05 January 2011

Mosaic Tiles


I thought I would spend a the first couple of weeks of the New Year doing something different for a change, before I resume making more HANGAs. Here are some mosaic tiles that I have thoroughly enjoyed making.

My original reason for turning to polymer clay was to make mosaic tiles but somehow this has got pushed aside as the Art-Brooches and HANGAs have developed. I am currently making more tiles and have several projects to use them on, such as photo frames and photo album covers, as well as just for artwork. I will post some photos as these get completed.

7 comments:

  1. Hello

    These tiles are great!

    I am looking to make a mosaic mirror with a giraffe on it. I thought of using clay to make the giraffe spots. After I make the shapes, I was wondering if they would need to be sealed somehow before using them? when you go to grout the mosaic would it spoil the clay pieces?

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  2. Hi there. If you are using normal tile grout, the sand in it will cause small scratches on the surface of the polymer tiles - but you only really notice this when doing close-up shots with a camera.

    If you are using coloured polymer clay, this is not a problem as the scratches can easily be sanded, after the grout has dried, with finer grades of wet 'n' dry sandpaper and the tiles buffed to a nice sheen.

    If you are painting the tiles, using mica powders, metal leaf, foils or other such finishes, the surface does need to be sealed to protect it. You can use various appropriate sealers or rebake with a thin layer of liquid polymer clay or transluscent polymer clay.

    I hope this helps - please feel free to ask if you have any more queries.

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  3. In reply to your second question, these tiles are not painted. They are made with coloured polymer clay. You can mix the coloured clay entirely, to make a complete new colour, or partially like most of these tiles to create the marbled/streaky effect.

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  4. Can I make mosaic from tiles on clay? Do I need glue?

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    Replies
    1. Hi Bijana - I am not sure I understand your intention. I have made my own mosaic tiles from polymer clay. They can be stuck with PVA glue and then grouted (for indoor decorative use only). You can also press the made tiles onto some rolled out polymer clay and bake again.

      If you are talking about using glass or ceramic tiles with polymer clay, I have not done this myself but I imagine you could press pieces into raw polymer clay and bake but they may work loose. It would be better to remove the pieces after baking and glue them back in place, as using polymer clay is not the same as setting in grout, but this would be very time consuming.

      I am not sure if I have answered your question here?

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