Home is the place where you want to feel as comfortable as possible. There are various ways to make it even more cozy. But it is especially nice when the decor elements are made by hand. Decorative panels in the interior always attract admiring glances, and making them from improvised materials is not difficult if you follow the technology correctly and follow the instructions step by step.

What it is

The panel is an element of decor and its purpose is to decorate the interior and fill the empty space on the walls or ceiling. Sounds very similar to the description of the painting, doesn't it? How does it differ from the picture, if both decor options are designed to decorate the room? The answer is simple: the picture is the subject of the art of painting, and the panel can consist of anything. Dough, plastic, gypsum, beads, fabric, wood - there is no limit to fantasy when it comes to making panels and the material for decoration can be anything. If you want to make your interior unique, then the panel will do just fine!

Scope of work

The first step in creating a wall panel is to decide on the design of the future product. If you already know where it will be located, then this complicates the task. It is necessary to weigh the color scheme, the dimensions that it will have, whether the material from which it is planned to be made fits into the overall picture of the interior.

So, we decide: size, color scheme and what materials will be used. This is the first step. If possible, it is worth drawing a sketch of the planned product. This will help to take into account all the nuances in the execution of the task.

If a piece of cardboard, canvas or any other solid surface is taken as the basis, then markings are made on it: where and how the decor elements will be located. If the base is fabric, then it is stretched over the base (for example, on a piece of plywood, board or plastic), and the rest of the fabric is fixed from the back. After the craft is completed, it is placed in a frame and hung on the wall.

There is another option for making panels on a fabric basis. You will need to take a solid base, for example, a drywall sheet of the right size and glue foam rubber to it. On the resulting soft base, the fabric is stretched. In this case, you can do without a frame.

After all the preparations, you can proceed to the main part of the manufacture: decoration.

Types of panels with your own hands

Consider the main types used in decoration:

Here are examples of the manufacture of various types of panels:

From prints of fruits and vegetables

When creating this panel, a child can also participate, as it is very simple to perform. The bright, colorful design of this creation is perfect for the kitchen.

For manufacturing you will need:

• Solid vegetables or fruits (it can be apples, any citrus fruits, pears, cabbage, etc.);
• Paint (gouache, oil, acrylic);
• The basis on which the decoration will be made. It can be cardboard, a board, a fabric stretched over a sheet of drywall.

The surface of the base is pre-degreased and painted in the desired shade. Cut fruits and vegetables in half and dip them in the paint. The dye is best poured thinly into a plate. We apply the painted fruit with the cut side to the base and get a stamp.

Stamps are made anywhere on the base, but images that look symmetrical look best.

From paper

There are many options for making paper creations. Let's look at the main ones:

From round paper structures

This product can be made with your own hands in an hour and is a great way to decorate the interior, as well as get a lot of positive emotions.

Let's prepare the materials:

• colored paper;
• Paperclips;
• Scotch;
• pins;
• stapler.

Procedure:

1. A sheet of paper is folded into an accordion, like a fan.
2. We bend the accordion in half.
3. We fix the edges at the fold with a stapler so that the accordion does not fall apart and a small fan is obtained. We connect three such fans and get a circle.
4. Accordions of different colors can be combined into one circle, then the panel will turn out even brighter.
5. Connect many circles together by attaching them to the wall with safety pins. The size of the circles and the composition itself can be as large as desired and take any shape.

From photos

In fact, this is a collage of photographs or artistic pictures, which can either have a specific theme or be completely abstract. Photos are combined into one composition and fixed on the wall or other base. Design option: combine many images of sea and sky.

From colored paper

There are a lot of options for making crafts from colored paper. Today we offer the option "Flowers from Hearts", which is suitable even for a children's master class. It is very easy to perform, is an excellent tool for the development of fine motor skills of the child, and it looks amazing!

We will need:

• Office colored paper;
• The basis for the panel;
• Pencil;
• Scissors;
• Cardboard;
• Paints;
• Tassels;
• Frame.

Let's get started:

1. Cut out the heart template. To make one flower, we need eight of these hearts. All hearts in a flower must be the same size.
2. Fold the heart in half and get a petal.
3. We glue a flower from such petals onto the base. It can be cardboard or a wall.
4. To make flower leaves, you need smaller green hearts.
5. We lay out the flowers in any order, depending on the general shape of the desired panel. It can be a heart shape, or you can lay out flowers in the shape of a tree. Show your imagination and bring it to life!

