glass mosaic tile art studio of william j enslen jr
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I love this software! I use it for all my mosaic and stained glass work. It's so easy to use and is a very powerful tool for the price. It's a lot cheaper than other
resizers and pattern designers available online. You can even try before you buy. Simply download the software and then you can use it for free for 14 days. Then,
if you like it (which you most likely will), it's incredibly cheap compared to other comparable programs available online.
Rapid Resizer. Use Patterns from a Scanner or the Web. You can load a variety of image formats, including *jpg and *bmp. The Rapid Resizer can automatically
get a pattern from a scanner. Don't worry if you don't have a scanner. You'll never run out of free patterns on the Web. Color your pattern with images of real
glass. See how your design will look before you build it. With the Rapid Resizer's palette, you can color your pattern's pieces with a single click. You can even add
your own images. It can also automatically number your pattern's pieces based on how you colored it and estimate the amount of each kind of glass you'll need.
Pattern Wizard. The Pattern Wizard makes it possible for anyone to design their own stained glass patterns, from suncatchers to large window panels. Instantly
draw perfect shapes! With the Pattern Wizard's line, rectangle, circle, arc and curve tools you can draw perfectly with just a few clicks of your mouse. Then if you
want to change a shape, you can simply click and drag it around. Print Full-Size Patterns! If you draw a design that's larger than one page, the Pattern Wizard will
automatically tile it across pages. All you have to do is trim the pages and tape them together. Color Your Design with Real Glass! Choose from photographs of real
glass and then click to fill your pattern's pieces with them. Trace Photographs! The Pattern Wizard can scan or open a photograph and place it in the background so
you can easily trace it. Automatic Materials Calculator! The Pattern Wizard automatically calculates the approximate length of lead came you'll need. After coloring
your pattern, it can also print a list of the approximate quantities of each kind of glass needed. Free Patterns! The Pattern Wizard includes whole patterns and parts
of patterns that you can easily change or insert into your own work. There are also 58 stock bevels that you can drop into your design.
There are a lot more cool features, too! If you use patterns of any type in your mosaic or stained glass work, then I highly recommend that you at least check out
this software. Simply click on the logo to the left and browse the website. It's so easy to use! Honestly, I was resizing and designing a pattern literally in just two
minutes after downloading the software!
resizers and pattern designers available online. You can even try before you buy. Simply download the software and then you can use it for free for 14 days. Then,
if you like it (which you most likely will), it's incredibly cheap compared to other comparable programs available online.
Rapid Resizer. Use Patterns from a Scanner or the Web. You can load a variety of image formats, including *jpg and *bmp. The Rapid Resizer can automatically
get a pattern from a scanner. Don't worry if you don't have a scanner. You'll never run out of free patterns on the Web. Color your pattern with images of real
glass. See how your design will look before you build it. With the Rapid Resizer's palette, you can color your pattern's pieces with a single click. You can even add
your own images. It can also automatically number your pattern's pieces based on how you colored it and estimate the amount of each kind of glass you'll need.
Pattern Wizard. The Pattern Wizard makes it possible for anyone to design their own stained glass patterns, from suncatchers to large window panels. Instantly
draw perfect shapes! With the Pattern Wizard's line, rectangle, circle, arc and curve tools you can draw perfectly with just a few clicks of your mouse. Then if you
want to change a shape, you can simply click and drag it around. Print Full-Size Patterns! If you draw a design that's larger than one page, the Pattern Wizard will
automatically tile it across pages. All you have to do is trim the pages and tape them together. Color Your Design with Real Glass! Choose from photographs of real
glass and then click to fill your pattern's pieces with them. Trace Photographs! The Pattern Wizard can scan or open a photograph and place it in the background so
you can easily trace it. Automatic Materials Calculator! The Pattern Wizard automatically calculates the approximate length of lead came you'll need. After coloring
your pattern, it can also print a list of the approximate quantities of each kind of glass needed. Free Patterns! The Pattern Wizard includes whole patterns and parts
of patterns that you can easily change or insert into your own work. There are also 58 stock bevels that you can drop into your design.
