If you are getting started in making a mosaic, don't forget to prep your substrate. Prepping your substrate prevents warping. It can also make the colors of your glass more vibrant since it will be glued to a white primed surface. Staining is optional. Instead, you can choose to paint the back of the board to add color to the frame. That can be done either before priming or after grouting a mosaic project. 

If you would rather read the video script, below is the transcription. 

When purchasing glass, one of the first things you'll notice is how beautiful the colors are. Another thing you'll notice is how much the cost of glass ranges. There are many factors in determining the cost of glass. These factors include the way the glass is made and the materials used to make the glass. In general, you'll notice warm colors cost more than cool colors because of the raw materials needed to produce the color. Glass is made with silica, soda ash, lime, and different minerals to produce the color. (Fun Fact: Gold can be used to create red or pink glass.)

There are various glass manufacturers and each has their formula for their colorways. The process of making their glass can be different from one another. There is machine-made glass, hand-rolled glass, and mouth-blown glass. If you have ever walked passed a Victorian house, you probably noticed how the clear glass has a slight waviness or distortion different from a picture frame glass. That is because the window used clear antique glass. Clear antique glass is mouth-blown glass. There are not many manufacturers that make mouth-blown glass due to the labor-intensive process. However, it is through this process that the glass can get that beautiful waviness, lines, or seeds of bubbles characteristic of mouth-blown glass. This also makes each sheet one of a kind and special.  

I just want to introduce myself. You may have learned a little bit about me through my "About" page already. I went to college with the intent to pursue a career in the Arts or non-profit field. Much of my studio practice had been oil painting and printmaking. It was also during college that I discovered stained glass when I took classes at a local craft center (UC Davis Craft Center is amazing if you have not checked it out). Four years later, who would have thought that I would get back into working with glass again? It has also been about 4 years since I have been working with glass consistently. These last few years, I got to meet and learn from inspiring glass artists (even if they don't consider themselves as artists). I am creating this blog to help document my learning process and the projects I am working on or will work on. Thank you for joining me on this journey.