I'm really excited. New site is kicking and working!!
Please visit http://www.creasoldesigns.com. There's a gallery, my bio, and my blog. Yes, the blog will be living there from now. It looks a little too clean for a blog, but I will be fixing that with time. I hope you like it, and please leave your comment there!
Thanks!
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
Saturday, February 07, 2009
New business cards!
I'm so excited! Well, is not that I have them in my hands already, but I ordered a set of beautiful business cards, with my new site on them. I won't give you the address right now because the site is not yet functional, but it will be when I have the cards in my hands (hopefully in a week?). But, I can show it to you. Aren't they gorgeous? Oh, and they will have rounded corners :)
By the way, I'm also checking the fonts. I have to pick one for the menu in my new site. Not sure yet. I'll decide when I publish this post.
Bio | Gallery | Shop | Blog | Contact Arial
Bio | Gallery | Shop | Blog | Contact Georgia
Bio | Gallery | Shop | Blog | Contact Lucida grande
Bio | Gallery | Shop | Blog | Contact Times
Bio | Gallery | Shop | Blog | Contact Trebuchet
Bio | Gallery | Shop | Blog | Contact Verdana
Bio | Gallery | Shop | Blog | Contact Webdings
Thursday, February 05, 2009
Really small update
So, you are wondering what I've been doing all this days?
Well, is not that I stopped making mosaics at all! I received new pieces of wood for magnets (a little smaller than what I've been using) so I've been making those, but also developing a new line of mosaics, really-really cool, but it takes a little of experimentation (just a little) so I've been taking my time. And the little magnets I've made are still ungrouted, because I want to do that in batches and save time.
Also, I've been with other things: new website (YES!) that my lovely brother-in-law is designing for me. This also implies to decide what name does my site is going to have, REALLY hard. I'm slow taking decisions, imagine this one. The possibilities were creasolmosaics, creasoldesigns, and somebody suggested soldesign... I think I'll stick with the second one. Soldesigns is nice, but I think would be a little messy to change the brand just now. This takes me to the other new project I'm in these days:
Create:Fixate. I'll be there and I'm soooo excited! It looks totally cool, I feel honored to be mixed with great artists and selling my mosaics! I hope I have good sales and meet nice people that day. Well, you can see I appear there as Creasol Mosaics, so I guess the time where I could change my name without making any harm to the business just passed.
Well, that's why I'm so frantic making new stuff, working on the site, making new cool business cards, etc.
I'll keep you updated on all these!
LOVE.
Well, is not that I stopped making mosaics at all! I received new pieces of wood for magnets (a little smaller than what I've been using) so I've been making those, but also developing a new line of mosaics, really-really cool, but it takes a little of experimentation (just a little) so I've been taking my time. And the little magnets I've made are still ungrouted, because I want to do that in batches and save time.
Also, I've been with other things: new website (YES!) that my lovely brother-in-law is designing for me. This also implies to decide what name does my site is going to have, REALLY hard. I'm slow taking decisions, imagine this one. The possibilities were creasolmosaics, creasoldesigns, and somebody suggested soldesign... I think I'll stick with the second one. Soldesigns is nice, but I think would be a little messy to change the brand just now. This takes me to the other new project I'm in these days:
Create:Fixate. I'll be there and I'm soooo excited! It looks totally cool, I feel honored to be mixed with great artists and selling my mosaics! I hope I have good sales and meet nice people that day. Well, you can see I appear there as Creasol Mosaics, so I guess the time where I could change my name without making any harm to the business just passed.
Well, that's why I'm so frantic making new stuff, working on the site, making new cool business cards, etc.
I'll keep you updated on all these!
LOVE.
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
Decisions!!! SO hard sometimes!
Hi all!
So, I'm making this new mirror. At first, it was going to be black (just were the black is now) and the petals and the rest was supposed to be red, orange, yellow... "on fire" (after my 45 minutes of fame in the homepage of Etsy with my "coasters on fire" yeyh!!!!). But, when I was taking out of the box the redish colors, a pink color that I'd never used came out, and just couldn't resist the mix with the blac, the mirrors, well, I found it so chic!!! Don't you think? But I had to look for other colors to combine. That wasn't easy, pink is not an easy color and specially for someone who doesn't like pink that much (that's me). Ok, so I got to this two related colors, peach and apricot. I really love how they go together with the pink! Well, I knew I was going to use another extra color, but I thought I would decide later.
