Mosaics: The Pattern Companion Book Review

AllCrafts.net Arts & Crafts Book Review
Mosaic: The Pattern Companion
Learn how to do mosaics and improve your mosaic projects.

The pattern companion is a modest title for a book that is much more. Yes, it does include patterns for every project, along with photos of the steps involved. Those sections are after the very complete general directions on mosaic. There's something for all skill levels. It is very thorough.

I was impressed with the chapters on supplies and tools. Lots of photos and a good discussion of the pros & cons of each material and their uses. The plan layout instructions show how to create or copy a design and how to transfer your design to an item, even a 3-D object.

The small pieces used in mosaic are called tesserae and can be many types of materials. The illustrated cutting techniques explore irregular shapes, common shapes and leaves. The section on making your own gold leaf glass was very interesting. I also liked their discussion of grouts and adhesives. One great ideas was to use an adhesive other than grout - just sprinkle beads or glitter between the tessearae. The general instructions finish with a helpful trouble-shooting section.

The projects are divided by technique and increase in complexity through the book. In the direct method, the mosaic is applied to the object. Probably the easiest way to begin. Learning the next technique, the indirect method, expands the items that you can cover with mosaic. Profuse photos illustrate how to make your mosaic design on another material and transfer it to the final object.

Another chapter discusses the very popular method of picasiatte, the technical name for using broken china or found objects as your mosaic pieces. Broken china is how many of us rediscovered mosaics, and it's a lot of fun. One of my favorite chapters is on garden projects. They cover specific techniques for outdoor mosaics. Great projects.

The final and most complex chapter covers armatures & constructed bases. One example of this technique is a gorgeous reflecting bird bath with mosaic perches extending over the water.

The projects range from simple to complex. They include a clock, mirrors, frames, a lovely flamingo design, a stained glass lampshade, picture under glass mosaic, dog portrait, cake stand, house number, mosaic accent brick, looking glass garden stake, strawberry planter with attached teacups and creamers, and a lot more.

If you are interested in learning mosaics or want to take your mosaic projects to the next level, this book is great.
7/15/2005 | Permalink | Email this to a Friend