Living so close to my local beach I was inspired by the shoreline and found that this was something I needed to try. On a daily basis I see people picking up and feeling pebbles, fiddling with them and often putting them in their pockets to take home. To be able to create a picture from them too, can only be a progression.
It may be just that you return from your holiday with them as a reminder of that lovely break you had, no matter what the weather was like.
Mosaics using pebbles seem to have become quite popular now, but really, they are not only effective, but easy to make.
Like most things in life, there is a bit of an art to it! Most important being what you choose for your picture and how you design it. You can try and create an abstract sort of picture. Success probably lies in the actual colouring of the pebbles you choose.
If, like me, you are inspired by the seas, here itself you need to choose your colours accordingly. So you would require some sand coloured for the shore, and whites and different greys to a sort of a maroon colour.
The darker colours will be right at the top of your picture and moving downwards greys to white finishing with sand for your shore at the foot of your work.
You will need a few items before you can get started. Mainly a deep picture frame, some white wood primer, white paper, some blue emulsion, a medium type grade of sandpaper, panel pins, matt acrylic varnish, PVA adhesive, a decorators brush and some half inch MDF.
Added to the above you will need some driftwood and some gravel and pebbles. These extra items can be put to good use. At all times you need to keep your picture image in your mind before you now begin to arrange your treasures, driftwood and pebbles into sizes and colours.
The gravel I mentioned is very handy for filling in any spaces you are left with. Just remove anything that is not of use for your picture.
You need to take your frame to pieces. Remove the back, the glass and its mat. Get your sandpaper and rub down the frame. Take your white primer now and paint inside and out. Then it needs to be left to dry.
Once this is dry take out your blue emulsion and paint your frame. Let this dry, then you can rub this down with sandpaper so that you have glints of your white primer coming through, in what I call, a distressed look. It would be better then to apply an acrylic matt varnish to the frame to seal it.
Take your backing board and put a sheet of white paper on it. You can now draw around this, thus giving you your surface to work out your design. Place your pebbles and driftwood on this. Move the pieces around until you are happy with your pattern.
The back of your picture frame needs covering with MDF, cut to the size of it. You then need to place your backing board on to the centre of it to get your work area for your mosaic and simply draw round it.
So you have your design formed on your paper, now we get to move it. Carefully shift the mosaic to the MDF. Stick a blob of PVA glue on each pebble or bit of driftwood before you put it into position.
So, all you have to do now is build up your colour bands of pebbles. You can adapt a bit as you go, but it all needs to fit tightly. Once you have glued your last pieces into their place, just check on all this fitting as tight as you possibly can.
Do not bother with small spaces, but you can fill in any big spaces with fine gravel. If you have any driftwood remaining, you can glue bits across others. With panel pins, go from the back through your frame, to pin your frame down into position.
It may be just that you return from your holiday with them as a reminder of that lovely break you had, no matter what the weather was like.
Mosaics using pebbles seem to have become quite popular now, but really, they are not only effective, but easy to make.
Like most things in life, there is a bit of an art to it! Most important being what you choose for your picture and how you design it. You can try and create an abstract sort of picture. Success probably lies in the actual colouring of the pebbles you choose.
If, like me, you are inspired by the seas, here itself you need to choose your colours accordingly. So you would require some sand coloured for the shore, and whites and different greys to a sort of a maroon colour.
The darker colours will be right at the top of your picture and moving downwards greys to white finishing with sand for your shore at the foot of your work.
You will need a few items before you can get started. Mainly a deep picture frame, some white wood primer, white paper, some blue emulsion, a medium type grade of sandpaper, panel pins, matt acrylic varnish, PVA adhesive, a decorators brush and some half inch MDF.
Added to the above you will need some driftwood and some gravel and pebbles. These extra items can be put to good use. At all times you need to keep your picture image in your mind before you now begin to arrange your treasures, driftwood and pebbles into sizes and colours.
The gravel I mentioned is very handy for filling in any spaces you are left with. Just remove anything that is not of use for your picture.
You need to take your frame to pieces. Remove the back, the glass and its mat. Get your sandpaper and rub down the frame. Take your white primer now and paint inside and out. Then it needs to be left to dry.
Once this is dry take out your blue emulsion and paint your frame. Let this dry, then you can rub this down with sandpaper so that you have glints of your white primer coming through, in what I call, a distressed look. It would be better then to apply an acrylic matt varnish to the frame to seal it.
Take your backing board and put a sheet of white paper on it. You can now draw around this, thus giving you your surface to work out your design. Place your pebbles and driftwood on this. Move the pieces around until you are happy with your pattern.
The back of your picture frame needs covering with MDF, cut to the size of it. You then need to place your backing board on to the centre of it to get your work area for your mosaic and simply draw round it.
So you have your design formed on your paper, now we get to move it. Carefully shift the mosaic to the MDF. Stick a blob of PVA glue on each pebble or bit of driftwood before you put it into position.
So, all you have to do now is build up your colour bands of pebbles. You can adapt a bit as you go, but it all needs to fit tightly. Once you have glued your last pieces into their place, just check on all this fitting as tight as you possibly can.
Do not bother with small spaces, but you can fill in any big spaces with fine gravel. If you have any driftwood remaining, you can glue bits across others. With panel pins, go from the back through your frame, to pin your frame down into position.
About the Author:
If you enjoyed this guide by Anna Meenaghan then you can find a great lot more at her online interactive art gallery website. Here you can discover anything related to art ranging from realism to abstract paintings, as well as interviews with guest artists etc.
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