Mosaic Workshop with Muni's Mosaics

Hi guys!

Zakiya and I had a wonderful time at the Beginner's Mosaic Workshop with Muni's Mosacis last Saturday, which was held at the Enchanted Plaza in Yaxley. 

This was our first mosaic workshop and we can highly recommend it; especially as Muni, our teacher, is such a nice person and she explains everything very well. We met some lovely people in the group, and each one of us ended up making some fantastic pieces.

Some samples of Muni's beautiful work

After the initial introductions, Muni explained in detail about all the equipment we would be using for the workshop. She also showed us some samples of her work, just so we could get an idea of what is achievable. Muni has been creating mosaics for over 15 years now, so she's had plenty of practice. It would be lovely to think that we could create some pieces like hers eventually.

Equipment laid out ready

There are so many tiles to choose from. Muni had brought with her just a small selection, but there are thousands of different designs, colours, finishes, sizes etc. available both online and at specialist craft stores. 

An assortment of tiles to choose from

Muni then showed us how to cut the tiles into smaller squares, how to cut petals and how to cut circles - which is definitely trickier than it looks. 
She went on to show us how best to cut and lay out tiles to create curves.

Muni demonstrating how to place the tiles

Laying out tiles to create a curve 

We started off with just a few different tiles to practice cutting on.

It's tricky to get used to the tile cutters at first, but you soon get the hang of it - well, at least when you're cutting in straight lines.

Cutting tiles into halves using the tile cutters

Muni then asked us to create petals and then finally circles!! by "nibbling" away at the edges of the tile pieces. I found this especially tricky, and Zakiya found that her lovely nails were getting in the way of the cutting edges, but she still managed to create a beautiful circle. 

Cutting a circle from a square tile

Here's a little video of Zakiya cutting a circle from a square tile.

We were then invited to create a mosaic design on either a small coaster, a larger 20-cm square or a heart. I chose the larger 20-cm square as my first project, and Zakiya chose a small coaster.   

20 cm MDF square tile with my design drawn out

We drew on our designs and then chose our sweeties (sorry, tiles!). I opted for a blue, ocean theme and Zakiya chose some pastel, more muted tones for her first piece.
Muni warned us that it would take longer than we think to cut and place our pieces - and she was right. It's a long process, but you become so engrossed that you really don't realise just how long you've been doing it. It's so much fun!

Zakiya laying out her pieces

My pieces laid out and ready to stick down

Once we had our first section of pieces in place, we then stuck down each piece using glue. We had to ensure that we put sufficient glue on each piece, but that we didn't put too much on so that it oozed out at the sides when the tile was pressed down. This took some practice.

 

We used tweezers to handle some of the more fiddly pieces. It was also necessary to make sure that you left just enough gap between the tiles, but not too much of a space so that all you would see later on would be grout.

 

I had chosen some round glass beads to use in my ocean-themed piece. I hadn't really considered how tricky it was going to be later on to remove the grout from between the very small millefiori beads, but I still liked the contrast in height and texture.

Getting there - slowly!

During the workshop, Muni was on hand to help out where needed. Her experience and keen eye for design, and showing us how to overcome some of the pitfalls, such as leaving too much space between pieces etc., was invaluable.

Muni helping out one of the group

Ladies all hard at work

Once we had completed our first pieces, Zakiya and I both opted to mosaic a coaster each as our second piece. Due to time constraints, we also chose the simpler route of using full square tiles instead of cutting them up - it was a lot quicker!

Zakiya's tiles all ready to grout

My tiles all ready to grout

Close-up of my ocean tile - note all the little
millefiori beads alongside the larger stones

We were left with lots of pieces of tile in various shapes and sizes. Muni keeps all the off-cuts, as it would be a shame to waste them. 

As we were not going to have time to complete our tiles at the workshop (grouting and polishing them), Muni gave us a demonstration of how to grout our tiles at home. 
She also provided us with little tubs of grout (we chose which colour we thought was best for our pieces) and some very detailed instructions about the whole mosaic-making process. The instructions include links for where to buy all the equipment too - this was such a nice touch and really, really useful.

Muni demonstrating how to grout

One of the other ladies at the workshop was using a picture of a dragonfly as her inspiration, and it looked beautiful. I believe the finished piece can be seen on Muni's Facebook page.

Dragonfly in the making

So we left Muni and the group, armed with our nearly completed pieces, our detailed instructions and our grout (she even gave us some rubber gloves), and headed home to show off our efforts to our partners.

We waited until the next day and then we tackled the very messy but terribly fun art of applying grout!

All set up for grouting

We followed Muni's instructions to the letter and ensured we had all our equipment at the ready. I strongly advise you to have several layers of newspaper on your table and to wear an apron and gloves.

You first of all need to add a small amount of water to the grout, and then mix it until it becomes the consistency of toothpaste.

Powdered light grey grout

Powdered black grout and water

Once you've mixed it to the correct consistency and have ensured that all the bumps and dry powder have been thoroughly incorporated, you then apply a thick coat to your tile - yes, it does look like you've ruined it at first, but it all becomes clear (literally) later on.

You can use an old credit card or something plastic and pliable to spread the grout over the tile, and use your finger to spread it around the edges of the piece too.

Applying the grout

Grouted and left to set

Grouted and left to set

It was then necessary to wait 20 minutes for the grout to slump and settle in between all the tiles. After that, we put our gloves back on and started the grout removal process. We used our fingers and hands to remove the bulk of it, and then used cut up pieces of pillowcase (or T-shirts, as suggested by Muni) dipped in a little water to clean away the grout. 

It was really difficult to remove the grout from between the different depths of tile, and I know I lost a few of the millefiori beads, but I think I managed to uncover enough of them to get the desired effect.

Removing the grout

Once the grout was cleaned off, we had to leave the pieces for a further 24 hours in order for the grout to set hard.

The next day, we set to work cleaning the tiles using green dish scourers and a little floor cleaner. 

Equipment ready to scrub the tiles

Scrubbing the tiles with floor cleaner

We dried the tiles and then used some glass cleaner and a rag to polish them up.

Polishing the tiles with glass cleaner

We are really pleased with our efforts!!!

Zakiya's tiles

My tiles

If you are in the Peterborough area and fancy having a go at mosaic making, then do look up Muni's Mosaics. You can follow her on Facebook and check out her Instagram too! 

We are definitely going to be attending her next class where she will be showing us how to create mosaics for use outside.

Thanks again Muni!

Keep crafting x

Where to see Muni's work & contact her about workshops

https://www.instagram.com/munismosaics
https://www.facebook.com/munismosaics

Disclaimer: We are not sponsored by any companies we mention, nor are any of these links affiliate links, nor are we trying to sell you anything. The links are purely for your convenience if you are interested in anything we try or show you.