Category: Improving Your Art
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How To Estimate Mosaic Colors Using Photoshop Elements
Irregular Shapes It’s easy to estimate the total area of a rectangular or circular mosaic using our tile estimator, but it can be much more difficult if the shape of the mosaic is irregular. In fact, most of the individual color fields in a mosaic are arranged in irregular shapes, unless you are doing an…
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The Importance of Small Experiments in Art
In my previous post about how to use found objects in mosaic art, I made the claim that small experiments done before you start a large project do not require any extra time because of the time they save on the project itself. I wish I could emphasize how true this is. Here is how…
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How To Make A Home Mosaic Art Studio
Avoid Studio Obsession Setting up and organizing your studio or corner workspace can become an end unto itself and just one more thing that keeps you from working on your art. Keep in mind that great works of art have been created under terrible working conditions and with minimal tools and equipment. The most important…
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How To Color Grout
This article is about coloring grout for mosaic art before the grout is applied. This article isn’t about staining grout for bathroom backsplashes. From what I’ve read, staining bathroom grout doesn’t tend to last but has to be refreshed within a year or two. If I wanted to change gout color, I would remove the…
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How To Photograph Mosaic Art and Paintings
Not too long ago, I included a request in our email newsletter for customers to send us pictures of their mosaic art. I was pleasantly surprised by how incredibly good some of the mosaics were, but I was more than a little bit disappointed to see how poor some of the photographs were. To be…
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The Importance Of Small Uniform Grout Gaps In Mosaic Art
A common mistake made in first mosaics is a variation in the width in gaps between the tiles which results in the details of some areas being “lost” in concrete once the mosaic is grouted. The problem is a little sneaky because it isn’t visible until the mosaic is actually grouted, and so an artist…
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How To Fix Grout Mistakes
In my previous post, I wrote about how to remove and replace glass mosaic tile to make changes to a mosaic before you grouted it. I also explained why it was good to display the mosaic for a few weeks before grouting so that you had a chance to see the mosaic as a whole…
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Procrastination Before Grouting Is A Virtue
The Pace of Art Taking time to reflect on what you are doing can be the difference between producing a mediocre work of art and a great work of art. All too often, we miss opportunities to make something really wonderful because we are too concerned with just getting the job done. When we work…
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How To Change A Mosaic Before Grouting (Or Afterward)
Already Grouted? If you have already grouted your mosaic, you can still use these instructions, but you will first need to remove the grout using a grout removal tool, which is normally used to scrape grout from the gaps between glazed ceramic tile. It may take a little more care with glass, but this tool…
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Keeping Art Fresh
You Can’t Force Freshness To make it as a professional artist, you have to keep your art fresh and always be enthusiastic about working on it. The easiest way to do that is to keep a variety of media in your studio and move between them as needed. Yes, you need to have discipline and…