Making Mosaics

Making Mosaics. Written by Cerise Wilson.

《制作马赛克拼贴》 塞丽丝·威尔森 著

Introduction Making a mosaic is a process of putting together pieces of various materials to create unique designs. Mosaics like the one made in this book have been designed for thousands of years. The tools and supplies for making mosaics can be simple. Materials vary from the traditional tile, glass, pottery, and china to the imaginative, stones, seashells, marbles, and pieces of mirror.

介绍 制作马赛克拼贴，就是把不同材料的小块拼合在一起，做出独一无二的图案。 像本书介绍的这种马赛克拼贴，已经有几千年的创作历史了。 制作马赛克拼贴需要的工具和材料其实很简单。 材料种类十分丰富，传统材料有瓷砖、玻璃、陶片、瓷片，还有充满创意的材料：石头、贝壳、玻璃弹珠和镜子碎片。

History of Mosaics In the beginning, most mosaics were practical as well as decorative. In Turkey, pebble mosaic floors were discovered in homes built during the 700s BC. Some of the ancient Romans had wall mosaics showing sacred images. These kinds of wall displays were also used by early religious groups to decorate their places of worship.

马赛克的历史 一开始，大多数马赛克拼贴既实用又美观。 在土耳其，人们在公元前八世纪建造的房屋里发现了鹅卵石马赛克地板。 一些古罗马人会在墙面制作马赛克拼贴，拼出圣像。 早期的宗教团体也会用这类墙面拼贴装饰他们的礼拜场所。

By the 1400s, mosaics were not just used for practical purposes. Mosaics became an art form. Entire walls and ceilings were covered with mosaics that contained complex images. During the Renaissance, mosaics mirrored paintings. This was called pictorial realism. In the 1700s and 1800s, artists created mosaic miniatures. tiny bits of glass and ceramic used to decorate keepsake boxes, plaques, and jewelry. At the end of the 1800s, the Art Nouveau movement sparked a renewed interest in creating mosaics. Today artists create both formal and abstract mosaic designs.

到了十五世纪，马赛克拼贴就不只是用于实用用途了。 马赛克变成了一种艺术形式。 整面墙、整个天花板都铺满了马赛克，拼出复杂的图案。 文艺复兴时期，马赛克拼贴开始模仿绘画。 这种风格叫做图画写实主义。 十八到十九世纪，艺术家们创作了微型马赛克拼贴作品。 用极小的玻璃和陶瓷小块，装饰纪念盒、饰牌和首饰。 十九世纪末，新艺术运动让人们重新燃起了创作马赛克拼贴的兴趣。 如今，艺术家们既创作规整的马赛克设计，也创作抽象的马赛克设计。

Materials and Supplies Although the finished product looks complex, the process of making a mosaic is quite simple. In fact, many of the materials are inexpensive and available at any hardware store. Some are even free. Below are five things you need to get started. Tesserae Tesserae are the many small pieces that are put together into a larger design. Some of the most commonly used tesserae are stone, glass, and ceramic tile. However, a broken plate or cup, interesting stones, or a bucket of seashells can be used for a mosaic. Do not limit your creativity.

材料与工具 虽然做好的马赛克拼贴看起来复杂，但制作过程其实非常简单。 实际上，大多数材料都很便宜，随便哪家五金店都能买到。 有些材料甚至不用花钱。 下面是开工需要准备的五样东西： 嵌片 嵌片就是许许多多小块材料，把它们拼合起来就能组成更大的图案。 最常用的嵌片有石头、玻璃和瓷砖。 不过，碎盘子、碎杯子、好看的石头或是一桶贝壳，都能用来做马赛克。 千万不要限制你的创造力哦。

Adhesives. You will also need some kind of glue to permanently stick the pieces of your tesserae to the surface of your choosing. There are several types. One is mastic, which is latex -based. Another is thinset, which is like mortar. Grout. Grout will also be needed to fill the spaces between the tesserae. All grouts contain Portland cement for strength and durability. Some are polymer enhanced for even more strength and flexibility. Use non -sanded grout for filling cracks less than 1 eighth inch wide but sanded grout for larger cracks. Both types come in a variety of colors.

粘合剂 你还需要粘合剂，把嵌片永久粘在你选好的底面上。 粘合剂主要有两种。 一种是乳香胶，是以乳胶为基底的。 另一种是薄胶泥，性质和砂浆类似。 填缝剂 我们还需要填缝剂，填满嵌片之间的缝隙。 所有填缝剂都添加了硅酸盐水泥，保证强度和耐用性。 有些填缝剂添加了聚合物，强度和柔韧性会更好。 宽度小于八分之一英寸的缝隙用无砂填缝剂，更大的缝隙就用含砂填缝剂。 这两种填缝剂都有很多种颜色可以选择。