COLOR THEORY FOR MOSAICS

Online learning via ZOOM. This is a very popular workshop! Tuesday evenings, July 9 & 16, 2024, 7 pm EST. This class meets 2 times, 2 hours per class. Lecture, hands-on exercise, and Q&A. There are approximately 1.5 hours of homework in between classes.

Exploring the principles of color theory and how we can apply them to mosaic is an invaluable skill. Internalizing these doctrines will change how you approach your next project, for the better! We will learn why the grayscale is an important tool in color theory, and we share tricks to incorporate this crucial concept into your work. We also experiment with gradations and color mixing.

This workshop is designed for students with some mosaic experience and those who are ready to take their work to a new level. How hue, tone, value, and contrast can be applied to your mosaic work is examined and hands-on exercises will help you master color selection…all within the context of mosaics.

Different from painting, where you can mix exactly the color needed, in mosaic we need to trick the eye. Understanding color mixing and how color theory rules can be modified for mosaic will allow you to take your mosaic work in new directions. Mastering color theory will also help you create successful gradations. Color gradations make for dynamic backgrounds and can give a refreshing sense of depth and interest to your mosaic.

Students must supply the following for class 1 meeting and have a small workspace set up for a painting exercise:

• Inexpensive watercolor or acrylic paint. You only need the primary colors of red, blue, and yellow, plus black and white.
• Paper plate or a paint tray to “mix” colors.
• Couple sheets of decent watercolor or painting paper.
• Have a compass or something round (cottage cheese container?) so you can DRAW A CIRCLE on one of the sheets of painting paper, diameter 6 to 8”
• Have handy some masking tape or painter’s tape and a piece of cardboard slightly larger than your painting paper.***
• A decent paintbrush, a jar of clean water, a paper towel
• 10-15 different colored pieces of tesserae that are about the same size. If you use stained glass then cut 10-15 pieces approximately 1” square. This is for an in class exercise.
• Please have your phone handy and charged, you may find it handy to use during class

There will be additional supplies for the class 2 meeting, a very nominal expense. Those details will be made available at class 1.

This learning opportunity was developed to help take your work to a new level.

What students are saying: “This class was helpful beyond my wildest expectations. So much information in just 2 class meetings and the homework assignment was an absolute pleasure.”

Workshop Photo: Mosaic Mandela by Laura Pattison, this is one of the VERY BEST examples ever of the color wheel created in the mosaic technique. It is stunning. We are using this photo with Laura’s permission. You can see more of Laura’s work on https://www.facebook.com/1laurapattison

THIS IS A VERY POPULAR WORKSHOP AND MANY GROUPS HAVE SELF-ORGANIZED, TOGETHER WE FOUND A MUTUALLY AGREEABLE TIME. I AM VERY OPEN TO ACCOMMODATING A GROUP OF 6 or MORE STUDENTS.