How to Make Glass Mosaic Art: Easy Ideas for Beginners

Learn how to make glass mosaic art easily at any skill level.

This fun and colorful craft is an easy DIY for beginners--perfect for Spring decor and National Craft Month!

Make brightly colored glass mosaic butterflies in an afternoon!

These little butterfly wood cut outs are small, just 3x4", so this is a project that won't take all day.

It's a great way to use scrap pieces of ceramic tiles or pieces of glass scrap.

If you love it, maybe you'll make your own tiles and do big mosaic wall murals on blank walls and fill them with bright colors!

SUPPLIES NEEDED FOR GLASS MOSAIC ART:

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• Wood Cut Out (I'm using Butterflies, gut any of these would be GREAT)
• 500 Glass Mosaic Tiles
• Iridescent Mosaic Glass Pieces
• Pre-Mixed Tile Grout (1/2 Pint)
• E6000 Glue
• Tile And Glass Nippers (Optional)
• Plaid Multi-Surface Acrylic Craft Paint
• Baking Soda
• Flat Paintbrush
• Cellulose Sponge
• Baby Wipes

They also sell small packs of square glass mosaic pieces at Dollar Tree, so that's an option too, although I like the varied shapes in my mosaics.

STEP 1: PLAN THE MOSAIC

First step is decide on your mosaic ideas, the color scheme and the pieces you are working with.

If you have pieces of glass or tile that are too big for a selected area, you can use the tile cutters to cut them up.

Otherwise, find pieces that fit the shape as close as you can.

*NOTE: This is a fun craft for a wide range of ages and very little skill needed...however, these are small pieces, so avoid small children that can't keep things out of their mouth.

Sift through the glass pieces and find ones that match your vibe.

If you are using bits of broken glass, use caution to avoid cuts.

Place the pieces directly on the wooden cut out to get the most accurate plan of the mosaic shape.

Pick the focal point pieces, maybe a round glass gem.

STEP 2: GLUE THE CUSTOM MOSAIC

Now use the E6000 glue to adhere each little piece to the wood cut out.

This is an easy way to make sure everything stays put when we get to the grout.

Just a tiny dab of glue and press it down firmly on the wooden base.

It doesn't have to be too pretty at this point.

If it's squished out of the glass mosaic tile, it's fine, the grout will cover it next.

Get all the pieces put into place and then let the glue dry and cure, at least 4 hours.

I set my beautiful mosaics in my craft room overnight to let them dry and cure completely.

I love the glitter glass, the iridescent pieces and the gems!

It's so fun to use different materials to make this mosaic pattern shine!

Repeat the gluing process for all the mosaic tile art projects you are making.

The wood cut outs come in a pack of 12, so you have a lot to make--and you might as well while you have all the craft supplies out.

The easiest way for me to make these little mosaic butterflies was to pick a color and use those pieces.

If I tried to combine colors, it just didn't feel balanced to me, but I bet a child could make a random piece mosaic look amazing.

This technique would be easy to do on other flat surfaces too; picture frames, mosaic flower pots, candle holders and outdoor mosaics like on house numbers.

Finally I finished up the red and pink butterfly and got all the little pieces glued in place.

I did end up cutting a couple of tile pieces for this butterfly. 

It was good to try, but not necessary...I could have just fit in different pieces.

They already look beautiful in the sunlight, bright colors and shiny!

I like the abstract design of the mosaics, even though they are also balanced.

STEP 3: TILE GROUT

Now adding the pre-mixed tile grout to these little mosaics takes it up a whole new level.

This process is a bit messy and takes 2 applications...it's helpful to have a paper towel or dry cloth on hand to wipe off when it gets messy.

Use a craft stick or plastic knife to spread some of the grout right on the surface of the tiles.

It's hard to really press the grout into all the cracks, so after getting a layer of grout on with the craft stick I used my fingers to really press it in all the places of the ceramic mosaic.

Repeat adding grout to each of the mosaics.

Use your finger to round the grout around all the edges of the wood cutout, so the top edge is smooth.

It's just like creamy frosting!

If you have done tile work or other diy mosaic projects before, this will feel familiar!

Use your finger to remove as much of the excess grout on the top of the tiles and put it back in the jar for another time.

STEP 4: WIPING

Now use a wet cellulose sponge to gently wipe the surface of the mosaic tile pieces.

Careful not to shove the sponge down hard or it will mess up the grout lines.

Just wipe, rinse and wipe again.

It's a lot of wiping off...and you can do some editing after the grout dried, but it's much easier to get it off now during this wet stage.

Use a clean section of the sponge every time you wipe.

When the sponge has no more clean surfaces, rinse it out in a bucket of water and start again.

If you work with a big bucket of water, the grout (cement) doesn't need to go down your sink drain.

Just rinse it in a bucket and dump the bucket in the back of the compost heap outside later.

This part of the process is a little finicky, so it's better if adults help children with this part.

Now set them in a room or a box to dry overnight.

After drying the grout had settled and air bubble sink holes had formed in places.

I just did a second application of the grout and then the wiping off and let them dry again.

This resolved any issues.

STEP 5: PAINT

After the mosaics are dry, it's time to spruce up the edges with some painting.

Because the grout is thick and a little messy, it can drip down the edges of the wood cutout leaving rough texture.

So, we'll mix our acrylic craft paint with a little baking soda to make a chalk paint and it will cover the grout perfectly.

Get a palette or a paper plate and pour a teaspoon of baking soda and a squirt of acrylic paint.

Mix them together with a paintbrush.

Then paint the edges of the mosaics wood cut out.

Use a baby wipe to remove any paint that ends up on the top surface of the grout as you go.

Baking soda with paint is a little gritty, but the coverage is awesome--it's fun to paint with this sort of egg shell textured chalk paint.

Then the final step is just letting the paint dry, which doesn't take too long!

Now you have dreamy mosaics ready to decorate the living room for Spring!

Little glass mosaic art makes a great handmade gift too, such a cute shelf sitter, addition to Spring mantle decor, an office cubicle and more!

I really love how these little mosaics turned out.

I'm not ready to jump right into mosaic murals, but this is a fun start!

It's probably no surprise that the blue butterfly mosaic is my favorite!

Which one is your favorite? The red and pinks, the green and yellows or the blues and purples?

That's it!

Learn how to make glass mosaic art, easy ideas for beginners creating mosaics.

These little butterflies are small enough to be a manageable project and big enough to be shiny and stunning!

How will you design your butterfly glass mosaics?

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