From newspaper tubes

Newspapers can be great for making DIY panels.

Necessary materials:

• Newspapers;
• Knitting needle;
• Glue;
• Wire;
• Brush;
• Knife;
• Acrylic paint.

Procedure:

1. We cut the newspaper sheet into two parts with a knife.
2. Apply a thin layer of glue to these parts.
3. We wind sheets of newspapers on a knitting needle diagonally. You should get thin tubes.
4. We take acrylic paint and paint over newspaper tubes in the desired color.
5. We coat the resulting flagella with glue again and wrap the ends of each newspaper tube so that a spiral is obtained. Both ends must be twisted in opposite directions if you want to get the shape of a seahorse. You can make a circle: for this you just need to roll the entire tube in a spiral.
6. We fix the spirals with rubber bands and leave for 24 hours to dry.
7. We remove the rubber bands and make up the desired pattern from the resulting elements. Elements can be immediately mounted on the wall, or create a panel on a pre-prepared basis.

Circles from newspaper tubes can be painted in different colors, combining several shades in one circle. Circles with a gradient look interesting: a transition from one color to another.

From wallpaper

This is an interesting solution that will enliven your interior and give it even more comfort.
There are several ways to make a panel of wallpaper yourself:

• Patchwork technique

Cut out fragments from existing wallpaper. Pieces can be of any shape, but must fit together. Consider the general view of the entire future composition. For example, you can cut flower squares from three different types of wallpaper and combine them together in several rows in a certain sequence. In this case, paired elements do not have to be arranged symmetrically.

• Whole wallpaper technique

We take the wallpaper with the desired image (for example, a sakura branch), carefully cut it out and paste it into the frame, or glue it on the wall and decorate it with moldings or panels.

• Style Combination

The design here is only limited by your imagination! Combine whole pieces of wallpaper with small cut-out fragments. This is a modern and inexpensive way to decorate your home.
Important! If you can’t decide on the style of the future composition, then you should take a closer look at the image of flowers and plants in soft colors. It is always appropriate and looks beautiful.

From salt dough

This type of panel is one of the most budgetary, since its production requires a minimum of material and usually everything you need is always at home.

We offer a variant of a stucco panel, where the arms and legs of your child will be printed. This creation will allow you to decorate your baby's bedroom in an original way and keep the memory of his childhood for a long time.

We will need:

• Flour;
• Salt;
• Colored gouache (optional).

Procedure:

1. We take flour and salt in proportions of two to one. Two cups of flour are mixed with a glass of salt, then water is added. The approximate volume of water for this amount of flour and salt will be 125 ml.
2. Knead a stiff dough. If it sticks to your hands, add more flour. The dough should be elastic and not stick to your hands.
3. If you want to make the panel colorful, then it's time to add gouache, decorating the dough with it.
4. Roll out the dough. Its approximate thickness should be about 2 centimeters. The shape of a piece of dough can be any.
5. We bring the dough to the baby and gently press his palm and foot into the mass. The pressure should be light, but sufficient to leave a mark.
6. We make two through holes in the dough - this is for the future ribbon, on which the panel will then hang.
7. Put everything on a baking sheet and cover with baking paper.
8. Preheat the oven to 90 degrees and put the dough there to dry. This will take approximately two to two and a half hours. It is necessary to turn the dough gently once, in the middle of drying.
9. We paint the resulting panel with colored or white gouache, thread the tape into the holes - voila! A very touching and cute decoration for your home is ready!

From fabric

Making panels with fabric came into fashion not so long ago: only in recent years, hand-made lovers have turned their close attention to the fabric. Such a product is ideal for an interior in the Provence style. Consider the main types of woven panels that you can do with your own hands:

Patchwork

Various techniques are used to make such panels, but they all have one thing in common: this is the use of scraps of fabric in the work. There are many patterns of such products on the Internet. Panels can be both on a fabric basis and on rigid structures. You will need any fabric for making: from pieces of tulle to scraps of old bed linen.

Felt for creativity

The felt panel is one of the most popular among needlewomen. You only need pieces of felt of different colors, a pattern of future details of the picture, threads with a needle or glue and a base on which it is planned to fix all the details of the panel. Felt is a very fertile material for creativity: it will help to bring all fantasies to life. A felt panel will be a great decoration for your living room or hallway.