So, here I am, trying to decide not only about the last color, but how to finish the mosaic. These are the possibilities (conterwise):
1. Use light gray, "framing" the flowerish design. I like the demarcation of the petals in this.
2. The same, but with a darker gray.
3. Totally different. Keep filling the space with petals. The small rest on the edges will only have grout. I like the fact of not using small pieces on the edges, and that I'll be able to use the pink again on the edges (did I mention I only have 9 tiles left of that color?). But I doesn't brings out the petal design.
4. Same as 1 and 2, but in purple. I really like this combination, but the original idea was to make something chic, not something too colorish. On the other hand, I don't like the idea of being too conservative in my mosaics. I don;t think that "adds" to my style.
What do you think????
So, I'm making this new mirror. At first, it was going to be black (just were the black is now) and the petals and the rest was supposed to be red, orange, yellow... "on fire" (after my 45 minutes of fame in the homepage of Etsy with my "coasters on fire" yeyh!!!!). But, when I was taking out of the box the redish colors, a pink color that I'd never used came out, and just couldn't resist the mix with the blac, the mirrors, well, I found it so chic!!! Don't you think? But I had to look for other colors to combine. That wasn't easy, pink is not an easy color and specially for someone who doesn't like pink that much (that's me). Ok, so I got to this two related colors, peach and apricot. I really love how they go together with the pink! Well, I knew I was going to use another extra color, but I thought I would decide later.
So, here I am, trying to decide not only about the last color, but how to finish the mosaic. These are the possibilities (conterwise):1. Use light gray, "framing" the flowerish design. I like the demarcation of the petals in this.
2. The same, but with a darker gray.
3. Totally different. Keep filling the space with petals. The small rest on the edges will only have grout. I like the fact of not using small pieces on the edges, and that I'll be able to use the pink again on the edges (did I mention I only have 9 tiles left of that color?). But I doesn't brings out the petal design.
4. Same as 1 and 2, but in purple. I really like this combination, but the original idea was to make something chic, not something too colorish. On the other hand, I don't like the idea of being too conservative in my mosaics. I don;t think that "adds" to my style.
What do you think????
Monday, January 26, 2009
The process of making a mirror 4 and final
Hello everybody! HAPPY OX YEAR!!
Well, here you have the mirror almost-finished, all pieces in place, ready for grouting. Note how I resolved the right side: as I said, I cut the tiles in half, but after three rows I went back to the squares. That way all green areas have a size-relation between them, not only color.
Now, the step that many says is the most difficult when making mosaics: grouting. Is not that grouting is hard, but if you choose the wrong color, you could kill a nice done design. I have at least one post about that, with an example. Of course, you can always fix it, but definitely is not the idea! So, how to choose the correct grout color?? Well, you should have color notions I guess, and/or a good taste. Most people use gray or sand colored grout, because those are neutral colors and work well with most design and mixes of tiles. The other typical are black and white. I like black, but rarely use white. I just don't like white grout. In fact, I normally use a grout in a dark shade, compared with the colors in the mosaic. I think it looks better than a lighter shade. And as of colors, I love to use different colors! Is not that I don't use gray or sand colors, but there's also blue, red, red clay, clay, different shades of green, even purple!... and you can make your own mixes out of those!! So, it is endless, really. And that's what I love about it!
In this case, I decided in an early stage of the work to use the aquamarine grout that I have. I think is perfect, because it mixes green and blue perfectly well. Sometimes this early decisions end up changed in the end, but in this case I stick to it.
BTW, is necessary to wait 24 hours for grouting, after gluing the last tile. This way we are sure the glue is really dry.
So first, is necessary to protect all the areas that wont be grouted.
In this case, the mirror itself and the back. I wont add a picture of that. Then, make the mix with the perfect amount of water. With a spatula, I cover all the areas of the front part, making sure the grout is really penetrating all the spaces between the tiles. Finally, I apply grout on the sides, so they have the same color and everything matches perfectly.
After waiting for 15 minutes (all the timing depends on the temperature), I clean very softly with a humid sponge. Just a little water in it, so the excess of grout goes away. This is the moment of true, were I'm able to see how the mix goes, if the grout add to the design, or on the contrary, it results boring or unbalanced.
In this case, I like it! I think the grout makes exactly what I was
expecting. Beautiful. After about 30 minutes, I clean again with a dry cloth, and leave it for other 12-24 hour to keep drying.
