Something Fishy

I don't have any commissioned pieces in the queue at the moment, so I shall entertain myself with some practice pieces.  For this piece, I shall do a simple goldfish.  As it often happens, this project started with some doodle art during a meeting at work.  I actually enjoy my job and stay fairly engaged, but sometimes the note taking turns to doodling.

Fish Doodle

The next step is to take the idea or doodle and transfer it to a grid drawing.  I decided to make the fish a little more dimensional by having him turn to fact the camera.  He is very photogenic.

Something Fishy Grid Sketch

And now with a little color.

Something Fishy Grid Sketch with Color

After I transferred the sketch to the already prepared frame, I then started gluing on the glass mosaic tiles.  I started with the fish and then added the water plants.

Fish and Plants Glued.

And then I added some dark shadows on the ground underneath the fish and the water plants.

Shadows Glued.

Then I added some pebbles and water to the fish tank.

Pebbles and Water Glued.

Time to do some grouting.  As you can tell from this photo, I am using a gray grout (33% Black, 66% White).  I also protected the frame with some masking tape.  I started doing this to make cleanup easier.

Preparing to Grout

And here is the final product.  I give you "Something Fishy".

Something Fishy Final

Here are a few interesting goldfish facts courtesy of The Goldfish Tank.

Goldfish Fact #1: Goldfish don’t have stomachs!

Goldfish don’t have stomachs and should therefore be fed easily digestible food in lots of small feeding sessions, rather than lots of food at once. This is also why goldfish produce so much waste and why you need a filter to keep their water clean.

Goldfish Fact #2: Goldfish have been known to live for over 40 years!

This goldfish was said to be 45 years old.

Goldfish Fact #3: The collective noun for goldfish is “a troubling”

Just like you’d say “a herd of cows”, you’d say “a troubling of goldfish”!

Goldfish Fact #4: Goldfish can recognise people’s faces

Goldfish can tell different faces apart and are able to distinguish between different shapes, colors and sounds.

Goldfish Fact #5: Goldfish have a memory-span of at least three months

Many people say that goldfish have a memory of just a few seconds, but this is a myth! Goldfish have a memory span of at least three months!

Goldfish Fact #6: Goldfish can grow to over a foot long

Goldfish can be stunted by being kept in tanks that are too small for them and where the water quality is poor. This means that they don’t reach their full potential size. However, goldfish can grow to be over a foot long when kept in the right environment. Check out this massive goldfish!

Goldfish Fact #7: Selective breeding has led to a huge variety of goldfish shapes and colours

Humans have bred many different varieties of goldfish.

Goldfish Fact #8: Goldfish can’t close their eyes!

Goldfish have no eyelids, so they have to sleep with their eyes open!

Goldfish Fact #9: Goldfish have been kept as pets for over 2000 years

Keeping pet goldfish dates all the way back to ancient China!

Goldfish Fact #10: Goldfish can see more colors than humans can!

Goldfish don’t like to be kept in the dark and, unlike humans, they are able to see ultra-violet and infra-red light.

Making More Frames

Six Sets of Mosaic Frames

I spent some time cutting down some of the lumber I purchased last week into pieces for six sets of mosaic frames.  3 sets of 2' x 1' and 3 sets of 1' x 1'.  The actual dimensions of the pieces are 26.25" and 14.25". Click here to see how I cut these pieces and how they get assembled into frames.

Check out the final result of these frame pieces as they become mosaic art pieces in my Gallery.

Kokopelli

I'm working with a new client on a mosaic art piece.  At first I thought we were going to something with penguins, but her husband didn't like that idea.  Next she decided to do something with a Southwest theme.

I'm partial to penguins BUT [my husband] isn't, so it would need to be something Southwest in theme, like Kokopeli or cactus or coyote, etc. Whatever strikes the artist and whatever the artist can work into mozaic.

She sent this note to me several weeks ago.  I read it at the time and in my brain I logged it as Southwest theme and then continued to finish the other mosaic projects that I had in the Queue.  Well today, I finally got back around to this project and I re-read her note.  Cactus - OK.  Coyote - OK.  Kokopelli - What? What the heck is a Kokopelli.  Thank goodness for the internet.

According to Wikipedia - Kokopelli is a fertility deity, usually depicted as a humpbacked flute player (often with feathers or antenna-like protrusions on his head), who has been venerated by some Native American cultures in the Southwestern United States. Like most fertility deities, Kokopelli presides over both childbirth and agriculture. He is also a trickster god and represents the spirit of music.

