Learning to Fly with Gila Rayberg

Have you been saving your Grandmother’s china? Have you been hoping to use it one day in some form of Picassiette mosaic? Do you scour thrift shops and yard sales in search of that perfect plate, cup, or bowl? Does your imagination run wild when you find unique and special pieces that must go into your artwork? Well this is the course for you! Learn to use all of these materials from the instructor who brought us “Picassiette Portraiture.” Gila Rayberg now shares even more tips, tricks, and techniques with her new course called “Learning to Fly with Picassiette.” Gila is one of the best instructors and artists working with these types of materials, and we could not be more thrilled to have her here at Mosaic Arts Online.

In this course, Gila shares how working with a subject such as an owl can take away some of the pressure of creating a portrait of a loved one. Learning these skills can be the gateway to creating more with Picassiette.

Gila will share how to choose the best image based on certain features and the position of the owl. Then you will be guided step-by-step as Gila demonstrates how to choose and prepare the Wedi board substrate with thinset and mesh. She will trace the image, and then discuss the pros and cons of picking certain types of china or dishware.

Once you have chosen the materials, Gila explains which tools are the best for breaking down, cutting, and shaping.

Gila completes an entire mosaic in real time while she works on a Wedi board substrate. You will see her make choices, and she will explain how to use thinset as your adhesive for manipulating the tesserae. This technique will help you achieve the best depth and dimension within each placement.

Once you have completed the mosaic, Gila demonstrates her grouting process. You will see how she does this without the entire board covered in tesserae, which is a great way to learn this technique. Finally, she will show her unique method for creating a background effect. Using special pigment tints and thinset, Gila “paints” the board with a palette knife which gives the background a sky-like effect.

This course comes with a PDF for download with all the tools, materials, and resources.