Decoration, miscellaneous objects, table ... The mosaic in addition to being a "simple" creative hobby has the advantage of being relatively affordable, from a technical and financial point of view, but above all it allows multiple creations that can come brighten up home interior and daily accessories.
It goes without saying that this decorative art has always existed:born in Mesopotamia, perfected in Carthage and generalized throughout Roman times, mosaics have been practiced since the 3rd century BC. AD! Originally, colored clay cones and ceramic bricks, stone, marble, glass paste or interlocking semi-precious stones were used... The mosaic reappeared with the Art Nouveau movement, and commonly constitutes today of shards of colored stone, enamel, glass or ceramic, assembled to form patterns.
A simple drawing kit (ruler, eraser, pencil) to trace the patterns. A sharpening pliers (in hobby and/or plastic arts stores), the only specific and essential accessory. Glue, tile or wood, and joint powder (in DIY stores) to assemble everything. Mosaic tiles, finally, can be bought by the kilo in specialized stores or on the Internet.
It is good to start with a flat and fairly rigid surface:to make a trivet or a tray for example, the ideal is to get a simple piece of plywood. If nothing prevents you from learning on your own, it is always better to attend a few hours of lessons at least, to learn the basics, which are quickly assimilated. To start at home, you can find mosaic kits in creative hobby stores that contain everything you need to create a first object:support and tiles, glue, joint, all this step by step.
The procedure is always the same:the tiles are broken to the desired dimensions using the cutting pliers. We draw marks on the chosen support, according to the desired figures and patterns. Glue the pieces according to these, starting from the edges, and leaving as little space as possible between each fragment. Let it dry for twenty-four hours. Then prepare the joint paste:a few spoons of powder with a little water, pour the mixture on the mosaic, clean the excess with a damp sponge. To finish, wipe with a clean, dry cloth.
To find courses and mosaic courses of all levels, nothing beats socio-cultural or neighborhood associations, which welcome young and old during the day and in the evening. Otherwise, sites like courdescreateurs.com offer a wide choice of creative hobbies, but also make-up, cooking, sewing… with or without a subscription. All you have to do is register, all the information is online. A good plan to occupy your children on Wednesday afternoon... and why not you with it?
