Beginner's Guide to Mosaics

Book excerpt: Use brilliantly colored, beautiful tiles to craft stunning mosaic projects--even if you've never tried this age-old technique before. Sixteen creative projects, arranged in order of increasing difficulty, enable you to learn the various techniques and methods of working. Start by making a trivet using standard size tiles in a limited palette, and when you are ready to try cutting tiles, work on an eye-catching picture frame. Experiment with the "reverse method" while making a table top, and incorporate found objects into a flying bird design. The final projects in the collection focus on techniques that seem complicated but are actually simple, such as casting a slab for a garden and making waterproof items like a birdbath. All the necessary information is fully explained, including choosing tiles, surfaces, and adhesives cutting tiles, applying glue, the direct and reverse methods of mosaic, casting, grouting, laying tiles, and cleaning and finishing.