Product Description

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #27915 in Books
• Published on: 1996-12-03
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 160 pages

Features

• ISBN13: 9780762404445
• Condition: NEW
• Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.
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From Library Journal
This is a handy guide to the materials and techniques of designing and laying mosaic tiles in both indoor and outdoor settings. Well illustrated with color photographs throughout, the "A to Z of Techniques" section has step-by-step instructions. Finished mosaics are pictured in the "Gallery" section. Workshop set-up and safety tips are included. A good basic reference for public libraries.
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Customer Reviews

Superb resource for new/intermediate mosaicists
Emma Biggs has used the "Encyclopedia of Mosaic Techniques" to share her wealth of knowledge and experience with us.

It doesn't fit the standard (and effective) format for beginner mosaic books (history, gallery, techniques/materials and projects). In fact there are no projects at all. Instead, the book is broken up into different topics. Here are a few selected at random to show how broad the scope of the book is: "Design Sources" (getting inspiration from tropical fish, fabrics, etc), "Colour in Mosaics", "Workshop Setup", "Cutting Techniques", "Borders", "Central Motifs", "Common Mistakes", "Indirect Method on Paper" (one of the many techniques covered), "Finishing and Fixing" (how to get a professional finish), "Gallery" (finished works with an analysis of what makes each one work, eg use of colour, contrast, light effects, realism).

Because there are no set projects, this is not the easiest book to start with. Unless you're really confident I would recommend Leslie Dierks' "Making Mosaics" instead. However, once you've tried a few of the step-by-step projects in that (or a similar book), this should be your next purchase. It will teach you to create your own projects instead of following someone else's.

The only think I really didn't like about this book is the way the topics were grouped alphabetically instead by theme. I imagine this is the standard for the "Encyclopaedia of..." series, but it doesn't work for me. If you're going through the book sequentially you go from "Double Reverse Method" to "Finishing and Fixing" to "Glass and Silicone" to "Grouting" to "Indirect Method on Paper".

I would have preferred to see all the methods grouped, all the material-related topics grouped, all the design-related topics grouped, etc. But this is a fairly minor niggle given the high quality of the book.

Highly recommended!

Belongs in a mosaicist's library
This book, as it's title suggests, is more of an encyclopedia than a project book. I would not recommend it to a beginner because it doesn't take you through a number of projects step by step as many mosaic books do. But I HIGHLY recommend this book for someone who has started doing mosaic and wants to increase skills and knowledge. I learned a lot about design, in particular: using colors effectively, including the grout colors, and how to place tiles in the design and in the background in directions that affect the flow of the design. An eye-opening section showed common mistakes, which if one studies before starting a project, can be avoided. There are a few projects that are given to demonstrate certain techniques, and there are photos of many incredibly beautiful works. The patterns are not given for them, so you'd have to attempt to draw them yourself, or let them serve as inspiration. The materials and equipment section is very extensive and helpful. This is a great book you would study to become a better mosaicist, but not use as a project guide.

The BEST book. Look no further
In all seriousness, this is the best mosaic book out there that I have found. It explains materials, techniques and EVERYTHING you need to work on mosaics.

Wish I had found this before I bought other books.