Kokopelli Reference Drawing

Next I did a pencil drawing of a desert sunset and incorporated Mr. Fertility.  And I added shadows to everything.

Kokopelli Rough Draft

And then I added some desert sunset colors.

Kokopelli Rough Draft with color

Next we send to the client to get her approval and/or changes.

Update 12 Nov 13 - I received the following from my client.

"Jack I love the concept. You did a great job of researching kokopelli and then incorporating the Southwest theme. I also like the shadows idea. What colors are you planning to use?"

Here is what I was thinking for colors.

(Click on links below to see colors)
For the frame, I was thinking golden mahogany.  I used it for my fox mosaic.
Sky - Shades of purples (Iris, Fig, Pansy), Shade of Yellow (Citrus)
Cactus, Kokopelli, and Shadows - Night Black
Desert Floor - First Layer Terra Cotta, Second Layer Sand
Sun - China White

If you would like to change any or all of the colors, just tell me which company and which colors and I will order the colors you want.  The three tile companies I primarily use are Mosaic Mercantile, Opus Mosaics and Maryland Mosaics.

Now that the client has approved the colors, we prepare the frame and transfer the sketch.

Prepared Frame

Sketch Transferred to Frame

And here is the final piece.  A few days for the grout to dry and off it goes to its new home.

Kokopelli Final (Click on Photo for Larger View)

Creative Minds Are Rarely Tidy

Creative Minds Are Rarely Tidy

Creative Minds Are Rarely Tidy.  When I first started doing mosaic work, I sorted all of my different mosaic tiles into bins.  I was very organized.  But then as the creative mania overtook me, I spent less and less time sorting my materials.  Now the tiles pretty much remain in the plastic bags from the vendors until I use them.

Check out the result of what happens to these loose tiles in my Gallery.

Mini Bird Mosaic

This is the first of what I am calling my mini mosaic series.  My goal is to make some less expensive pieces for my customers who want a Jack Mast Mosaic, but can't plunk down the big bucks.   For this piece, I skipped all of the preliminary design work and sketched my drawing directly on the mini mosaic frame.

Bird Mosaic Drawing on Frame

And then I immediately started cutting and gluing.  For this piece I used inexpensive mosaic stones from Stone-By-Stone (SBS).  The entire piece took about one hour to cut and glue.

Bird Mosaic Gluing Complete

And here is my completed mini bird mosaic.

Check out some of my other mosaic art pieces in my Gallery.

How To Grout Your Mosaic

Now that we have cut and glued all of our tiles to the mosaic base, it is time to apply the grout. Before we begin though, here are a few helpful hints.

• Once we start the grouting process, we have to finish the job.  I often worry that I will get some important phone call during while grouting.  Once the grout dries, it is really really hard to clean up.
• Grout is a little dangerous because it contains concrete.  Concrete can harm you in two ways -- breathing its dust and contacting your skin. Therefore, please wear appropriate safety apparatus. Wear a mask to prevent inhaling the dust.  Wear gloves and eye protection to keep the grout off of your skin.  
• No matter how careful you are, grouting is messy work.  Don't attempt to grout your work on the dinning room table.  I'm not saying whether or not I have actually made that mistake.

Now to begin grouting:

Step 1 - Collect Your Tools - Collect up all of the required tools and equipment before you start mixing the grout.  The clock starts ticking the minute the water hits the grout. Here are the things we will need:

• Grout ~ sanded or unsanded.  Use sanded for gaps of 1/8 inch or larger.  If you are only doing a small project, you can use the small containers of grout sold in the craft store.  Otherwise, I recommend buying a larger bag at Lowes or Home Depot.  It is a lot more cost effective.
• Mixing container.
• Wooden paint stick or spoon for mixing grout 
• Latex gloves to protect your hands. Grout is caustic and will dry out and possible irratate your skin.
• Mask - Use will mixing to prevent getting concrete dust in your lungs.  
• Safety glasses to make sure you don't splash concrete into your eyes.
• Small float ~ you can substitute this with a stuff rubber spatula.
• Bottled water ~ Use bottled water if you have funky tap water. In some areas, tap water can slightly discolor your grout. You only need a small amount of bottled water for mixing the grout.
• Paper towels - To clean up the mess you will make.  Notice I didn't say "If" you make a mess.
• Pail or bucket ~ fill with tap water
• Plastic sheets for covering table work surface or floor surface.

