Mosaic Art - Materials And Supplies

Shards can be used to create all kinds of art: jewelry, wall or window art, for decorating furniture or sprucing up all kinds of items, including garden ornaments.

You will need the following materials:
- Assortment of china and pottery plates, cups, etc.
- Tile nippers and/or a hammer
- Multipurpose ceramic tile adhesive (mastic)
- Colored sanded grout,
- Craft sticks the size of popsicle sticks
- Dust mask for nose and mouth
- Rubber gloves
- Plastic container
- Dry rags

If you don't have any shards, you can buy starter kits online, but it is probably cheaper to buy remnants of tiles at the store or pottery at a yard sale and have a blast smashing that.

There are lots of books, videos, software and supplies available online as well as in the stores. Try to be creative though and save anything that might be a possibility to incorporate in your art.

If you like to get the hang of it, it would be good to start out easy with this step by step terra cotta flower pot, which I found online:

To come up with a design, just use your imagination and keep in mind that anything goes. If you don't have any or enough shards, you can smash old dishes or pottery to pieces and use them as they break. For a precise and controlled cut you can use tile nippers. It is recommended to wrap the pieces in rags before you start smashing and to wear eye and hand protection for safety.

The best way to glue the shards on to the pot is by applying the adhesive to the back of each shard with a popsicle stick and then press it onto the exterior of the flower pot. Once you are done, let the pot dry for at least 24-48 hours, depending on the size and weight of the items you used, before grouting it.

Sanded grout is more durable than unsanded and it will prevent the shards from being scratched. You can either color it yourself or buy pre-colored grout. Use your dust mask while mixing the grout. Apply the grout to the entire surface of the pot, cover the shards fully and press it in the cracks between the pieces.

Let the grout set for about 10 minutes and then take of all the access grout. Wear gloves and remove the main portions of grout from the pot with your hands. The smaller craft sticks lend themselves well to remove the grout from the more detailed areas. Once you are done and happy with the result, use a terry cloth towel to wipe off any left over dust from each shard and your masterpiece is done.

It may not be a bad idea to use weather resistant sealer on the in and outside of the pot. That may prevent it from falling to pieces. :-)