Butter cat inspired me so much !!

14 years ago

Uh oh, Nice ..... you sparked a fire in me ~~ or ~~ I say Buttercat/AKA Butthead did !! LOL

I've never done a mosaic with the all the shadows like you're making .I usually use the swirls of color in the glass to highlight or shade. Seeing how you're doing it made me want to try one ! (It'll be different - I promise ! ) Can I ask a few questions ?

**Well Yeah - that was dumb - I could ask questions till I'm blue in the face*** The question is , will you help me ? LOL

1) Do you just cut a bunch of random shapes with different shades of color & lay them out & pick which one fits the best - or do you plan your cuts ?

2) Do you shake your peices to knock the sharp edges off ? When my friend makes mosaics , she runs the edges of each piece over a stone before she glues it. I suppose it equals out time-wise.

3) Last One !!!! You DO Grout ,don't you ? ( Your pieces fit so snug - I just had to ask ! )

4----- > This is the photo of what I chose to make my mosaic ----

The horse on the right.I'm a city girl with an unreal love for horse -- especially Clydesdales. Most of my glass stuff is horses ;)

Well -- there is my huge project . It's about 24" high x 10" wide. If there's any advice you can give , I'll be forever grateful !!!

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Comments (8)

nicethyme
14 years ago
well ALRIGHTY! you go on with your bad self! lol this is GREAT! when working off a photo like this, I first make a b&w copy

Yes, I plan my cuts by circling/outlining the different tones in the picture. that way the shading is described by seperate colors which would be in the simplest terms light,medium and dark. so my plan ends up looking like a paint by numbers only I decide the color and tone value as I get to each piece.

I do not grind, tumble or shake for artwork that is not meant to be utilized like an item. I have never been cut while grouting. If there is a particular piece that poses some danger I would just run over it with my knife sharpening steel (as I do for utilitarian pieces like my tables.

yes I always grout, its an important element to the design, parts of the cat are being defined by grout lines - whiskers... but further grout makes the whole thing make sense. When I made my daughter's portrait, The class host said she had thought that I had too many tiny pieces in the nose and then after I grouted she couldn't believe how great it looked and she never would have thought it would work out.

here's a before and after for you to see what I mean
toomuchglass
Original Author
14 years ago
What a difference grout makes !!! It's awesome.

I can't thank you enough for sharing your secrets with me ;) I've been cut while grouting before when I didn't knock off the edges. Now that I think of it - it was mainly on curved pieces . Sharp edges stuck up . Maybe having something flat makes a world of difference. When the grout lines are so small -- do you mix your grout thinner ? Boy - this is a leap for me !! LOL I can't wait to get at it !

***** Especially since my DH retired a month ago -- I need a place to hide . It's a whole new world having him here 24/7 . Thak Goodness for my craft room !!! LOL
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nicethyme
14 years ago
LOL I can understand hiding!

no, I have no problem with peanut butter consistency in sanded grout getting into all the groutlines and I worry about any wetter than that for fear of sinking as it dries.

Your natural inclination to use the grain in the glass is still very useful for this, its just that you want to separate the tonal values in the glass.
becky_ia
14 years ago
WOW! This is an awesome picture and I too have NEVER done anything so dramatic! But I think I may try!

Something I've learned while using stained glass in mosaics is to tumble it for a very short time in a rock tumbler.

Fill it 1/2 full of water, add a couple drops of dish soap; add the glass and let it tumble for about 20 minutes ...longer if I want smoother pieces. If you are looking for a beached glass look, then tumble all night.

It is amazing how soft the edges become and no problem of slicing fingers when grouting. I also use this method if I am working with children and mosaics.

becky
silvamae
14 years ago
Becky, I too have used that tumbling method many times. Here's something you might want to try just for fun. Take some glass that has the swirls and streaks in it and tumble it for 5 days. You will get a super smooth, worn finish and pieces that look like gem and mineral slices. Most of the time, though, I just hit the edges briefly with my kitchen sharpener.
Calamity_J
14 years ago
TMG! I can hardly wait to see your wip!!! I love horses too! When I was a little girl, I was obsessed about wanting a horse(my family were animal lovers), and one day an uncle commented about how I would like to ride a horse...WHAT?!! Ride It!? I couldn't believe he said that! I don't ride my dog or my cat...why would I ride my horse??LOL! Ya...I was "different"...even back then!heh heh!
toomuchglass
Original Author
14 years ago
The Clydesdale Ranch here is famous for their horses . They have Tours and then you get to pet them ---- OMG -- I was in heaven . I didn't want to leave ! LOL I remember having this HUGE head in front of me -- I reached up and started massaging her ears - her eyes closed and her massive head started drooping . As I was talking gently to her , she started nuzzling my whole face. Her lips went from the top of my head to my chin !! I'll never ever forget that big gentle velvety kiss. That was the highlight of my life ! This is a huge project for sure - but I'm really inspired now :)
nicethyme
14 years ago
the thing about tumbling... in this type of work, you have cut specifically to fit one spot... to pick it up and mix it with other pieces... is like trying to put a puzzle together after playing yatzee with it... Its what I face right now with Butter... and what I still haven't accomplished yet...

Do painters prepare for their art to be touched? I say if its wall art and not a utilitarian piece then I don't fret over it.