This mosaic is a private commission designed by Jo Thorpe, one of our mosaicists. It shows how the vitreous glass tiles can be used to great effect if you are looking for a bright and colourful finish.

This is a panel designed and made by Tessa Hunkin (one of the directors of Mosaic Workshop), it is made in unglazed ceramic and is one in a series of simple but effective representation of animals native to Great Britain.

Your project

Each schools requirements for their mosaic project will vary depending on the size, complexity and location of the mosaic, and we can tailor our service to the schools requirements. The ages of the children and how confident the teachers are in the process may also have a bearing on what is needed. If the teachers think they will be able to supervise the mosaic themselves we can advise on materials, adhesives and the best way to make the mosaic. We can come up with a special cost-effective ‘package’ of tiles, materials and tools as well as books/information sheets saying how to do it. Where appropriate we might also recommend that the teacher(s) attend one of our weekend workshops - this expense will ensure that the mosaic is made properly and will endure the extremes of our weather and the wear and tear of being in a school!

Some school mosaic projects have required more involvement from us. Where possible (depending on our workload and geography) we can come into the school and run small workshops with the children. The mosaics usually have a theme, so we would spend time encouraging the children to think of relevant designs and showing them how the mosaic is to be made. On some projects the children have then made these designs into small mosaics (about 20cm square), and these designs were then taken back to our workshop where they were then incorporated into part of a much larger mosaic. On other projects we have made the mosaics ourselves, based on drawings by the children.

This mosaic, made in vitreous glass tiles, was made by a group of year 4 school children whose brief was 'Nature'. We then brought the pictures back to our workshop, tidied it up a bit then stuck it onto the board and grouted it in place.
 

This mosaic is a section of a much larger mosaic designed by a group of school children for the grounds of a school that used to be a hospital - hence the theme of an x-ray room. It is made in a mixture of unglazed ceramic and vitreous glass tiles.

As with any creative task that involves thinking and working together, there are lots of benefits to the children of working on a mosaic project. Some of these could be:

• Listening and responding to tasks
• Working as part of a team
• Dexterity
• The skill of visualising a story and expressing their imaginations
• More awareness of their surroundings
• A greater appreciation of art and its different forms
• An improved sense of colour, form and reinterpreting objects in a different way
• Sense of achievement and completion

After consultation with a local school Emma Biggs designed this mosaic for a Community Centre in Epsom, depicting horses (as it is near the famous racecourse). The mosaic is made in unglazed ceramic.