Burlap looks like an extremely nondescript material, but it begins to play with completely different colors when craftswomen use it in their work. Burlap can be wrapped around a frame for a panel, can be used as a basis for other materials: beads, lace and others. This coarse material perfectly emphasizes the tenderness and sophistication of other fabrics.

A wool panel is the simplest product in the wet felting technique. This is an interesting process in which the wool is compacted in a certain way to make felt. The drawing on such a panel can be anything: it all depends on the skill of the needlewoman.

If you want to take a one-color piece of fabric and draw a certain picture on it, then keep in mind that this is not as easy as it seems. It is worth practicing on a draft, and then move on to the fabric that you plan to use on the panel.

From beads

In this version of the panel, all or part of its elements are made of beads. To begin with, the elements themselves are made, and then they are already fixed to the base and, if desired, framed.

From thread and nails

This is far from new, but a very interesting way to make a panel with your own hands! Minimalism reigns here in the choice of materials, but this panel does not become insipid and boring, but, on the contrary, attracts admiring glances.

The whole point is that carnations are hammered onto a solid base. This can be done randomly, or it can be done according to a certain scheme, which can be successfully found on the Internet. Threads are stretched between the nails in several layers. Thanks to this, a certain pattern is created.

From buttons

Ideal option for beginners! Buttons can be used to decorate a panel made of fabric or paper, or you can create a product made entirely of buttons. This will require

• PVA glue;
• Buttons;
• The foundation.

Order of execution:

1. Draw on the basis of the sketch: where the buttons will be located and what pattern they should depict together.
2. Glue the buttons with PVA glue to the base.

The design can be anything: inscriptions, abstraction, flora and fauna, and others.

Mirror panel

A modern panel created from pieces of mirrors. Complex variants of it can only be made by specialists, while simple ones are very accessible for independent work. The mirror panel will become an additional lighting in the room.

Necessary materials:

• Mirror tiles;
• Liquid Nails;
• Base with wooden planks, if you plan to stick the mirrors not directly on the wall.

The principle of operation is clear: we combine various mirror pieces and fasten them in the right order to the wall or other base with liquid nails.

They are usually made in an abstract style from a variety of wood species. Wooden panels with inlaid semi-precious stones look very advantageous in a classic interior.

Dry flowers and leaves

Great for kids creativity. We decide on the plot of the future work, and then on a solid base (cardboard, fiberboard) with glue we glue dried flowers and leaves (juniper twigs, tree leaves - any flora will do). Grains, seeds and twigs will be an excellent addition.

Grains and seeds

A sketch of the future picture is applied to a solid, already painted base. Then, cereals and seeds are attached to the base with PVA glue. Large grains need to be glued each individually, and a small scattering, for example, rice, should be poured onto the glue already applied to the base.

- (fr.). All parts of the works of the architect., carpentry. or jewelry, representing surfaces decorated with carvings, framed by borders, ornaments, and the very surfaces are whole paintings or bas-reliefs. Dictionary of foreign words, ... ... Dictionary of foreign words of the Russian language

- (French panneau, from lat. pannus a piece of cloth), 1) a part of the wall highlighted by a frame (stucco frame, ornament ribbon, etc.) and filled with a pictorial or sculptural image (or ornament). 2) Oil painting, ... ... Art Encyclopedia

unchanged; cf. [French] panneau] Part of a ceiling, vault, or wall set off from a common surface by a border and usually filled with paintings or sculptures; images that fill the allocated space. Mosaic p. Stucco p. ... ... encyclopedic Dictionary

Cm … Synonym dictionary

PANEL, non-cl., cf. (French panneau) (suit.). 1. In architectural structures, the surface on the wall, on the ceiling, bordered by a border, frame and filled with stucco or pictorial ornament, painting, etc. 2. Large size painting on canvas (in… … Explanatory Dictionary of Ushakov

PANEL, non-cl., cf. 1. The surface on the wall, ceiling, framed with an ornament, smooth or with picturesque, sculptural images. 2. A painting or relief decorating some kind of section of the wall, ceiling. Explanatory dictionary of Ozhegov. S.I. Ozhegov, N.Yu.… … Explanatory dictionary of Ozhegov

panel- - a part of the wall filled with an artistic image, framed by an ornamental ribbon or a stucco frame. Also panels - wooden carved, stucco or mosaic compositions ... Builder's Dictionary

panel- PANNO, non-contiguous, cf. A work of fine art (a painting or a relief) located on a section of a wall or ceiling highlighted by a border. The furnishings were quite simple, but all made of ash was unusual: ash parquet, ash panels on the walls, ... ... Explanatory dictionary of Russian nouns

