. The orange stained glass is for his beak- thanks Judy, that is a good match to his real color!

~~~~~~~

This mosaic is part of my personal collection. You can view it here: http://blog.mosaicsmith.com/2009/10/shading-grout.html

Prints are available from my page at Fine Art America: http://fineartamerica.com/artists/19+linda+smith

Available mosaic art: https://www.etsy.com/shop/MosaicSmith?search_query=mosaic+art 

I also create original design silver jewelry: http://MosaicSmith.com

Making a Mosaic Critter with a Pattern

Sometimes in my mosaics, I use a pattern to make a critter or other motif. This time I actually had a camera handy and I remembered to use it!

1. I do a little research to find a photo or drawing of what I'm interested in making. Then I will make my own sketch- this time I sketched it straight onto the hardibacker cement board I'm creating the mosaic on. The advantage of sketching here is that I can be sure my scale works. The eye location is marked with a black bead.

2. Tracing paper - cool low tech tool. Here I traced my sketch and cut it out. Next, not shown, I cut it apart on the inside of the lines to leave a bit of space for grout. I cut away the inside of the eye location.

3. All the little pieces then traced, using permanent marker, onto the selected piece of stained glass. Leave spaces for cutting/breaking. Carefully cut and break one line at a time. Here I made a long score first along the left of the head all the way from bottom to top of glass piece. Again, be sure to cut just to the inside of the marker lines.

4. I use a grinder for making holes for eyes. And sometimes for tweaking the shape of a piece. Here the bunny is dry fitted. Stained glass does not always cooperate and break precisely. Re-cutting a piece is often necessary, but sometimes you can work around the oops. Here, at the bunnies neck the glass did not want to make that full curve break. I dry fitted in clover and decided that actually added to the look of the bunny hiding in a clover patch. To further add to that effect, I nipped out a bit from the back of his leg.

And here is the completed picture:

This mosaic was made for the Etsy Mosaic Artists Spring Challenge. The theme is "On the Wings of Spring". My kids collaborated with me to come up with this fanciful interpretation of the theme.

In addition to the main rose, there is a tiny flock of roses and three more just about to join the fun from the field.

Click on the picture to view it full screen size.

I create original design silver jewelry too!! 
https://www.mosaicsmith.com/collections/all   or
https://www.etsy.com/shop/MosaicSmith

Horse Scene WIP

Update time.

November and December I devoted to making more clocks and mini ornaments for etsy, and to Christmas with my family.

Currently, I am working on a horse scene mosaic wall hanging for my mother-in-law's lanai.

This is about 24" x 36" on hardibacker board with an oak frame stained dark brown. I found a green with tan that worked nicely for the grass, especially since we have drought happening here in Florida. The front horse is a chestnut brown and the rear is soft grey. All the trees are intending to be live oaks. And this is a Florida scene so the barn has a nice tile roof. I just have to add in a blue sky and a cupola for the roof.

WIP- Rainbow Fish Clock

I've been working on this fish all weekend and he is coming out so fun and funky I wanted to share.

At this stage he is all pieced and glued down with thin-set.
And now I'm waiting for inspiration for how to piece the background. I have a nice piece of streaky blue/white that might work. My first thought had been a dark watery blue but it just seemed too dark and dreary for this fun guy.




A while back I was playing with shapes in my sketch book and doodled this fish looking at the clock in his belly. Fish are just such a classic thing to mosaic but I put off doing this one because I try to make my work unique and different.

He just kept calling to me so, with a few design tweaks inspired by a photo of Pumpkinseed fish (who knew there was such a cool looking fish in nature??), he is now coming to be.
He has great over sized eyes made from glass glob squiggles and 300+ 1/4 inch scales in a rainbow of colors. My favorite are the iridescent turquoise ones sprinkled in the top half. His face is pieced from scrap multicolor glass I had that went just right.

NFS

I create original design silver jewelry too!! 
https://www.mosaicsmith.com/collections/all   or
https://www.etsy.com/shop/MosaicSmith

New WIP- Dahlia Star Mosaic Clock

I thought I'd start off my blog with work in progress (WIP) pictures of my latest mosaic clock.

This mosaic is a bit of a departure for me since pink is usually NOT on my favorites list. Not that I hate it or anything but if you check my other work you see that I have a strong affinity for orange. So, because I know orange is a color that people have strong feelings about, I pulled out some other colors to play with. This came together from an inspiring magazine photo of a Dahlia, a clock works I had with great scroll hands and nice deep brown pieces I had left from another project. I just started playing. The color pieces are stained glass. The substrate is a 12" x 12" piece of concrete board attached with brass screws to a solid pine support frame.

The rest of the design evolved to solve the problem of how to indicate time- this is a clock after all. I hate clocks that make you guess too much. I always indicate at least where the hour numbers are in a creative way. My quilting background is showing here- I used a 12 point star of my own design and cut out little graph paper patterns. A sharpie is essential for marking glass- quilting rulers are fantastic with glass too.

Looks like I'm nearing the end now that the top glass is all laid out? Not quite. Next up is a date with a cup, or two, of thin-set mortar. Each piece is now individually back buttered with thin-set and put back into place. Popsicle sticks are wonderful. So are tweezers and dental probes. And that ruler was handy again to make sure the clock hour indicators were where they belong. The whole gluing process took about two hours. Well, that did include time using the grinder to fit the inner white triangles around the flower petals.

The clock hands are just laying on top to approximate the finished look. I'll grout this in white most likely. But first I need to add glass to the edges. I also need to paint the back of the mosaic to seal it and add the clock works and hanging wire. After it is grouted, I'll seal the grout as well. Then look for it for sale on etsy.

 ~~~~~~~

This clock has sold.

I create original design silver jewelry too!! 
https://www.mosaicsmith.com/collections/all   or
https://www.etsy.com/shop/MosaicSmith