There are a lot more cool features, too! If you use patterns of any type in your mosaic or stained glass work, then I highly recommend that you at least check out
this software. Simply click on the logo to the left and browse the website. It's so easy to use! Honestly, I was resizing and designing a pattern literally in just two
minutes after downloading the software!
*A word about mosaic Patterns.... Please read my article below about using stained-glass patterns for your mosaics. You might be very pleasantly surprised at the results can you achieve when you try the
technique described in my article below. It uses something different, not the standard tessera size and shapes (e.g., small squares, rectangles, or triangles). With the article below, I include pictures of two lovely pieces I made
as presents for my wife and my father. I think it'll be a technique you consider trying if you find yourself growing bored of the same method of using small squares or triangles---as I did. Take a look! Even if you don't use this
technique, stained-glass patterns are still ideal for laying the basic design of your mosaic. Try them. You'll find they're very helpful.
technique described in my article below. It uses something different, not the standard tessera size and shapes (e.g., small squares, rectangles, or triangles). With the article below, I include pictures of two lovely pieces I made
as presents for my wife and my father. I think it'll be a technique you consider trying if you find yourself growing bored of the same method of using small squares or triangles---as I did. Take a look! Even if you don't use this
technique, stained-glass patterns are still ideal for laying the basic design of your mosaic. Try them. You'll find they're very helpful.
Looking for something new in your mosaic art? Here’s a fresh idea. Make mosaics using large stained-glass pieces as if making a stained-glass window, instead of using small pieces cut to the stale,
standard shapes of squares, rectangles, and triangles. After following that traditional practice for so long, I grew bored with it and wanted something different. I removed my mosaic-artist hat and
donned my stained-glass-artist hat for a nice change of pace. After making a few stained-glass hangings, it dawned on me. Why not combine mosaic art with stained-glass art? My first piece turned
out beautifully, better than expected, and I haven’t looked back since. Let’s discover how you, too, can make these wonderful mosaics.
The first critical thing I learned when making mosaics from stained-glass patterns is to cut the base material (the board to which you adhere the glass) to the exact size of a standard ready-made
open-back frame. This avoids having to pay five times the price for a custom frame. I wait for my favorite hobby store to put their ready-made open-back frames on sale for half price so I usually pay
only about $25 for an attractive frame, including the installation, paper backing, and hanging hardware. My favorite size is 18-inches by 24-inches. My preferred choice of base material is plain 1/8-inch
hardboard, which you can get at your favorite home improvement store. I usually get the sheets pre-cut to 2-feet by 4-feet for about $5. So, for a measly five bucks, I have enough base material
for two mosaics, which is good if you’re a starving artist on a tight budget. It’s important to know that 1/4-inch is about as thick as you can go in terms of the piece fitting properly into a ready-made
open-back frame. The base material is 1/8-inch thick and the stained glass is about 1/8-inch thick, which makes the finished piece about 1/4-inch thick.
Measure and then carefully and safely cut the hardboard to the exact size of the open-back frame you plan to use. Let’s assume you like the 18-inch by 24-inch size. A table saw enables you to
make more accurate cuts than trying to guide a circular saw by hand. If a circular saw is all you have, then it can be done, just take your time and don’t rush the cut. Here’s a tip. I found a
“refurbished” Skil table saw online that cost only $80 including shipping. When it arrived, it looked and functioned like brand new. I got a fantastic $250 saw for only $80. The key is to search online
for a “refurbished” unit instead of brand new. After measuring and marking the hardboard (measure twice and be accurate), ensure you align the saw blade to cut on your cut-line so the resulting
piece is exactly 18-inches by 24-inches. In other words, don’t cut directly on the line because the resulting piece will be something like 17.8-inches by 23.8 inches, which may be too small to fit
properly in the frame. Every ready-made frame labeled as 18-inches by 24-inches that I’ve bought has been within a hair of 18-inches by 24-inches. There’s not much room for error when cutting
the base material, so measure twice and align the blade properly on the cut line. If the resulting base material is within a hair of 18-inches by 24-inches, it’ll fit nicely into the ready-made open-back
frame.