Final steps (last but not least): painting the back (blue in this case), add the hanging hardware and add a polyurethane layer to the back and the sides. This is important to fix the color on the sides.
A lot of steps! But totally worth it, for me. Ah! Still have to take pictures to sell it! I like that part, though. Hope you like the results!
Well, here you have the mirror almost-finished, all pieces in place, ready for grouting. Note how I resolved the right side: as I said, I cut the tiles in half, but after three rows I went back to the squares. That way all green areas have a size-relation between them, not only color.Now, the step that many says is the most difficult when making mosaics: grouting. Is not that grouting is hard, but if you choose the wrong color, you could kill a nice done design. I have at least one post about that, with an example. Of course, you can always fix it, but definitely is not the idea! So, how to choose the correct grout color?? Well, you should have color notions I guess, and/or a good taste. Most people use gray or sand colored grout, because those are neutral colors and work well with most design and mixes of tiles. The other typical are black and white. I like black, but rarely use white. I just don't like white grout. In fact, I normally use a grout in a dark shade, compared with the colors in the mosaic. I think it looks better than a lighter shade. And as of colors, I love to use different colors! Is not that I don't use gray or sand colors, but there's also blue, red, red clay, clay, different shades of green, even purple!... and you can make your own mixes out of those!! So, it is endless, really. And that's what I love about it!
In this case, I decided in an early stage of the work to use the aquamarine grout that I have. I think is perfect, because it mixes green and blue perfectly well. Sometimes this early decisions end up changed in the end, but in this case I stick to it.BTW, is necessary to wait 24 hours for grouting, after gluing the last tile. This way we are sure the glue is really dry.
So first, is necessary to protect all the areas that wont be grouted.
In this case, the mirror itself and the back. I wont add a picture of that. Then, make the mix with the perfect amount of water. With a spatula, I cover all the areas of the front part, making sure the grout is really penetrating all the spaces between the tiles. Finally, I apply grout on the sides, so they have the same color and everything matches perfectly.After waiting for 15 minutes (all the timing depends on the temperature), I clean very softly with a humid sponge. Just a little water in it, so the excess of grout goes away. This is the moment of true, were I'm able to see how the mix goes, if the grout add to the design, or on the contrary, it results boring or unbalanced.
In this case, I like it! I think the grout makes exactly what I was
expecting. Beautiful. After about 30 minutes, I clean again with a dry cloth, and leave it for other 12-24 hour to keep drying.Final steps (last but not least): painting the back (blue in this case), add the hanging hardware and add a polyurethane layer to the back and the sides. This is important to fix the color on the sides.
A lot of steps! But totally worth it, for me. Ah! Still have to take pictures to sell it! I like that part, though. Hope you like the results!
Friday, January 23, 2009
The process of making a mirror 3
So, after deciding what colors of vitreous glass I'll be using for the rest of the mirror, I observe the mirror with a little more attention and decide that it should have a wider section of green stained glass at the bottom. Fortunately I have a piece left and had no troubles cutting it out:
That is the mosaic with the stained glass piece added, and the blue ribbons. Note the difference of the look when I just put the pieces to check colors, positions, etc, and when I actually cut the put glue them to the base. The strong curve at the top required smaller pieces, so I cut them in four, and repeat the idea on the lower ribbon for balance. Also in that parts I added other colors other than blues: aquamarine (solid and translucent), green, and gray.
Now, I can start with the background. BUT, new decision, what shape are they going to take? plain squares, halfs, quarters, curvy (the slowest), triangles.... The possibilities are almost endless, so I apply, again, the trial-and-error technique. I had already decided not to use complicated shapes (curvy, triangle, etc) because one of the goals is to make the mirror faster, so the final price is cheaper. So, let's see the possibilities:
First, just squared vitreous in a boring layout. Then, I remembered I had come pieces of green stained glass (that's for fusing glass), so I tried that too that adds a little texture. Third, the squares following the shape of the objects. I like this the better, so I choose this. At first I was going to cut the pieces in half, but then I realize I can try an even more simple solution and leave the things how they are. This is weird in me, actually. I don't think I have one mosaic where I leave the pieces squared-shape, except for the coasters, of course.
Well, in this case I still take a little in some edges to facilitate the curves and keep a more even space in between the tiles. One of my obsessions, something I learned on the very beginning, was that a good mosaic has to have a constant space in between pieces. That makes it flow better, and shows dedication form the artist. He/she doesn't just put the pieces in place, but also shape each of them to fit perfectly. Like a perfect puzzle. So I made that part of my style. Very time consuming, yes, but I really like the results.