- (French panneau), 1) a part of a wall or ceiling, highlighted by a frame (ornament ribbon, etc.) and filled with some kind of image. 2) A painting (less often a relief) designed for a specific section of the wall ... Modern Encyclopedia

- (French panneau) 1) a framed part of a wall, ceiling, filled with an image or ornament. 2) A painting or relief intended for permanent or temporary decoration of a certain section of a wall or ceiling ... Big Encyclopedic Dictionary

Books

• Shell panel "Mermaid" (2038), . Create an unusual panel in the form of a fabulous mermaid! Glue the paper stencil onto the piece of wood. Decorate the tail with sea shells and bright beads. For a stylish hairstyle, use ...
• Gypsum panel (for girls) (1431 BB), . Try to make all these wonderful items yourself: - necklace, - magnets, - panels, - photo frames. Color them to your liking! Kit contains: detailed instructions, form, plaster, paints,…

Alexander Kulev,

art critic

mosaic panel

Before talking about the types of mosaic panels, it is necessary to understand what is meant by the words panel and mosaic, the meaning of which is intuitive, but in fact some explanation is required.

On the origin of the concept of "mosaic panel"

Meaning of the word panel comes from the French "panneau", which in turn goes back to the Latin "pannus" - a piece of cloth. The word panel is usually understood as a work of a decorative nature, designed to permanently fill in any section of the wall (wall panel) or ceiling. Its varieties include: bas-relief, carved or stucco composition. Thus, the main feature of the panel is its immovability and a certain monumentality, and, as follows from the Latin meaning of the word, it looks like a piece of cloth, that is, an insert on the wall.

Word mosaic comes from the French "mosaïque", as well as the Italian "mosaico", which, in turn, goes back to the Latin (opus) musivum - a work dedicated to the muses. Mosaic is an arts and crafts (related to an art form that has a dual function: aesthetic pleasure and utilitarian, practical) and monumental (large format and associated with architecture or interior) art. Mosaic is quite heterogeneous in terms of the use of materials: it can be colored stones fixed on the surface, smalt, ceramic tiles or other materials.

In this way mosaic panel - This is a large panel interspersed with pieces of multi-colored materials that form a semantic pattern or pattern and perform an aesthetic or utilitarian function.

Sometimes, mosaicism is understood as a collection of heterogeneous elements that form a certain whole, individually representing nothing of themselves, while in integrity they create something special and integral.

The history of the mosaic

The history of the emergence of mosaics dates back to the fourth millennium BC, approximately to its second half, the time of the development of the Sumerian state. If we follow further (but only hypothetically), then, most likely, the mosaic arose from a child's game, the development of the ability of primitive man to combine various materials and lay out images from them, initially, very simple, from homogeneous objects. But, later, with the development of intelligence, they acquired a more complex form, from achromatic (performed in one color scale) to polychrome (multi-color). Initially, the mosaic had a utilitarian function - the function of protecting the facing surfaces from atmospheric or other adverse influences. With the development of various materials, the improvement of their polishing technique, the development of glassmaking, as well as the development of glass staining techniques, it became more and more complicated.

In this article on mosaic panels, we will only touch on issuesmosaic techniques,Let's take a look at its main types andpartly, evolution and modern works.

The evolution of the technique of creating mosaic panels

The mosaic technique is complicated by the arrangement of heterogeneous elements into a single whole, in order to lay out a picture from individual small elements and in a certain color scheme, great skill is required.

The emergence of the mosaic

At the initial stage of the development of mosaics (as we assume), heterogeneous elements were not fixed with each other, that is, it was more of a child's game, or one of the ways of knowing the world. To arrange heterogeneous elements into a single whole, it is necessary to develop combinatorial thinking, certain, rather highly developed skills in processing materials, therefore, the initial examples of mosaics that have survived to this day are of a primitive nature.

Among the Sumerians, the mosaic was composed of the most accessible material for them - fired clay sticks, which were also fixed on clay mortar, from which a geometric ornament was formed. Framing of columns by this method is known from the city of Ur. What function these mosaics performed can only be assumed, perhaps utilitarian - protecting the base of the columns from weathering, but rather purely aesthetic, associated with the function of a kind of amulet in the use of geometric ornament. With the complication of technology, floors made from mosaics, richly inlaid caskets (“Standard of Ur”), and furniture appeared.

