Work in Progress…

I’m putting a page here so that I can keep track of what I am doing even though I am reporting on it in the blog.

Project #1: MIRROR

This is the mirror I am doing at my night classes. The night classes are dictating the speed of everything else as I am waiting to learn how to do the various techniques!

The original idea or at least the second original idea! I originally drew a border with intertwining vines but it wasn’t quite right. So during the week between classes I had a think and came up with this after looking at Tongan ngatu patterns. I figure that if I can draw it that I can probably mosaic it.

Remind me never to use pool tiles again. Boy, are they hard to break!

Put the turtle too close to the right edge. Need to think about the border…

Finally the turtle is all stuck down. I’ve laid out the border and found a way of getting around the right side – Yay! The mirror will go on the left but I need to take a cm off the top so that it will fit first. Now I have to think about how to do the background so that it looks like sand or water…

The light coloured pieces have been arranged and now need to be stuck down.

All stuck down, nothing has fallen off [for better or for worse…]. Next week? GROUT.

The grout is a mid grey sanded grout. Just the stuff available at Bunnings.

Here’s the detail of the turtle.

and finally…

It’s by no means perfect but I went into these classes meaning to have fun [tick!], to learn something about mosaic techniques [tick] and to see if I enjoy the process [Big tick LOL].

And I’m quite proud of that turtle!

Project #2: PLANTER STOOL

Wanting to explore the ngatu motifs again…

Need to spraypaint the stool black and work it out from there…

Nothing has been stuck down yet.

Using tiles from the tip and glass found on the beach. The paint will be leftovers already in the garden shed.

Status: currently abandoned.

Project #3: TRIVET

I think I need to check how porous the sandy coloured tile is. It is so soft and crumbly that I am worried that it may be quite porous and may suck up the colour of the grout.

Finally decided on a taupe grout and this is how it looks:

PROJECT #4: TRIVET

I need something quite to polish off the time at night classes. So a trivet is ideal. But definitely not blue and off-white. I need COLOUR!

So a big cheerful flower. I’m going to attempt to do a bit of the Roman thing by outlining the flower so that I can have a bit of practice at that.

Here’s the latest on the trivet. The colours on my monitor look a bit weird so the flour is basically red and yellow with oranges and other yellow shades included. The frame is that dark midnight blue, taupe and black with the outline being a maroon colour and the background in various shades of green. Now it needs grouting.

PROJECT #5:

I’ve been playing with these glass tiles and nipping them with my nippers since my glass cutters have not yet arrived. Something to do while watching the world cup late at night.

The picture is inspired by the pictures in the children’s book “Big Rain Coming”. The colours used here are totally different and so it looks very different. I’d like to use the pics in that book with tiles that actually approximate the colours in the book. The tile adhesive is Aquadhere which dries clear. I will probably use a grey grout.

I’m not enamoured of the colours here. Too pastel for my liking. I grouted this last night. The grout has a tendency to get stuck in the holes in the vitreous tile to some extent. I used a little vinegar to try to remove this a bit more but it does make the pic look more murky. Those nice camel tan coloured tiles end up as a murky brown as a result which was disappointing. what was interesting was that any glue that may have dried on top of the tile ended up reconsituting itself when exposed to the wet grout. Wasn’t expecting that.

Hate the mosaic but it was a useful exercise.

PROJECT 6: Tabletop

Since my 2 year old managed to break the glass tabletop on my coffee table, I need to make a new table top. The measurements are a very convenient 2 ft x 3 ft. I will use a thick plywood. I had thought about AC sheeting but its too thin to sustain anything placed on it.

I think I will use an Aboriginal type design on it.

Status: abandoned – for now…

PROJECT #7: TERRACOTTA POT

This is a work in progress shot. I wanted to do a pot to see what it is like to do non-flat surfaces. I’ve used handcut mirror squares left over from my fish, some glassbeads I bought from Woolies, white Italian ceramic tile for the plant outline, tesserae cut from some old saucers I picked up at the tip for the blue and left over pieces from the fish in blue and yellow.

No idea how I am going to do the plant itself and the actual grout colour ;)!

Grouted, originally uploaded by GeoWombats.

PROJECT #8: FISH

I want to do a lazy susan or circular tray with three interlocking fish.

Current status: Still dreaming about this one!

Project #9: STEPPING STONE 

My mola fish stepping stone.

Newly grouted, originally uploaded by GeoWombats.

 Project #10: SPA BOX LID

Spa box lid, originally uploaded by GeoWombats.

Project #11: HOUSE NUMBER

The close up view, originally uploaded by GeoWombats.

House number, originally uploaded by GeoWombats.

Project #12: MOTHER’S DAY TRIVET

Work in progress.JPG, originally uploaded by GeoWombats.

trivet, originally uploaded by GeoWombats.

This one was a gift for an internet buddy in PA. Don’t ask about the postage!