Free tutorial! Polymer clay mosaic tiles galore...

Hello fabulous,

For years I used to make polymer clay mosaics.  I don't know if you've heard of Laurie Mika and her fabulous book, Mixed Media Mosaics?  I was smitten and used some of her techniques for making my own boxes and frames.  I have made many, but I got burned out on making them.  They make great gifts!  I took photos of the process, but I struggled to get good pictures.  I will post them anyway since the mirror I worked on is done.

 

I didn't get pictures from the tile making process, but you knead a block of polymer clay and roll it flat like cookie dough with a rolling pin.  The slab should be about 1/8" thick.  I then use rubber stamps, old buttons, charms, and found objects that make good indentations.  I cut out the tile with a polymer clay blade.  I put the tiles on a baking pan and put a same-size pan on top, bottom up, like a lid.  I secure the pans together with binder clips and bake in the oven per manufacturer's instructions.  Carry the pans outside, release one of the clips and slide top pan open to release fumes.  I like to use Sculpey III, but I'm sure Fimo and other brands are good too.  I tried self-drying clay for a batch and it was very difficult to work with.  You can use any color clay since you're going to paint over the tiles, but black will make the tiles darker. 

 

Here is a close up of the jewelry charms I baked into the clay.  They add bling!  These are the tiles after one coat of paint where I usually fill in all the indentations and wipe off the rest.  Looks messy at this stage....

This is a mirror frame.  I took out the glass part and painted the frame front and back with black craft paint.  It seals the wood and also adds "tooth" to the surface, which makes it easy to adhere the tiles.  Attach a sawtooth hanger on the back before adding the tiles.  There are sometimes holes for hanging, but it's difficult to use those and get the mirror straight on the wall.  (At least I find it so..lol.)

 

Same two pictures in different light.  This is the second coat of paint.  I usually smear it on with my fingers.  I try to vary the colors to get more tiles to choose from for my project.

Third coat of paint, which is embossing powder in different colors that I also smear on with my fingers.  I use Perfect Pearls.  See how it all came together?  Now the tiles don't look messy at all, but handmade for sure.  Embossing powder smooths everything out and adds a nice highlight to any ridges.  Where there is white shining through from the tile, I usually go over it with a paint pen or a fine brush, or fill in larger areas, like the purple star and sun with more of the same paint.

 

A basket of yummy tiles!  Now my mirror frame is dry too and I sand the edges.  Then it's time to match up the tiles for the design. This is the fun part...  It can be painstaking, but I have never done a project that didn't come together just perfectly. :)

When the design is done, I put the tiles in order on the table and spread LOTS of glue on one area at a time.  I use Aleene's craft glue, which works great, but Weldbond is also a good brand of glue for mosaic tiles.  For the wings and heart on the center piece, I used E6000 jewelry glue, which is heavy duty.  I really like my pieces to be solid.  Where there are small gaps between the tiles, I pour in a string of seed beads.  It adds bling and gives the piece a finished look.

Finished!  I painted the edges with good black acrylic paint.  I also like to paint the back one more time to make it really look good.  I sign it on the back.

Are you willing to try one of these?  It's not hard, but it looks hard. :)  What are you working on now?
I have a sale going on in my etsy shop, 20% on everything until 12/31/14.  Check it out.. http://etsy.com/shop/greeneearthoriginals
xoxo
Maria

Busy week...

I had a very busy creative week and it feels great!  Didn't make anything very different from what I usually make in crafts, but it feels good to be productive. These items can be purchased at Serenity Now in Palm Harbor.  I took just one picture of the lot.

Have a creative week, folks!  

Made three more frames last weekend...

Magic number is three in this case...  Had just enough tiles to cover these and I even found the packed away Scrabble pieces.  I painted them, or rather stained them, to fit into the overall color scheme.

I rediscovered the fun.  Basically, I got really tired of the polymer clay mosaics, but the magic is back. I'll try not to overdo it this time....  There is something like too much of a good thing at times.  These frames will be sold locally.  Check out one of my outlets HERE. 

2010 is almost done!