One way or another, this is only the prehistory of the emergence of mosaic panels. The early stages of the development of this ancient art include pebble mosaic ornaments dating back to the 8th century BC from Assyria.

Mosaic panel in antiquity

Gradually, the technique became more complicated and is already found in sufficiently developed forms in antiquity. Initially, untreated pebbles were used in antiquity, then the technique of grinding stone, its processing, and only later - colored glass was mastered, which made it possible to create not only the most beautiful, but also realistic mosaic panels.

Drawing up a mosaic is an extremely complex and painstaking work, in order to get to know it better, you need to figure out what materials can be used to create it.

Glass and smalt

One of the main materials is glass, which allows you to create the finest color transitions, play with the flow and play of light inside the mosaic panels. In addition, glass is resistant to moisture, aggressive liquids and environments, and temperature changes. Panels made using glass mosaics reliably protect the surface of the walls and give aesthetic pleasure. Glass mosaics are currently produced in various forms: they can be plates, rounded or tear-shaped elements. Glass allows you to vary not only the structure, but also the degree of color, that is, the possibility of working with halftones and pure colors, as well as having a different degree of haze or transparency. Glass mosaic panels are widely used in both interior decoration (bathrooms, swimming pools) and exterior (panels on the facades of buildings or patios).

The next most well-known material is smalt - colored opaque glass, usually square in shape with slightly beveled corners and a slightly textured inner surface and polished outer. Smalts can be gilded, with various inclusions, they allow you to add a variety of effects to the overall pattern and often replace glass, because due to its transparency, a fully glass mosaic panel will be very bright, glass is very sensitive to the location in the interior or exterior.

Smalt manufacturing technology for creating a mosaic panel

Having described glasses and smalts, I would like to dwell in particular on the description of the process of manufacturing various color shades, which are so important for creating works of art. The colorful palette of smalt has more than 10,000 different shades, but this diversity is achieved by using a little more than 10 dyes, among which are: iron, manganese, copper, nickel, cobalt, uranium, gold, silver, lead antimony; later, chromium began to be used, and already in our time - selenium and cadmium sulfide. Most of these elements show their qualities during oxidation, that is, interaction with oxygen. Metals, on the other hand, are characterized by different degrees of oxidation depending on the interaction with the amount of oxygen, for example, copper, depending on the degree of oxidation, gives blue and red colors, iron - yellow and blue. It is quite difficult to achieve the degree of oxidation during the cooking process, for this it is necessary to provide either an excess or a lack of oxygen, therefore, various oxidizing agents (potassium or sodium nitrate) and reducing agents (coal, wine, stone, aluminum and others) are used. The color of glass in some cases strongly depends on the combinations with which the dye is found, for example, sulfur colors glass blue, and in the presence of cadmium, which itself does not give color, yellow. The color of glass is strongly influenced by its composition.

Of great importance for coloring is the heat treatment of glass after the melting process. For example, copper, dissolving in glass, does not give any color by itself, the glass remains transparent, but when heated to temperatures close to the melting of glass, it gives a pinkish tint, with increasing heating, which turns into a thick red color. If you continue heating the glass further, then the bright red tint will change to brownish brown with copper crystals interspersed in its depth with a parallel change in transparency, that is, it will become cloudy. This principle is widely used to create the effect of artificial aventurine. The same process is carried out for the production of chrome aventurine, which has a green color.

Precious metals, such as gold and silver, can act as colloidal dyes for glass, the first gives the color of glass in crimson red, and the second in yellow, which are also used in the production of especially valuable dishes.

A special group of smalt, highly valued by the Romans and smelted by Lomonosov, includes: varnishes, scorcetes and purpurines. They are painted with copper, which is in low oxidation states and have shades of yellow-orange, brown-red and wax tones. Their production is complex, since they require not only cooking, but also subsequent heat treatment. Glass painting is a great art and requires not only great skill, but also a special sense of color, since minor changes give variations in color.

