MOSAIC MONOGRAM – WALL ART!

Wedding gift Monogram!

I can’t wait to tell you all about my latest mixed media creation.  AND YES….my own creation combining some of these crazy unique arts that I am into.  Let me give you a little background.

My cousin got married in the most gorgeous venue in New York City around Christmas time, the Botanical Gardens.  It was probably one of the most beautiful and fun weddings I have ever been to.  You can see my husband and I celebrating here!

Yup…That’s me in the dress that I converted from a cocktail dress into a gown.  See that post HERE!

It took me a while after the wedding to really figure out what I wanted to gift them.  Of course everyone loves money but I was thinking that I wanted do a little extra something special.

I started playing around with their monogram by layering calligraphy letters together and intertwining them.

My draft sketch ended here though.  No need to perfect the sketch with black pen, I would have been wasting time because the idea in my head involved wall art on a much larger scale.

Glass Mosaic on canvas

Taking a 16 x 20 canvas, I drew the same sketch onto the canvas with pencil. Once I was finished with the sketch, I started arranging glass pieces to start a mosaic monogram.

What glass to use?? 

I will use any glass type mirror pieces, tile pieces, ceramic pieces stained glass pieces etc. for mosaics.  Mosaic is versatile!!

Normally I would cut my own glass and grind it, but I found bags of glass pieces that already had ground edges.

It’s called DRAGON GLASS!!

I think I screamed to find it right at HOME DEPOT!!!  Although the dragon glass has some iridescence with a mirrored surface, you can still see the glass colors through it.

• This dragon glass is in the section where they have the woodburning stoves and gas stoves.  I think it is used for gas outdoor fire pits.  Well…now that ’s not all it’s used for!!  How about K. Rupp’s mosaic glass art.HA.
• Usually when I am working with art glass, I have to travel a bit to get to my stained glass stores. At those stores I have seen it in small 8 oz. containers being sold for over $20.00 at the specialty glass shops.
• It was a treat to find bags of Dragon glass at home depot that didn’t cut my hands when I started handling it!  Also at $30.00 for a 5 lb. bag at Home Depot I couldn’t resist.

Give me all the colors please!!!

What is a great adhesive to use for a mosaic??

I used WELDBOND:

• Dragon glass is thick; not flat, which presented a unique look but also an adhesive obstacle.
• As I started building the monogram, I had no idea if the glue would hold it well enough with raised glass.  
• Flat glass would have no problem with just being glued into place, but because it was raised, a concern would be brushing up against it which could loosen the pieces.

YAY IT DID HOLD!!… but with the raised glass there was a trick!  I explain later in the post!

I continued on considering that I was gluing the glass pieces with an amazing glue for mosaics.  

Embellish with texture 

My favorite calligraphy is the style of lettering you find in medieval manuscripts.  Lots of embellished drawings around it and weaved throughout the lettering.

Instead of using more glass mosaic as embellishment which I thought might take away from the monogram itself, I decided to embellish their monogram using a cement-like texture that will not break or flake off.

• I used a frosting piping bag used for cake icing to apply my cement texture technique.
• Once I piped the texture over my sketch drawing I waited a few minutes for it to set up slightly.
• I used pottery tools to sculpt the texture into place.
• Texture also was applied around the letters to strengthen and secure the glass pieces in place.  This was the TRICK that really held those glass pieces onto the canvas.

A CAKE PIPING BAG NORMALLY USED FOR ICING!!!!???

YES!!!!The texture took a few hours to harden onto the canvas.

Then I grouted the glass……

What Grout to use with glass mosaic?

I used Non-sanded grout in an off-white!  Polyblend.

Usually when one grouts a backsplash that has glass tiles, sand-less grout is the way to go to prevent the surface from scratching.

• I used a pottery putty knife tool to apply the grout.
• I was careful to just apply the grout on top of the glass monogram.  Any grout that got on the canvas in other areas may have discolored it or been difficult to clean up.
• Grouting can strengthen the mosaic together but mostly it gives a finished look by filling in all of the tiny gaps between the glass pieces.
• The next step was washing the surface after grouting was complete.  I used a damp cloth and washed the surface of the glass very carefully since I didn’t want to get the canvas wet in any way.

Painting the background

As you can see in the previous pictures, I had already started painting the background early on to see what colors I wanted behind the texture.  But painting the entire background fully was the last step.

• I finished the wall art by painting the background with acrylic paints in a muddy taupe, grey, silver off-white blend that mimics Italian faux finish technique.

IT’S DONE- WHAT DO YOU THINK?

Finally it’s done!!  HEY TELL ME WHAT YOU THINK!!!

I want to hear feedback folks!  I never mind feedback and a little critique here and there(just no jerks)… just so you know!  I think it makes me better as an artist, blogger, photographer :/(don’t say it..ha).

Regardless, there will be more art projects to come.  The more I hear people liked it, the more I will make more stuff like this.   Feedback!!! Yes, we love it!!  It keeps us going!

FRAMING

We framed this personalized wall art and sent it on its way to my cousin and his new beautiful wife.

AND….you guessed it,  ED MADE THE FLOATING FRAME!!!!!  Framing can be sooooo expensive for artists.

STAY TUNED woodworkers….I have a tutorial coming…How to make a floating frame!!  Hope you liked this mixed media glass mosaic monogramed wall art.  Tongue twister.  Until our next project…..

K. Rupp

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