Step 2 - Put on your safety gear.

Mask and Eye Protection

Latex Gloves

Step 3 - Mix the grout - You will need about 1 pound of grout for each square foot.  I like to mix different colors of grout to get exactly the shade I am looking for.  For example two parts white and one part black gives you a medium gray color grout.  Or you can just do it the easy way and buy exactly the color of grout that you wanted from the store.

Add dry grout to mixing container

The we add the water.  We are looking for grout that is the consistency of peanut butter.  Not too dry and not too soupy.  Just add a small amount of water at a time and keep mixing until you get the consistency that you want.

Mixing Grout

Step 4 - Apply the Grout - Next we apply the grout to the mosaic.  I like to start by dropping portions of grout in the center and in the corners of the mosaic.

Next we use our float to work the grout into all of the nooks and crannies.

Grout applied to mosaic

Step 5 - Clean up the Tile - Next we alternate between a wet sponge and paper towels to remove the grout from the surface of the tiles.  Be careful not to press too hard.  We just want to remove the grout from the surface and not the grout lines between the tiles.

Paper Towel

Wet Sponge

Step 6 - Admire your handiwork

Completed Project

Step 7 - Stop Admiring your handiwork and quickly clean up all of your tools and your work space before the grout that you slopped around everywhere hardens.

Check out some of my other mosaic art pieces in my Gallery.

Covered Bridge

I started working on a new commissioned piece.  For this piece, my client provided me with some specific reference photos.  These photos are from the Pennsylvania Covered Bridges website.  My client has fond memories of playing on similar covered bridge as a child in Somerset County, Pennsylvania and wanted to capture this memory as a mosaic.

Client Reference Photo #1

Client Reference Photo #2

As part of the process, I discussed with my client what she liked and what she didn't like about the photos in order to come up with a composite sketch.  In short, my client liked the profile of bridge #1, the coloring of bridge #2, the fall foliage of bridge #1, and wanted to remove the trees from the foreground of bridge #1. Based on that we started with a sketch that captured the profile of bridge #1 and filled in the missing parts that were obscured by the foreground trees.

Initial Composite Sketch Covered Bridge

Next we added some color.  We used the general color scheme of bridge #2 and added in some fall foliage. We also added in some water which wasn't visible in the original photo.

Covered Bridge drawing with color added

As this is a commissioned piece, my next step was to get my clients approval of the drawing.  I think that I met her expectation for this step because she stated, 

"Jack, the drawing that you sent was perfect.  I like the one you chose.  Looking forward to seeing the finished mosaic."

So there you have it.  Next I transferred the drawing to the already prepared mosaic frame.  And once again, I must be doing something right because I received more positive feedback from my client.

"Jack, looks good so far, I really like the color of the frame.  Very excited!!"

Covered Bridge Drawing Transferred to Mosaic Frame

Now I start the cutting and gluing.  The framework of the bridge was very time consuming (1.5 hours), but that part is now done.  The rest of the project should be easy in comparison.

Covered Bridge White Framework Completed

It has been a busy week and I haven't had much of an opportunity to work on this piece.  But I finally got a chance to spend some quality time on it this evening.  After about 5 hours of cutting and gluing, I am now approaching the half way point.  The trees and sky will actually be easier since they will mostly be triangles. Triangles are easy to cut and glue together.

Covered Bridge about half way glued

The last bit of cutting and gluing I have to do on the project is the fall foliage.  For this portion of the project, I am using Canary, Meadow, Bright Green and Pumpkin cut into triangles.

Cut Tiles for Trees

I finally finished cutting and gluing the covered bridge piece.  It took about 12 hours to cut and glue this piece.

Covered Bridge Cutting and Gluing Complete

And this piece is complete.  A couple of days of drying and off it goes to its new home.

Covered Bridge Mosaic Final

Check out some of my other mosaic art pieces in my Gallery.

Tile Colors for this project
Bridge - Tomato, China White, Night Black
Abutment - Mini Slate
Grass - Meadow and Bright Green Mix
Trees - Oak, Canary, Pumpkin, and Bright Green
Sky - Sky Blue
Water - Deep Blue
Road - Sand