by Eileen Hughes

Created on: October 10, 2007

Tips for making paper mosaics

By using your imagination, you can create many different things using paper mosaics. Here are a few of these suggestions , gift cards, gift boxes, Photo frames or albums, book covers for the kids school or special books. The kids could make all their own special things.

Materials required for making most articles:
Basin of water to wash brushes, acid free glue, and different colored paint needed for paper, which is fast drying acid-free, and it will not curl or peel your paper. Faux grout, glaze if required, scissors, acid-free cardboard, or papers, brushes, and if you are making a gift box, you could use a shoe or cereal box depending on size of box required. On the other hand, you could buy a complete kit from a craft shop to use.

INSTRUCTIONS TO MAKE FRONT COVER ON BOOK
a) Select a piece of cardboard, then place two or three different colored blobs of paint on a plate. Dip the brush into one color and spread onto one section of the cardboard. Spread other colors on different areas, you won't need to wash the brush, as it will blend the colors. Now blend the edges of the colors into one another haphazardly. Blend where the different colors meet, do not mix altogether or it will all be the same.

b) Wash your brushes until no color comes from the brush and leave the colored cardboard and the brushes to dry.

c) Dip your brush into the grout and put it onto the surface of your book in an uneven motion (or mix sand with paint instead of using grout). Leave it to dry.

d) Cut the painted cardboard into small pieces of all different shapes. Depending on what sort of appearance you want, you could even make cutouts of different animals, then cut the odd bits and pieces up to fill in spaces between the animals. Use your imagination as to what style you choose.

e) Apply your faux glue (from kit) or your acid-free glue that dries to a matte finish over your book cover and the back of your tiles. Place tiles onto book as required then brush over the top of it all again to seal. If any tiles come loose, spread a bit of glue under to reseal. When glue is completely dry, apply the glaze if required.

Tip- If you cannot afford to buy all the paints. Why not use different colored acid free cardboard, then cut out different shapes in various colors and paste on with glue. They would still look great.

This may sound complicated at first, although once you have made this simple book cover, you will want to try many other items. I hope you enjoy having fun making all kinds of things for your family or friends. Especially with Christmas coming up, you could make all the presents yourself. Families always prefer hand created presents because you have made them yourself with love and care.

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