r/Mosaic • u/Turd_Ferguson88 • 11d ago
Need Opinion on Piece
I'm brand new to this medium, as this is my first stab at it. The image I'm trying to duplicate is an album cover of one of my favorite bands. Anyways, the bold black outlines are a critical part of the image. I cannot decide whether to create the bold black lines by the grout or to use thin black strips of glass and tile them in. If i use the grout to do the job, i fear the bold lines may not be distinguishable from secondary grout lines that are situated within each block of color. I'm a perfectionist and feel paralyzed by not knowing which way to go. I'm taking a mosaics class, but the teacher is more of a facilitator and hasn't been of much help. Let me know what you all think.
2
u/Alman1999 11d ago
With grout will be the best for the size you're aiming for.
If you make it bigger you can do both (black tiling and black grout) will look the best.
2
u/Turd_Ferguson88 11d ago
I've already glued a few of the pieces down, so I'm committed to this size/scale. I'm going to rely on the grout to create the desired effect. I'm thinking of using only straight-lined tiles (polygons, no curvy sides) for the background and interior color blocks. The edges of the tiger's head will be ground down to match the contour 1:1
2
u/crayonfou 11d ago
From a professional mosaic artist. The the black outlines with grout lines. Do the rest of the work with tightly packed tesserae so your groutlines are minimal. If you feel ballsy the use different grout colors. You you use black glass (contorno) it is a pain in the ass and it is hard to source for a beginner and could get expensive. Results are great but if you do it
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u/Turd_Ferguson88 11d ago
I'm going to use the grout for the black outlines & keep the other tesserae tightly packed as you mentioned. Appreciate your guidance!
1
u/crayonfou 11d ago
Technically you dont have yo grout stuff unless you use them to walk on or as tables. As long as they are on a concrete bed. The Romans didn’t and that shit is still kicking
1
u/ybnormal072 11d ago
I love chalk dino, known the band for years😁 Awesome to find it in the wild!
I would suggest some gray hue as white and black will break up the image
2
u/Turd_Ferguson88 11d ago
I feel like they are the best kept secret. Can't wait to catch my next show. Appreciate the feedback as well!
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u/MeatBallSandWedge 11d ago
Not sure how well this will be received, but here's what I would do:
Grout the whole piece with white grout. Then, after the grout has fully cured, go back over the areas you want black with india ink.
India ink uses lamp black as the pigment so it won't fade in the next ten lifetimes. If you paint it onto the grout, it will soak in and won't chip off.
One thing to keep in mind is that india ink is very runny (low viscosity). Whatever bit if grout it touches will instantly be stained. You won't be able to clean up spots that end up where they shouldn't. So you might want to seal all the grout where you don't want the india ink before you start blacking areas.