Mosaic Tile Project
Vocabulary to ComeBRING IN AN EMPTY VEGETABLE TIN CAN!
Or bring in a flower pot! We will create a design with the work sheets first, carefully working out the color scheme and the pattern. After the plan is complete, then we will begin work gluing our tiles down. |
Watch these videosStudents will supply a base for the mosaic tile of their choice; Please bring in a simple tin can of any desired size or clay type flower pot. Work as small or large as you feel comfortable.
Finished containers can be used as pencil/pen holders, flower pots, vases. |
History of Mosaic Art Work:A mosaic is a piece of art or image made from the assemblage of small pieces of colored glass, stone, or other materials. It is often used in decorative art or as interior decoration. Most mosaics are made of small, flat, roughly square pieces of stone or glass of different colors, known as tessarae . Some, especially floor mosaics, are made of small rounded pieces of stone, and called "pebble mosaics". Mosaic is an art form dating back to ancient times. It involves placing small pieces of pebble, stone, shell, tile, glass or other material (called tesserae) together to form a pattern. The designs may be abstract or representational. Many of the methods and techniques of thousands of years ago are still used today.
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By 600 BC the Greeks were producing mosaic floors. They would gather pebbles, smoothed by water, and use the varying shades and shapes to create wonderful geometric patterns. From there they moved to creating more representational mosaics and introducing more colors and shading. They also moved, from only using water smoothed pebbles, to stones and colored glass. Plus they began making the tesserae of more regular size for ease of use. Around the third century BC the Greek mosaic artists began doing more figural work. With mythological subjects or hunting and other scenes depicting pursuits of the wealthy were common.
Mosaic art continued to flourish in Roman times. There are many sites in Europe today that still have examples of mosaic floors from Roman times. This is a testament to the durability of the material and the art. Romans also used decorative mosaics for walls, fountains and more. Smaller tesserae, more colors and more shades were also introduced during this period. The Romans continued with the same general design and subject matter of the Greeks. They did some basic figural work but it wasn’t until the rise of Christianity that figural wall mosaics really became popular. During this time there were 2 basic methods of creating mosaics. The first, opus vermiculatum, used small tesserae, usually cubes of 4mm or less, and were produced in workshops, glued lightly to a temporary surface and then transported to the site and installed. This form allowed for greater detail in the mosaic and resulted in a more “painterly” final product. The more common method, opus tessellatum, used larger tesserae and would be laid on site.
With the rise of Christianity there was an explosion in mosaic art. Christians adapted the wall and ceiling mosaic forms for use in churches. Many of their images were representative style and mostly of a religious theme. They would often use expensive materials, such as gold and gems, to inspire their worshippers. Many of these mosaics are still in existence and viewable by the public in European churches. During the Renaissance mosaics, as an art form waned when painting became a more popular art form.
Mosaics are not only found in Europe. They are in North Africa, the Middle East and Latin America. In the Middle East they are found in both the Jewish and Muslim cultures. Jewish synagogues were decorated with classical floor mosaics. They used geometric patterns, biblical scenes and other images. Mosaics have been uncovered dating back to the 5th & 6th centuries. In South Arabia sites have been found with mosaic work dating back to the 3rd century. Their mosaics were of incredible geometric patterns and shading. They were used on floors, walls and on furniture. Mosaics have also been found in several Latin America cultures. They used turquoise, other stones and precious metals.
In the 1700”s micro mosaics became popular. These were small pictures using very small pieces of tesserae. They usually depicted scenes in Europe, were very detailed and contained several thousand tesserae per square inch. In the 1800’s the Indirect Method of creating a mosaic was developed. Tesserae are applied face-down to a backing paper using an adhesive. This is done in the studio, and then the completed piece is transported to the installation site. Here it is adhered to the final site and the backing paper is removed from the face.
Today mosaics are still a popular art form. They are used in kitchen glass tile mosaic back-splashes, craft projects, garden art, as fine art, sculpture, park benches and also in public art. With mosaics you can create beautiful art work that is durable and low maintenance.
VOCABULARY FOR OUR MOSAIC TILE PROJECT:
Adhesive - the medium used to stick the mosaic tile to the base of the mosaic.
Base – the surface on which the mosaic is installed. Can be prepared wood,
concrete, concrete board, or any stable, cured and prepared surface.
Back buttering – a technique in which adhesive is applied to the underside of the tesserae as well as or instead of the base. Back buttering helps to fill to the
level of thinner tesserae so that all the glass is firmly attached to the base.
Cartoon – a pattern or line drawing to use in piecing the mosaic artwork.
Ceramic tiles are made from thin layers of fired clay. They are a popular mosaic material on account of the wide range of colors available and the fact that many types of tile can be easily cut and shaped with standard tools, such as TILE CUTTERS and TILE NIPPERS.
Curing – the process of drying out cement
Grout - the material used to fill in the gaps, or interstices, between the mosaic tesserae. It is an important choice (color of grout is a vital artistic choice with an enormous impact on the final mosaic) in the mosaic process. It will unify the design as well as protect and stabilize the mosaic.
Mortar – this adhesive is made from cement, sand and water used to adhere tesserae to the base.
MOSAIC - a picture or pattern produced by arranging together small colored pieces of hard material, such as stone, tile, or glass.
Sealing – a solution that is applied to grout and other porous materials to create a water seal.
Tesserae – the pieces or materials used in mosaic.
Thin set – cement based adhesive that is also called mortar.
The ancient city of Zeugma in Turkey yielded one of the richest troves of Roman mosaics ever uncovered