After describing the color scheme, it is necessary to dwell on the glass melting process. First, it is necessary to say about some features of the malt production, firstly, it is not large, since the need for the manufacture of the necessary materials can be satisfied by a small workshop. Secondly, each shade of smalt requires its own composition and therefore is cooked in separate containers and in small quantities. Structurally, malt furnaces are technically simple devices: the relatively low melting temperature of glass makes it possible not to contain complex devices for injecting additional temperature, while maintaining the thermal regime, special accuracy is also not required, so there is no need for expensive and complex automatic devices for adjusting and maintaining the required temperatures. In the workshop for the production of smalt, in addition to the cooking furnace, there are also auxiliary devices designed for annealing glass, coloring, and firing crucibles. Despite the primitiveness of the devices, the work of cooking smalt is a process that requires great skill and art, the ability to feel materials. The welded smalt is poured directly from the crucibles or by means of a metal spoon onto a cast-iron pan, where it solidifies into separate tiles, which are then sent to the annealing furnace.

Making golden smalt. Cantarelle production technology

A special group of smalts is represented by gilded smalts, which were widely used in the art of the Byzantine Empire. Increased strength requirements in mosaic painting do not allow the use of traditional surface gilding methods, in which a thin layer of gold is fixed to the surface by firing. When using this method, the gilding is quickly erased. Therefore, a more reliable method is used, which became widespread in antiquity: the conclusion of a thin gold foil between two layers of glass. Many are familiar with books with thin sheets of gold foil - gold leaf. Gold is an extremely plastic material, so making gold foil from it is not a big deal. These golden leaves are less than the thickness of a human hair, and to be more precise, not less than 0.0001 meters. The process of manufacturing gold smalts is as follows: sheets of glass are blown out no more than 1 mm. thick, which are then cut into small plates, on which a sheet of gold foil is superimposed. The plates prepared in this way are introduced into the furnace, where, at a temperature that softens the glass, a new layer of glass, also about a millimeter thick, is poured over the gold foil. This process is completed by pressing and subsequent firing in a special furnace. For the manufacture of gold smalts, two conditions are necessary: ​​the glass must not be refractory, otherwise the gold will start to burn, and both layers of glass, between which the foil is located, must have the same composition.

Slightly less often than gold, silver smalts are used. They are made in a similar way, only the layer of silver foil should be a little thicker. There are known ways to fake silver smalt under gold, when a sheet of silver foil is covered with tinted orange glass. Nowadays, a method has also been developed for obtaining cheaper gold smalt, based on the same method in which aluminum sputtering is applied instead of silver.

Mosaic panel of marble and other types of stone

Natural stone, such as marble, onyx, travertine, granite, is especially popular, but difficult to work with for making mosaics. The pattern laid out of stone is unique, it allows you to create gradations of unusual and natural colors, use halftones, and also does not have the brilliance and pretentiousness of glass. In panels made of stone, depending on the skill of the artist, almost any plot can be conveyed, realism can be used. It should also be noted that the stone is a "living" material with its own structure, and this is taken into account when creating a mosaic; it is impossible to mechanically arrange a mosaic of stone, it is necessary to feel where one or another element can be placed so as not to disturb the image. In fact, the stone dictates the rules for creating images. The structure and color of the stone is unique, so some samples are left untreated, others are carefully polished to reveal the natural texture of the stone (like the texture of wood), some stones can be artificially aged. A special type of mosaic is made from fragments of porcelain stoneware, which has increased strength; such facings are often used in exteriors.

Ceramic mosaic and panels

Ceramic mosaics, which are separate square-shaped tiles with a glazed outer and rough inner surface, have gained particular popularity in our time. Such tiles are often used not only by mosaic masters, but also by non-professionals at home, laying out a pattern on kitchen aprons or including them in bathroom decor. A variety of types of such tiles are easy to spot in any store selling ceramic tiles.

A special type of mosaic creation can be attributed to mosaic panels from fragments of ceramic tiles or small format ceramic tiles. This species goes back to the ancient samples of baked clay, only it has glazedness and great variety. With a certain skill, ceramic mosaic panels can be laid out quite beautifully, however, ceramic tiles, which have different shades and colors, can rarely be used to create the most complex mosaic panels, since they have a solid color and do not have such a natural texture as stone or the finest color halftones, like glass.

All of the materials listed are quite traditional, but manufacturers in our time develop more and more new mosaic solutions. For example, Italian company "Sicis" developed a metal mosaic, moreover, if the traditional shape is a square, then the developers introduced new forms, such as a rhombus or a triangle. Such a mosaic can be applied to create truly extraordinary effects, however, she is quite independent, only to stylize the interior under such mosaic panels is very, very difficult.

