How to Make a Sassy Girl Mosaic Wall Hanging

Materials and Tools:

wood
ceramic tile adhesive
ceramic tiles in various colors and patterns
6" x 6" bisque tile
tile cutters
hammer
low-fire clay glazes: pink, rose, green, black, white
acrylic paints for painting the back
paintbrushes
sponges
dark colored grout
grout sealant
2 nails
hanger wire
rubber gloves
dust mask
kiln

Steps:

1. Sponge paint the pink background color for the face on a 6" x 6" bisque tile. Let dry. Paint a sassy girl face and name on the 6" x 6" bisque tile with low fire clay glazes. Paint the outline of the face in black; the eyes green and the lips and cheeks rose.

2. Fire the painted bisque tile in a kiln. Follow manufacturer's instructions for firing temperature and duration on the glaze bottles. Tip: If you do not have a kiln, contact local colleges and/or local craft stores to see if they will fire the tiles for you.

3. Sketch the caricature onto a 6' x 2' piece of wood.

4. Use a hammer and tile cutters to break the face tile and the name tile into desired shape and size. Break various colored and patterned ceramic tiles into pieces to be used in the mosaic by placing them on a towel and hitting them with a hammer.

5. Glue tiles into place on the board, following the sketch, using a ceramic tile adhesive. Fill in the background with mosaic tiles.

6. Once glue has dried, grout the mosaic. Wearing rubber gloves and a protective dust mask, mix the water slowly to produce a peanut butter-like consistency. Tip: Premixed grout is also available.

7. Use a sponge to fill the grout into all open spaces. Wipe the tops of the tiles clean with a wet sponge. Let grout completely dry.

8. Apply a grout sealant with a sponge. Wipe clean.

9. Turn the mosaic "Sassy Girl" over. Clean and paint the back.

10. Hammer nails approximately three inches from the top on either side and attach a hanger wire.

Tiffany Miller, Los Angeles, Calif.
Website: www.tiffanymillermosaics.com