Inktober Impressions

 

Hey, readers! So how many of you are Inktober fans here? Well, it was something I had been hearing about for a long time but finally this year I decided to participate in the fun!

To give you some background, Inktober is a month-long drawing challenge started by American artist Jake Parker way back in 2009. It involves making drawings using ink as per a prompt list posted at the beginning of October every year. Now there are many different versions of this challenge floating around Instagram, each with their own set of prompts and hashtags.

So here's presenting you all a peep into my Inktober grid. Though I joined in late (after over half the month had passed), I really enjoyed working on some of the prompts. The above grid shows my drawings based on sleep, table setting, and pomegranates (left to right) while the grid below displays my illustrations for gourds and mushrooms (top to bottom).

Meanwhile, those of you who are still not following Creative Rumblings on Instagram are missing out on some good stuff. I'm sharing more stories out there and posting more often, while the blog only gets to see a delayed compilation. So hope to catch you on Instagram!

Mosaic Cacti Planter

 

There's something about joining broken pieces to make a new whole. Giving fresh life to broken pieces by recycling and reinventing. 

And that is exactly what I did with the concrete planter that the gardener mistakenly broke last month. Instead of throwing it, I decided to refurbish it to plant my expanding collection of cacti. But only after giving the broken edge of the planter a new mosaic finish.

Since I had glass beads lying around, I combined them with hand-cut pieces of ceramic tile to make these mosaic flowers. Afterwards, I fixed them in place using adhesive and cement grout.

After the gardener helped replant the cacti, this is what the final piece looks like. Isn't that a lovely makeover? Now I can't wait for those cacti to bloom in summers.

Update: 

Had to share a picture of the mosaic cacti planter with its beautiful blooms.

Project successful :)

The Community Art Project - Part 2

 

Hey, readers! Hope you all enjoyed our community mosaic story that was featured last month. Yes, I am still somewhat in mosaic mode, as we cross the wall showcasing our artwork often and feel happy for our contribution. Moreover, I am also making small mosaic pieces around the house as and when I get time. So I thought of bringing you all a peep behind the scenes, with this write-up about the process of mosaic making.

Mosaics can be made in multiple ways, the most common and obvious one being the direct method, where tesserae pieces that make up the mosaic are stuck directly on to the substrate and grouted. However, since our community artwork was large and the weather was horribly hot and humid, working outdoors was not a good idea. Moreover, there was the scare of the pandemic. So it was decided to mosaic using an indirect method. 

We had a printout of our artwork as the guideline... 

...and we assembled the mirror and tile pieces over a mesh.

Cutting tile and mirrors neatly to size is an art in itself, and the boys did a better job of it.

Indirect methods of mosaic making give you the freedom to innovate as you go along. Like the ponytails I added on one of the kids to bring gender balance to our piece.

Once our mosaic was complete, we lifted the mesh and checked for unattached pieces. Other than posing with the artwork, of course!

On the day of installation, we cut the mosaic to size before adhering it to the wall. 

Finally, we went back the next morning to grout and buff our artwork. Grouting gives the final finished look to a mosaic, other than sealing and waterproofing it.

And this is us with our mosaic kids!

The finished artwork now looks like this, the mirror outlines glistening beautifully in the light. 

For any similar mosaic projects you have in mind, do get in touch or write to us at  creativerumblings@gmail.com. We will help create from scratch a hand-cut piece of mosaic artwork to brighten up your spaces.