I can't complain about 2010.  I've had better years, but it was a creative year though I spend more time writing than making art.  Very cerebral, not colorful and hands-on, though the fingers fly nimbly across the keyboard.  Had a creative spurt lately in the winter gloom.  It has been too cold to do anything but hunker down in my studio and create.  Also, knitting is a cold weather hobby so I made another knitted and felted purse, more like a tote bag really.  I found some great frames to embellish with my polymer clay mosaic tiles, so here they are, among other things. 

 

Making polymer clay tiles is addictive.  You roll out the clay, stamp, bake, and paint.  A colorful meditation when things are going well.  Sometimes the pieces come together really fast on the frame, and sometimes I really have to dig deep for the perfect pieces to fit together.  Always a happy ending, though... :)

One of those boxes that you've seen many examples of.  I made a bunch of new ones.

Not in the mood!

Everything got out of whack for me with the oil spill in the Gulf, and I'm still really upset about it. How do we move on from here??  I haven't been able to create anything much since.  If feels pointless.

I did however produce some polymer clay mosaic boxes over the weekend, and as they read "miracle box" and "angel wishes," you know what my wish is...  I also painted a load of tiles for future boxes so now my work surface is bare and inviting.  Maybe?  Soon? 

Happy Mother's Day everyone!

They are back!

I can't believe it's already fall again! It seems just yesterday that I went out to walk the back yard and saw some morning glories in all their glory! Well, it's happening again. They are back, and this time I found some that were accessible to my camera. I went back inside, charged the camera and took some great pictures. I just LOVE the blue color of the morning glory. It's like Heavenly blue with a core of pure light. Aren't they just fantastic?
I've also been busy here in blogland and in my studio. Here's another winged box, and I'm really happy with the outcome of this puppy! You never know, but that's what makes art interesting. Every project is an unchartered path even though the path is familiar.

Something new in my shop for your prayers or trinkets!

I like to write down intentions and put them somewhere. I have my own little box, well, it's not so small, and I keep all my wishes in it. I date the pieces of paper, and later on when I go through my wishes/prayers/intentions, I find that most of them have been answered. Of course there's a Big Ear in the sky that hears everything, and not clamped to a cell phone either! My prayers might not be answered in the way I envisioned, but they are always answered. I'm very grateful that someone wants to listen to me! This box can be purchased at Artfire here and it's quite reasonably priced, and of course made with love. :)

Polymer clay mosaic tiles...

Got busy last week and created some more polymer clay mosaic tiles for my mirrors and boxes. It's quite a time consuming enterprise, but it's always satisfying to see the finished product, and the possibilites it presents. This time I went with the shades of blue and turquoise. I will take a picture of the mirror that I made with them. You know how it is, the artwork in one place, the camera in another. I used clay of different colors, but in the end, they all blend in. I find it the easiest to use white clay, unless I want a deep, dark finish. Then I use black clay. Usually, there are three layers of acrylic paint and embossing powder on the tiles.

Happy creating!!

xoxo

Maria

Treasure Box class in Palm Harbor...

Yesterday I taught a class at Oak Trail Books in Palm Harbor, Florida. The ladies attending learned how to put together a polymer clay tile embellished "Treasure Box." We had so much fun! I took some pictures, but my camera died. Bummer! :( I got a couple though. If you ever visit Palm Harbor located just a few miles north of Clearwater, make sure you visit Oak Trail Books. It's in the Historical district on Florida Ave. The coffee shop next door is called the "Witches Brew," and the decor inside is adorable! Based on the Wizard of Oz decor. I'll take some pictures and post later! You can check out the bookstore at http://www.oaktrailbooks.com/.

Lesley and Stacey picking out tiles to paint...

Gladys also picking through a table full of tiles...

Paula arranging tiles on her box.

It was very interesting to see how everyone's box came out so different even though they had basically the same raw materials.

Tiles and more tiles....

I've been making loads of polymer clay tiles lately. Here are some pictures of the process after the clay has been rolled out, stamped, and cut out. I can't seem to get the hang of using a pasta machine, so I'm using my trusty vintage wooden rolling pin... works great!

White tiles ready for the oven.

semi-finished painted tiles














finished painted tiles