New types of modern mosaics and experiments with mosaic panels

Experiments on the creation of various types of mosaics are ongoing, very bold and original finds include mosaics made of precious metals, such as, for example, mosaics inside which gold foil of the highest standard is embedded or a mosaic with the addition of real aquamarine or interspersed with copper oxide, mosaics are also being developed , which have a special light output, having flicker in various types of lighting. It should be noted that the process of creating such types of panels is very laborious and they are usually very expensive. Naturally, one cannot imagine a panel laid out only of gold tiles or with a combination of cheap ceramic mosaics and expensive ones.

Masters have to find a middle ground in this process. The creation of mosaic panels is primarily a creative process, and very time-consuming, a sense of proportion and the ability to see your work in integrity. It is not enough for the master to be able to create a work, he must see where it will be located, inscribe it in space, because only in space or in the environment mosaic panels are fully revealed, which are inextricably linked with the interior or exterior, only in this close relationship is fully comprehended their aesthetic function, pushing the utilitarian into the background.

Since the materials used to create the mosaic have been considered, it is possible to refer to the varieties of technology, of course, this issue cannot be fully considered, just as it is impossible to explain the creative process in words, but it is possible to list the main types with a description, but first you need to describe how masters work with ready-made mosaic tiles received from the workshops for their manufacture.

The process of creating a mosaic image

The mosaic comes to the workshop in several forms: it can be large tiles, 15-20 cm in size, 1-2 cm thick, or in the form of rectangular or elongated trunks. It is not suitable for direct use, it is necessary to give the tiles the desired shape in accordance with the chosen idea of ​​\u200b\u200bthe pattern. Large bars are sawn into small ones and they are often given a pointed shape at the bottom of the cube, and also for a tighter joint of tiles, they are polished.

One of the simplest types related to mosaic imitation - background mosaic. It is made from ordinary large-sized tiles, on which, in turn, cuts are made along the surface, creating an imitation of a mosaic pattern, while preserving the texture and pattern of the tile itself.

Mixes, or mixing technique– individual small tiles are laid out randomly on the surface, resulting in a pattern born from the spontaneity of the arrangement of the tiles.

Actually mosaic panels, representing a pattern of many separate small tiles, forming integrity when viewed at some distance.

Technique of a set of mosaic panels. Direct and reverse dialing

There are several techniques for setting mosaic panels. In ancient times, tiles were laid directly on the wall on a previously prepared surface, on which notches were applied, and the tiles were laid on lime mortar. Later, the craftsmen abandoned laying tiles in this way, since it required great skill and was laborious. In such laying, the slightest mistake caused failures in the reproduction of the picture, because the very perception of a mosaic panel requires viewing it at a certain distance, as well as the ability to correctly combine various materials and color combinations. The craftsmen began to use the method of setting tiles in special boxes or on the surfaces of marble slabs with an area of ​​1-2 square meters, which made it possible to apply the drawing in the most detailed way in accordance with the developed drawing in a comfortable position in the workshop and avoid unnecessary errors and inaccuracies in work. Upon completion of the set, individual fragments were removed along with the slab, on which they were fixed and embedded in the wall, the resulting seams were carefully sealed and decorated with tiles matched in color and tone, continuing the line of the drawing, thus, integrity was obtained from separately typed fragments.

There are two main ways to set mosaic panels (direct and reverse). With the direct method, the master lays out the cubes face up, while he can see the results of his work, and, stepping back a certain distance, correct the existing flaws in the drawing. Technically, this method looks something like this: the box is filled to the full depth with a gypsum mortar, then paper with a future pattern applied to it is applied to the surface, after that a small area is marked and the gypsum is cut out to the very bottom of the box, the resulting hole is filled with a powdered substance or special mastic . In the prepared layer, which has looseness, the master inserts the tiles in accordance with the pattern, they are firmly fixed there, but at the same time they can be easily removed. When the processing of the first fragment is completed, the second fragment is cut out, then the third, and so on until the very end. When the entire surface is filled with a pattern, paper is glued to the front side, and the box is turned over, the powdered mixture or mastic is removed and the lower part is filled with an adhesive solution. There is an option when the tiles are laid directly on the adhesive or cement mixture.

