Lessons Learned

One main objective of this blog was to provide a source of information for other beginner mosaicists. If I could openly discuss my mistakes, maybe someone else will avoid them. I may be overly optimistic that more then five people ever read my blog, but nonetheless, I'll list a few things I learned from my first real project.

1) Always have a plan. Draw out your design. Determine the colors and plan for the size of the tiles. In fact, I've taken to pulling out that elementary "Color Wheel" just to help me pick out the right colors. To this end, I purchased a sketch pad, some charcoal and color pencils, erasers (lots of erasers), a straight edge, a compass and pencil sharpeners.

2) Prepare your backing. Make sure that you choose the backing for your project carefully. I used 3/4" (20mm) plywood, which provided a thick heavy backing. Thankfully it was thick enough that the wood did not warp with the application of the tiles or the grout. However, I should have prepared the wood with a sealer. The usual recommendation for wood is a 50/50 mix of glue (I used Weldbond) and water. This would have effectively prevented the wood from absorbing any water.

3) Seal your ceramic tiles before you apply them. It works better to seal them before you apply, because sealing them after you've put them on the board adds more water to the project than necessary, is less troublesome and protects the tiles from picking up defects during the construction of your work.

4) Show your work. Maybe I'm wrong, but when you show off your work, you feel a little bit exposed. After all, what you have created is an extension of who you are, and when you put your work out there for display, you are displaying yourself. Being a self-avowed introvert, the act of putting pics of my work online and then asking my friends to take a look (www.muddyrivermosaic.com) , was a bit disconcerting. However, all of my friends and family have been more than gracious and extremely encouraging. I've yet to determine, what percentage of their encouragement was simply being nice and what percentage was the result of a genuine "Wow" response. In the end, it really doesn't matter. It is unrealistic to expect everyone to like what you've created, but hopefully a few will.

5) Be planning your next project. For better or for worse, I'm always one or two projects ahead. I think this is a good plan. Keep some ideas for your next project bouncing around. If you mess up on your current project (and I'm sure you will - as I do), then you can encourage yourself to improve your skill on the next one.

6) Don't be afraid. Lastly, don't hesitate to get started. Don't worry if your project doesn't work out. The only one who loses at this game is the one who wants to start, but doesn't. Send me a message about your website, I'll be happy to come take a look and leave a word of encouragement.