When your base material is cut to the perfect size, paint it white. I use bright white ceiling paint primarily because it’s a lot cheaper than standard wall paint. I usually use two coats so the dark-
brown hardboard is bright white. The whiter the base material, the brighter the glass will look when you adhere it to the board. If you don’t paint the base material white, the glass will look dull and
dreary against the dark-brown board.
Now that your base material is ready, simply transfer your stained-glass design to the board. If you have no drawing skills, find a lovely stained-glass pattern online or at your favorite hobby store and
transfer the pattern to the base material. You can find transfer paper at your favorite hobby store for less than $2 a sheet that’s big enough to cover the 18-inch by 24-inch base material. The
good thing about transfer paper is that you can use it several times before it’s no good. I’ve eked out as many as nine transfers (i.e., patterns for nine mosaics and stained-glass works) before the
paper no longer transferred the tracing well enough for me to see the lines clearly. If you want to make working with patterns easy, I mean really easy, do yourself a tremendous favor and invest in
a pattern-drawing software program. It's cheaper and easier to use than you might think. See my short write-up directly below about the drawing software I bought. It has saved me countess
hours and tons of frustration when creating or copying patterns.
Measure and cut (and grind the edges if you have a grinder) the stained-glass pieces as if you were creating a stained-glass window. I always use highly translucent or opaque glass colors to ensure
you can’t see through it to see the glue when adhered to the base material. For your mosaic, instead of joining the pieces using lead came or copper foil and solder as you would with a stained-glass
work, you simply glue the pieces in place over the pattern on your base material using plain white PVA glue (e.g., Elmer’s Glue All or Weldbond), leaving about 1/16-inch spacing between pieces.
The spacing can vary up to 1/8-inch, but I wouldn’t go any wider than 1/8-inch spacing because I believe the wider spacing looks amateurish compared to narrow spacing.
When all the pieces are glued in-place and the glue has dried for at least 48 hours, fill the spaces with your favorite grout color, just as you would if the mosaic were done with the standard small
pieces of square or triangular shapes. I mostly use medium-gray grout, but my latest preference is charcoal (black) grout. The more mosaics I do with black grout, the more I like it. Grout color can
make or break the final look of your mosaic, so if you’re in doubt about what grout color to use, your best bet is to use medium-gray. My ebook has a ton of information about grout color and how
to pick the right color for your mosaic.
When the grout has dried overnight, take the mosaic to your favorite hobby store when they’re having a sale on ready-made open-back frames. My favorite store has a 50% sale every other week,
so if it’s an off week, I simply wait a week. Pick several frame styles and colors, and place them over your mosaic, one at a time. Don’t settle for the first frame you find. Ask the clerk which frame
s/he thinks looks best with your mosaic. See which frame helps highlight the colors in your mosaic. I often ask other customers in the immediate area what they think, and they’re always eager to
give their opinion. Once you have the perfect frame, the clerk will install your mosaic, apply the paper backing, and install the hanging hardware and wire. The whole framing job is usually less than
$25 for an 18-inch by 24-inch, ready-made, open-back frame that's 50% off.
Now you have a beautiful mosaic to hang on your wall or give as a present. The neat thing about it is that it’s usual, not the same boring mosaic style we’ve seen for centuries. It’s basically a stained-
glass window installed in a frame with grout in the spaces instead of lead came or solder. You won’t see that too often. Well, not until all the mosaic artists in the world read this article and switch
to this technique!
NOTE: Read my article about using 1/8-inch hardboard as base material for your indoor wall-hanging mosaics, especially when using ready-made open-back frames. You may be surprised at what
you'll learn about it. I made both the wall-hangings below using 1/8-inch hardboard.
standard shapes of squares, rectangles, and triangles. After following that traditional practice for so long, I grew bored with it and wanted something different. I removed my mosaic-artist hat and
donned my stained-glass-artist hat for a nice change of pace. After making a few stained-glass hangings, it dawned on me. Why not combine mosaic art with stained-glass art? My first piece turned
out beautifully, better than expected, and I haven’t looked back since. Let’s discover how you, too, can make these wonderful mosaics.
