Orsoni. Smalti veneziani. Venice, Italy The history of Orsoni is a unique legacy of an…
Materials and tools
Materials and tools for mosaic
In this section, our mosaic magazine Mosaic Review tells you about mosaic materials and tools.
Traditional materials for mosaics – stone, art glass, smalt. The stone used to create the mosaic is various. In common stone mosaics use marble of various shades and various origins, sandstone, slate and … any other that seems appropriate to your mosaic.
Each stone is individual and inimitable; only an experienced mosaic artist can see and reveal the unique charm of its chipped faces and reveal the age-old secret of character.
Nevertheless, polished marble for laying the Florentine mosaic will be tough and novice mosaicist because of its suppleness, bright color and exquisite shades.
Smalt for mosaics along with artistic colored glass is also a common mosaic material. Many contemporary mosaic artists work with this disobedient, but infinitely grateful material, which allows us to most fully express the artist’s intention, no matter how complex it is.
The basic set of tools for creating stone and glass mosaics are usually identical. This is a hammer with an anvil for splitting smalt or stone, a set of nippers and tongs, including disk tongs for smalt. And, of course, an infinite number of containers for chopped pieces of different colors, materials and textures.
The source of masonry stone is usually trimmed noble marble after cutting at stone processing enterprises. But the choice of colors in this case, as a rule, is small, and it becomes an adventure for the artist to find a stone of the necessary color.
The main production of smalt is located in Italy in the Veneto region, where there are three large production of smalt with a long history. This smalt has stable color characteristics and can be ordered online according to the catalog. In addition, this smalt has a mineral structure that is closest to the stone, possessing physical characteristics close to it, despite the external similarity with glass.
Attempts to produce smalt for mosaics also exist in Russia. One of the enthusiasts of malt-making was the famous Russian scientist and artist Lomonosov. They try to preserve the traditions of Russian salt production in the city on the Neva even now. All smalt used in the decoration of stations of St. Petersburg underground is local production.
This smalt, of course, is difficult to compare by characteristics with Italian, but, nevertheless, it continues to find its place in the mosaics of Russian mosaic artists.
Art glass as a material for mosaics is somewhat easier to find. Such colored glass can be seen in the assortment of wholesale companies engaged in the sale of goods for artists. Glass, of course, has a fairly wide color palette, but it is usually unstable even within a single sheet of glass.
A more detailed story about mosaic materials and tools can be found in subsequent articles in the Mosaic Review mosaic magazine.
For proposals on cooperation, please find our contact on the Contact page
Materials and tools for mosaic
In this section, our mosaic magazine Mosaic Review tells you about mosaic materials and tools.
Traditional materials for mosaics – stone, art glass, smalt. The stone used to create the mosaic is various. In common stone mosaics use marble of various shades and various origins, sandstone, slate and … any other that seems appropriate to your mosaic.
Each stone is individual and inimitable; only an experienced mosaic artist can see and reveal the unique charm of its chipped faces and reveal the age-old secret of character.
Nevertheless, polished marble for laying the Florentine mosaic will be tough and novice mosaicist because of its suppleness, bright color and exquisite shades.
Smalt for mosaics along with artistic colored glass is also a common mosaic material. Many contemporary mosaic artists work with this disobedient, but infinitely grateful material, which allows us to most fully express the artist’s intention, no matter how complex it is.
The basic set of tools for creating stone and glass mosaics are usually identical. This is a hammer with an anvil for splitting smalt or stone, a set of nippers and tongs, including disk tongs for smalt. And, of course, an infinite number of containers for chopped pieces of different colors, materials and textures.
The source of masonry stone is usually trimmed noble marble after cutting at stone processing enterprises. But the choice of colors in this case, as a rule, is small, and it becomes an adventure for the artist to find a stone of the necessary color.
The main production of smalt is located in Italy in the Veneto region, where there are three large production of smalt with a long history. This smalt has stable color characteristics and can be ordered online according to the catalog. In addition, this smalt has a mineral structure that is closest to the stone, possessing physical characteristics close to it, despite the external similarity with glass.
Attempts to produce smalt for mosaics also exist in Russia. One of the enthusiasts of malt-making was the famous Russian scientist and artist Lomonosov. They try to preserve the traditions of Russian salt production in the city on the Neva even now. All smalt used in the decoration of stations of St. Petersburg underground is local production.
This smalt, of course, is difficult to compare by characteristics with Italian, but, nevertheless, it continues to find its place in the mosaics of Russian mosaic artists.
Art glass as a material for mosaics is somewhat easier to find. Such colored glass can be seen in the assortment of wholesale companies engaged in the sale of goods for artists. Glass, of course, has a fairly wide color palette, but it is usually unstable even within a single sheet of glass.
A more detailed story about mosaic materials and tools can be found in subsequent articles in the Mosaic Review mosaic magazine.
For proposals on cooperation, please find our contact on the Contact page