Do the reverse or indirect method. Use brown paper or mesh.

There's a good tutorial here.

Thanks mosaicwench...but I'm thinking it's too intricate for the process and my skill level...or lack there of.
Anything else come to mind?

I am not sure if this would work. You will have to try it on a scrap piece of mirror and be sure to test it with a little welbond on it too because that might change things.

There is a marker quilters use that disappears in hours or? Do not rember the time frame. Some of it just goes away some goes away with moisture. This is why I am not sure what would happen with the welbond. If you were to draw out your full pattern and then register it on your mirror in several places. Then mark a section at a time to glue down. If it is the disappearing marker you need to work fast and figure out how much open working time you have.

It has been awhile since I quilted and all my markers have dried up or I would try it for you. They are not expensive and if it does not work you could use them to write love notes to hubby. Hehehehe

Chris

Disappearing ink!!! I love it! Very creative thinking. May not work on this project
though I'll definitely look into it. But other
ideas are popping into my head :)
Linlee

Wing it w/o markings. If you can mark it w/marker, I'll bet you can do it w/out - just design as you go. Try a dry run - lay them out and see where you go w/it w/o marking.

hummmmm...sounds radical.
Not usually the "winger" type.

1. Do your drawing on a piece of paper the same size as your mirror, with a grid on your paper.
2. Put your glass (without glue) on the paper pattern. 3. Lay your mirror on a piece of paper with grid marks at the same intervals around the outside of your mirror.
4. Lay your pieces in, keeping your pieces matched gridline for gridline.
5. Yell at me if this makes no sense :)

Doing the reverse or indirect method is no harder than the direct - it's actually a little more forgiving! It just takes an extra step in turning the pattern over.

could you draw on the mirror with weldbond(maybe with a paint brush)?(just an idea never tried it) p

I'm thinking the indirect too..except instead of flipping the mosaic over onto the mirror, flip the mirror onto the mosaic (after you've applied glue to the mosaic back)
I would be afraid of losing some or all of the pieces doing it the other way. But I've never tried it!!
Good Luck!!

Linlee, here is anoth great tutorial on the reverse indirect. Click the 5 works in progress link on the left, then look at the bottem two - Medusa and a tray I think... both very thoroughly shown.

Here is a link that might be useful: Hanna Crois tutorials

Wow!! Thanks for that link NT. Lots of good info and inspiration there. Gonna bookmark that one.

Thank y'all for the ideas.
I think I may try a combo of some of them. Grid the pix
and grid the mirror using a silver sharpie, just for orientation,
but layout the glass on a copy of the pix as if I were going to do indirect but instead wing-it using the grid.
I'm just not ready for indirect yet...it skers me.
And I wouldn't be able to flip the mirror as it's in an extremely heavy wood frame of 39"x36".

This is the frame, it has a shiny nickel wash so it's hard to photograph.

The drawing is of a Luna Moth...I like bugs. Although the frame is kinda peacock looking, I thought that it also had the same feel as the moth.

Veeerrry nice! I'm sure it will be another Linlee masterpiece!!!

Do the middle first. Then you can work back and forth from right to left to keep things symmetrical. Winging is scary...If you dreamed up the idea, you can accomplish the dream! (I think I have been breathing too many grout fumes today; that last line was pretty cheeseball.)

put the drawing on cardboard, hang it from the ceiling over the mirror and work on the reflection

I awoke an hr. ago (it's 4:26 here) w/what would be a solution for ME. Draw it out on your mirror w/magic marker. Lay your tiles out a line at a time, pick up a piece, w/a Q-tip and alcohol erase a couple spaces, glue the pieces down. You're erasing as you go as well as cleaning as you go cuz the alcohol dries instantly. Hope this is clear.

Thanks again, but I think I'm just going to replace the mirror with glass...it's giving me a headache AND
keeping me up all night. :o(

On another note: While looking up adhesives I
found a site with pix of different adhesives drying.

www.shangri-la-studio.com/GLUE_TEST.html

Thought it was interesting.
Linlee

Ok, maybe I haven't given up yet. I was just reading about large scale transfer paper. And can actually find it locally. It says that it also transfers to glass.
(we more mature people -those over 25 I'm thinkin'- used to call the stuff carbon paper) Took me awhile to find
since they went and changed the name on me.

You GO GIRL!

LOL I asked a teen working at Michaels for carbon paper and got a blank stare, then he had the good sense to describe what I wanted. I was refered to the office and guess what? They don't carry it!! They said to check Office Depot!

Wait a minute... what if you got a thin piece of clear glass (like what's used in framing) cut to the size of the mirror. Mosaic that, then place it on top the mirror!

I'm beginning to think you're making fun of me now :o)
Hang it from the ceiling is my personal fave.

in my defense, I am on my 3rd day of nicotine withdrawl and my brain is all mucked up! but seriously - I can see myself hanging the drawing from the ceiling!

ahhhhh I see, nicotine...good luck to you.
It is possible.
I'm on year 9.

ah the differences between possible and plausible...

what you're really trying to tell me is that your brain is still all mucked up even after 9 years! LOL (wink)

hahaha...not from lack of nicotine...most likely it
was replacing the cigs with chardonnay that mucked me up.;o)

Back OT for a sec: My decision on substrate was made
for me after I noticed that the corner of the mirror
was broken.
I just got back from ordering the new glass.
Went with laminated instead of tempered.
The glass guy said that if in the future the picture
became fractured it wouldn't break into big shards
or crash crystals but stay in place.
Thought I'd give it a go.

cool, glad that's solved now we can all get some sleep! LOL

chardonnay huh... hmmmm