The first critical thing I learned when making mosaics from stained-glass patterns is to cut the base material (the board to which you adhere the glass) to the exact size of a standard ready-made
open-back frame. This avoids having to pay five times the price for a custom frame. I wait for my favorite hobby store to put their ready-made open-back frames on sale for half price so I usually pay
only about $25 for an attractive frame, including the installation, paper backing, and hanging hardware. My favorite size is 18-inches by 24-inches. My preferred choice of base material is plain 1/8-inch
hardboard, which you can get at your favorite home improvement store. I usually get the sheets pre-cut to 2-feet by 4-feet for about $5. So, for a measly five bucks, I have enough base material
for two mosaics, which is good if you’re a starving artist on a tight budget. It’s important to know that 1/4-inch is about as thick as you can go in terms of the piece fitting properly into a ready-made
open-back frame. The base material is 1/8-inch thick and the stained glass is about 1/8-inch thick, which makes the finished piece about 1/4-inch thick.
Measure and then carefully and safely cut the hardboard to the exact size of the open-back frame you plan to use. Let’s assume you like the 18-inch by 24-inch size. A table saw enables you to
make more accurate cuts than trying to guide a circular saw by hand. If a circular saw is all you have, then it can be done, just take your time and don’t rush the cut. Here’s a tip. I found a
“refurbished” Skil table saw online that cost only $80 including shipping. When it arrived, it looked and functioned like brand new. I got a fantastic $250 saw for only $80. The key is to search online
for a “refurbished” unit instead of brand new. After measuring and marking the hardboard (measure twice and be accurate), ensure you align the saw blade to cut on your cut-line so the resulting
piece is exactly 18-inches by 24-inches. In other words, don’t cut directly on the line because the resulting piece will be something like 17.8-inches by 23.8 inches, which may be too small to fit
properly in the frame. Every ready-made frame labeled as 18-inches by 24-inches that I’ve bought has been within a hair of 18-inches by 24-inches. There’s not much room for error when cutting
the base material, so measure twice and align the blade properly on the cut line. If the resulting base material is within a hair of 18-inches by 24-inches, it’ll fit nicely into the ready-made open-back
frame.
When your base material is cut to the perfect size, paint it white. I use bright white ceiling paint primarily because it’s a lot cheaper than standard wall paint. I usually use two coats so the dark-
brown hardboard is bright white. The whiter the base material, the brighter the glass will look when you adhere it to the board. If you don’t paint the base material white, the glass will look dull and
dreary against the dark-brown board.
Now that your base material is ready, simply transfer your stained-glass design to the board. If you have no drawing skills, find a lovely stained-glass pattern online or at your favorite hobby store and
transfer the pattern to the base material. You can find transfer paper at your favorite hobby store for less than $2 a sheet that’s big enough to cover the 18-inch by 24-inch base material. The
good thing about transfer paper is that you can use it several times before it’s no good. I’ve eked out as many as nine transfers (i.e., patterns for nine mosaics and stained-glass works) before the
paper no longer transferred the tracing well enough for me to see the lines clearly. If you want to make working with patterns easy, I mean really easy, do yourself a tremendous favor and invest in
a pattern-drawing software program. It's cheaper and easier to use than you might think. See my short write-up directly below about the drawing software I bought. It has saved me countess
hours and tons of frustration when creating or copying patterns.
Measure and cut (and grind the edges if you have a grinder) the stained-glass pieces as if you were creating a stained-glass window. I always use highly translucent or opaque glass colors to ensure
you can’t see through it to see the glue when adhered to the base material. For your mosaic, instead of joining the pieces using lead came or copper foil and solder as you would with a stained-glass
work, you simply glue the pieces in place over the pattern on your base material using plain white PVA glue (e.g., Elmer’s Glue All or Weldbond), leaving about 1/16-inch spacing between pieces.