The reverse method of set is often used, in which a tracing paper with a printed pattern is placed on the bottom of the box (or caisson), while the master, guided by translucent lines through the tracing paper, lays the tiles face down, after laying is completed, the box is poured with prepared cement mortar, after hardening, he understands. This method is considered faster, but it has one significant drawback: the master cannot see what he gets when laying the picture.

In such a brief review, it is impossible to fully consider the subtleties of the use of materials or the technique of making mosaic panels, however, it is possible to descriptively state the basics of working in a rather complex technique.

Polishing the surface of the mosaic panel. Technology and materials

Concluding the description of the mosaic manufacturing technology, I would like to mention the grinding of finished mosaic panels, that is, the final processing of the finished surface upon completion of work. Grinding and polishing of mosaics is carried out as needed. In this case, various abrasive materials are used: metal, felt materials, chemical liquids, such as tin oxide. Small mosaic paintings, not yet embedded in the surface, are polished on rotary machines, which are tables rotating in a horizontal plane. Large mosaic paintings are polished primarily by hand using the necessary abrasives. It should be noted that polishing is not always required.

Consider the cases in which polishing is required, and in which it is not. If a mosaic panel is part of the architecture and is monumental in size and is conceived as an object viewed from a distance, it is not customary to polish it, on the contrary, it is customary to leave a special roughness or place tiles in uneven rows, without trying to seal the seams between them. This is due to the peculiarities of human visual perception, when the contours of individual small objects that are at a distance merge. As an example in the visual arts, pointillism can be cited. In large panels, polishing the surfaces and the absence of seams between the tiles would make no sense. In cases where the mosaic acts as a picture or is supposed to be viewed from a short distance, polishing is necessary, especially when it is necessary to convey subtle color and tonal transitions. When working with glass, the lack of polishing is a sign of high skill, since the glass itself has a glossy texture and it is not advisable to resort to additional processing methods;

A panel is a modern and very stylish way to decorate any interior, from a residential apartment to a solid office. We see such works of decorative art very often, but we rarely think about what a panel is all about. This article is devoted to this interesting topic.

So, a panel is an element of room decor, which is designed to decorate walls, ceilings, and sometimes even building facades. How, in this case, does the panel differ from the usual picture, because both serve to decorate the interior? First of all, the way it is made. If a picture is considered, first of all, a work of pictorial art, then a panel can be sculptural, mosaic, fabric, wooden and even plastic. Let's look at the types of panels in more detail.

Modern types of wall panels

There are the following types of decorative panels:

• fabric: these are all kinds of embroidered paintings, tapestries and appliqués on fabric. They can be made manually or serially, in the form of machine embroidery;
• from stone: Here, natural stone is most often used - granite, marble, basalt and others. Panels made of stone in mosaic technique look very beautiful;
• wooden- most often it is a panel with an abstract plot, for example, carved wooden panels made of oak, birch, beech, pine and other types of wood. Sometimes they are supplemented with semi-precious stone inlay, which looks great in a classic interior;
• ceramic- are mosaic paintings of ceramic tiles, suitable for placement in the bathroom or working area of ​​​​the kitchen;
• sculptural- are voluminous, which qualitatively distinguishes them from other types of panels. Such mini-sculptures are made of gypsum, textured plaster, metal;
• graphic- unlike drawn or painted paintings, this type of panel is made using modern types of printing, including photo printing. This also includes reproductions of paintings;
• others: this includes handmade panels made using a variety of materials (seashells, dried flowers, cereals and grains, clay, salt dough, etc.).

Decorative panels in the interior

If you plan to decorate your home with beautiful modern panels, you should consider their placement in advance. After all, the different household purposes of the rooms entail differences in their decor.

The living room is best decorated with an exclusive panel or polyptych (several images that continue one theme). Abstractions, landscapes or other themes that are most suitable for the general style of the room are popular here. Consider also the size of your living room: too large a decorative panel is unsuitable for a small area, and vice versa - a small picture can be “lost” on the wall of a spacious room.

For the bedroom, more calm elements of decor are preferable - for example, panels on a marine theme. Abstract textile panels also look good in the bedroom. It may seem interesting to have an option for an LED panel with backlight, which also plays a useful role as a night lamp.

The children's room can be decorated with some bright panels depicting the baby's favorite cartoon or fairy-tale characters. And if you practice joint creativity with children, you can make panels with your own hands. Using any materials at hand and your imagination, try to arrange the work in the most appropriate style.