That's with the upper part finished. Note how the smaller green cuts on the ribbons start to make sense against the background. I like it so far!
BUT, and there's normally a BUT, I have a problem: on the right side, if I put two squares, the space in between them results too wide. Aggghhhhhh. I should had thought of that when I was making the initial drawing, plan it. How to avoid it: in this case, the stained glass on the right should have been wider, so when I get to put the green vitreous, there was only space for less than two pieces. One hole piece, and one cutted, so I could control the space in between them. Hope that makes sense! LOL.
Left: the right side of the mirror. Tiles are not glued, just putted there for reference of space.
Right: the upper side of the mirror. Tiles are shaped and glued, and keep a relatevely constant space.
Well, I'm very inspired and concentrated, so after get up the table, walk around the house for a few seconds, I find the answer: Cut the vitreous in half!! That will use a little more space, allowing it to fill all the wide needed. It also makes sense right next to the ribbon, that uses smaller pieces. Ok! Let's try that, then!
That is the mosaic with the stained glass piece added, and the blue ribbons. Note the difference of the look when I just put the pieces to check colors, positions, etc, and when I actually cut the put glue them to the base. The strong curve at the top required smaller pieces, so I cut them in four, and repeat the idea on the lower ribbon for balance. Also in that parts I added other colors other than blues: aquamarine (solid and translucent), green, and gray.Now, I can start with the background. BUT, new decision, what shape are they going to take? plain squares, halfs, quarters, curvy (the slowest), triangles.... The possibilities are almost endless, so I apply, again, the trial-and-error technique. I had already decided not to use complicated shapes (curvy, triangle, etc) because one of the goals is to make the mirror faster, so the final price is cheaper. So, let's see the possibilities:
First, just squared vitreous in a boring layout. Then, I remembered I had come pieces of green stained glass (that's for fusing glass), so I tried that too that adds a little texture. Third, the squares following the shape of the objects. I like this the better, so I choose this. At first I was going to cut the pieces in half, but then I realize I can try an even more simple solution and leave the things how they are. This is weird in me, actually. I don't think I have one mosaic where I leave the pieces squared-shape, except for the coasters, of course.
Well, in this case I still take a little in some edges to facilitate the curves and keep a more even space in between the tiles. One of my obsessions, something I learned on the very beginning, was that a good mosaic has to have a constant space in between pieces. That makes it flow better, and shows dedication form the artist. He/she doesn't just put the pieces in place, but also shape each of them to fit perfectly. Like a perfect puzzle. So I made that part of my style. Very time consuming, yes, but I really like the results.
That's with the upper part finished. Note how the smaller green cuts on the ribbons start to make sense against the background. I like it so far!BUT, and there's normally a BUT, I have a problem: on the right side, if I put two squares, the space in between them results too wide. Aggghhhhhh. I should had thought of that when I was making the initial drawing, plan it. How to avoid it: in this case, the stained glass on the right should have been wider, so when I get to put the green vitreous, there was only space for less than two pieces. One hole piece, and one cutted, so I could control the space in between them. Hope that makes sense! LOL.
Left: the right side of the mirror. Tiles are not glued, just putted there for reference of space.
Right: the upper side of the mirror. Tiles are shaped and glued, and keep a relatevely constant space.
Well, I'm very inspired and concentrated, so after get up the table, walk around the house for a few seconds, I find the answer: Cut the vitreous in half!! That will use a little more space, allowing it to fill all the wide needed. It also makes sense right next to the ribbon, that uses smaller pieces. Ok! Let's try that, then!
Thursday, January 22, 2009
The process of making a mirror 2
Ok, so the glass cutting went pretty well, not weird cuts at all, which means the glass is very good quality. Excellent!
Next step, is to decide the colors I'll be using in the rest of the mosaic. I think it will be a mix of greens and blues, but not sure the order: what will be the ribbons and what the background. Here, I apply the scientific method of "trial and error":
Next step, is to decide the colors I'll be using in the rest of the mosaic. I think it will be a mix of greens and blues, but not sure the order: what will be the ribbons and what the background. Here, I apply the scientific method of "trial and error":
Final decision (never so final) is to make the ribbons in blue, and the background in light green with some darker hints. I still plan to use some aquamarine in the ribbons...
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