The spacing can vary up to 1/8-inch, but I wouldn’t go any wider than 1/8-inch spacing because I believe the wider spacing looks amateurish compared to narrow spacing.
When all the pieces are glued in-place and the glue has dried for at least 48 hours, fill the spaces with your favorite grout color, just as you would if the mosaic were done with the standard small
pieces of square or triangular shapes. I mostly use medium-gray grout, but my latest preference is charcoal (black) grout. The more mosaics I do with black grout, the more I like it. Grout color can
make or break the final look of your mosaic, so if you’re in doubt about what grout color to use, your best bet is to use medium-gray. My ebook has a ton of information about grout color and how
to pick the right color for your mosaic.
When the grout has dried overnight, take the mosaic to your favorite hobby store when they’re having a sale on ready-made open-back frames. My favorite store has a 50% sale every other week,
so if it’s an off week, I simply wait a week. Pick several frame styles and colors, and place them over your mosaic, one at a time. Don’t settle for the first frame you find. Ask the clerk which frame
s/he thinks looks best with your mosaic. See which frame helps highlight the colors in your mosaic. I often ask other customers in the immediate area what they think, and they’re always eager to
give their opinion. Once you have the perfect frame, the clerk will install your mosaic, apply the paper backing, and install the hanging hardware and wire. The whole framing job is usually less than
$25 for an 18-inch by 24-inch, ready-made, open-back frame that's 50% off.
Now you have a beautiful mosaic to hang on your wall or give as a present. The neat thing about it is that it’s usual, not the same boring mosaic style we’ve seen for centuries. It’s basically a stained-
glass window installed in a frame with grout in the spaces instead of lead came or solder. You won’t see that too often. Well, not until all the mosaic artists in the world read this article and switch
to this technique!
NOTE: Read my article about using 1/8-inch hardboard as base material for your indoor wall-hanging mosaics, especially when using ready-made open-back frames. You may be surprised at what
you'll learn about it. I made both the wall-hangings below using 1/8-inch hardboard.
I made this piece for my wonderful wife. It hangs in her office with the many family
pictures on her wall. This piece is 21"Wx27"H (including the frame). It's a combination
of a stained-glass work and a mosaic. Instead of solder, the joints are filled with
medium-gray grout. The base material is 1/8-inch-thick hardboard. The thickness of
the hardboard plus the glass is a total of about 1/4-inch, which fits perfectly in a
ready-made open-back frame.
pictures on her wall. This piece is 21"Wx27"H (including the frame). It's a combination
of a stained-glass work and a mosaic. Instead of solder, the joints are filled with
medium-gray grout. The base material is 1/8-inch-thick hardboard. The thickness of
the hardboard plus the glass is a total of about 1/4-inch, which fits perfectly in a
ready-made open-back frame.
Two Roses for My Love
| Make Mosaics With Stained-Glass Patterns |
I made this piece for my father who has loved golf all his life. This piece is 22"Wx28"H
(including the frame). The joints are filled with charcoal grout. The base material is
1/8-inch-thick hardboard. I used a stained-glass pattern from one of my favorite
online pattern stores, Paned Expressions Studios. This pattern is available for free on
their "free patterns" page. I loaded the JPG file into my Pattern Wizard software (see
below), re-sized it to fit the 18"x24" frame, printed it, taped the six pattern pages
together, and then used transfer paper to draw it onto the hardboard.
(including the frame). The joints are filled with charcoal grout. The base material is
1/8-inch-thick hardboard. I used a stained-glass pattern from one of my favorite
online pattern stores, Paned Expressions Studios. This pattern is available for free on
their "free patterns" page. I loaded the JPG file into my Pattern Wizard software (see
below), re-sized it to fit the 18"x24" frame, printed it, taped the six pattern pages
together, and then used transfer paper to draw it onto the hardboard.
Heaven's Pastime
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When you see something you want, simply click on the icon and you'll be taken directly to Amazon.com where your purchase will be quick, easy, and safe!
Clicking on an item will open a new window or tab so when you complete your purchase at Amazon.com, you can continue browsing my mosaic website.