New Mosaics and Updates

It's been a while since I've posted here but I've been busy with many other commitments.  Unfortunately this has mean I have unable to engage in any mosaic activity until very recently.

The mosaic seen here is my Yin Yang mosaic.  I began this one in 2010!  Just got round to completing it.

I did this on exterior foamboard like a similar seen below:

For the Yin Yang mosaic I used different methods to bring this piece to life.  I used various shades of blue tiles to add a 3D element to the design.  I also used three different shades of grout to pick out the individual elements of the piece.  It was very complicated trying to make sure I was using the right shades as I'd bought the blue tiles from a local DIY store where all the shades are mixed up on one mesh.

This is the first mosaic I have completed in 2011.  I am working on others right that I hope to be able to complete as soon as I can.

As this blog hasn't been updated in a while, here are a selection of other mosaics I completed in 2010:

This is the Sun Vase.  A complicated piece but not as fiddly as the cat I did earlier.

The back of the vase I used a more simple design which was a more contemporary version of my condor.

The Eye Vase and below my Eye Bowl:

The Eye Bowl is actually an MDF bowl which I had to measure carefully to get the eye in its central position.

Mirror Tile Picture Frame

This was my first attempt at doing a picture frame. It took me a few days to do and the design I chose was a random one. It was a case of an idea that just came to me before I started. This has been grouted and the excess grout sanded off.

Seahorse Mosaic

This was the first mosaic I did and took only a few days to complete.


For this design I used a large piece of slate for a backing. With this one I used ceramic tiles which were smashed to get the required shape. It wasn't the easiest way, as I discovered later, but this was my first attempt.

I applied a light coloured grout which I darkened slightly with cement; this allowed the white tiles to stand out more. The blue tiles round the outside of the seahorse were applied in a way to make them appear to be radiating outwards.

Golden Cat

This is one I did in 2008. It took me a few months to complete. I used a poly cat garden ornament as a base and applied mirror tiles to the outside. I chose gold and red to make the design stand out.


The red tiles are actually red Galaxy Tiles which give an extra sparkling effect to them. The eyes are green mirror tiles to make them stand out from the rest of the colours.

Golden Condor

This was my first outdoor mosaic project and due to bad weather and limited access it took me a few months to complete.

I started off late 2007 with a Chamomile seat with a blank breeze block front. An idea was formed to cover it with a mosaic design that would make it more attractive and striking.

Mirror tiles were used for the Condor and the mini suns. The wavy effect of the blue tiles was a last minute idea. It is designed to represent the sea. It was always going to have a blue background but I was unsure at first how to apply this.

The suns down each side were designed in order to create a border for the design and to set a theme I could use elsewhere in this location. They are made of round mirror tiles and cut triangular tiles to represent the rays of sunshine.

It wa set fronting a Chamomile seat in a Secret Garden.  When you sat on the Chamomile the odour rises up which people found very relaxing. The above picture shows it part planted with Chamomile

The Golden Condor mosaic was officially complete in April 2009.