Making mosaic tiles crafts is a fun way to be creative. Making a mosaic is like putting together a puzzle but the end result can be a work of art. Mosaics can be made into wall hangings, trivets, picture frames, boxes, flowerpots jewelry, trays, and more.
Instead of using glass tiles or pieces of ceramic, you can make mosaic tiles out of polymer clay. When you create your own tiles from polymer clay, you can make exact shapes in whatever color you need. The main mosaic pieces that are squares can still be made from polymer clay instead of using glass or ceramic. Keeping the entire mosaic polymer clay will give a uniform look.
Design Polymer Clay Mosaic Tiles
Begin making mosaic tiles with polymer clay by deciding on the design you want to make. For a tray, a simple design of a single piece of fruit or a flower works well for a beginning project. Sketch out the design and lightly color in with colored pencils or crayons the shades you want the focal image to be. This will give you a guide for making the polymer clay tiles and shapes you’ll need to complete your piece.
Use graph paper if desired to determine how large each tile should be and how many you’ll need to make. Another option is to “eyeball” it and make plenty of tiles in the colors needed. Extra mosaic tiles can be stored for future mosaic tiles crafts projects.
Make Mosaic Tiles Using Polymer Clay
Make polymer clay mosaic tiles just as you would other polymer clay pieces. For plain tiles, choose a color or mix colors of polymer clay to create the right shade. Determine the thickness for the tiles and use your pasta machine or other method to make the clay uniformly level.
For designs and shapes, refer to the guide you sketched. Create shapes like leaves or flower petals by forming the clay that has been rolled to the right thickness then use a polymer clay craft blade or knife to cut out the shapes. Another option is to use cookie cutters if the shapes will work in your mosaic design.
Consider using a millefiori cane you’ve designed for your project. Slice pieces from the cane to the correct thickness to use in the project. Texture your tiles using polymer clay texture sheets or recycle products from around the house to add texture and depth the to mosaic tiles.
Mosaic Tiles Supplies
When making mosaic tiles crafts, you’ll still need the regular crafts supplies needed to complete glass mosaics. These supplies include adhesive, grout, and acrylic varnish for a shiny finish.
Use a good tacky craft glue to glue the polymer clay pieces to the base. Make sure that the varnish used is acrylic not solvent-based when sealing your polymer clay mosaic. Solvent-based varnish will not dry on polymer clay surfaces.
Another fun polymer clay craft is making glow-in-the-dark switch plate covers.
Source: Polymer Clay Mosaics, 15 Artistic Projects by Sue Heaser
