Time: 10:00 - 17:00
Location: KS - Keeley Street
This course takes place in the classroom, please follow this link to find out what we are doing to keep you safe: Staying COVID-19 secure at City Lit
Course Code: VL363
Available start dates
Duration: 8 sessions (over 8 weeks)
What is the course about?
- To develop practical skills in making mosaics using the indirect or double indirect methods
- To develop creative skills associated with making mosaics
- To develop critical awareness in the appropriate use and exploration of materials and styles
- To explore the properties of the medium.
What will we cover?
Your own ideas for content will be encouraged and you will need to bring visual source material or ideas as a starting point. The course will allow for each student to complete a mosaic using the indirect or double indirect methods (other methods will also be covered). The sequential processes will involve the chopping of marble and cutting of glass, ceramic tiles or other matter including recycled material into appropriate shapes, and placing these tesserae onto a temporary surface, before transferring them onto a permanent base or casting them into concrete. We will look at different styles and how to achieve them through the shaping and placing of the tesserae. Themes such as tonal and size values, intermingling of colour and andamento (the coursing of rows of tesserae) will be discussed.
What will I achieve?
By the end of this course you should be able to...
- Research and develop ideas for further projects
- Complete a mosaic on your own using the indirect method or double indirect methods
- Describe a range of expressive characteristics in the mosaic idiom
- Create or draw at least 3 different styles in mosaics
- Describe the at times contentious relationship between mosaics and painting in a historical context
More Advanced students will:
- Pursue personal project work in a chosen technique
- Explore more challenging ideas or techniques.
What level is the course and do I need any particular skills?
The course is for beginners or for students who would like to continue exploring the medium.
You should be able to follow simple written and verbal instructions to support demonstrations, and-outs and for health and safety information, and will be invited to take part in group discussion.
How will I be taught, and will there be any work outside the class?
Demonstrations, practical work on individual projects, informal group discussions, slides and books, individual tuition, other students projects.
Are there any other costs? Is there anything I need to bring?
A selection of books on mosaics will be at the students’ disposal during the course. A materials allowance is included in the course fee which will cover most of what is required on the course. Students will be required to bring in their own bases if needed, but may wish to discuss this first in the first lesson in order to make an informed choice (casting in concrete will not require a base). Students who would like to use smalti glass or a fair amount of vitreous tiles (a limited amount of the latter will be available on the course), or other materials, should bring their own.
When I've finished, what course can I do next?
We also run ‘Mosaics introductory: Direct method’, or a ’More Mosaics’ courses at City Lit offering the opportunity to learn different techniques.