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I have been really enjoying using acrylics for my GOA (glass on acrylic) mosaics. This project is a stained glass Calla Lily on a ClearBack that I will hang in the window. I found a pattern and cut all my glass pieces to fit in the shape of the calla lily. Cutting stained glass requires different tools like a scoring tool and running pliers as well as the knowledge of how to cut glass.

I use my Gryphette Grinder a lot when doing projects like this in order to get smooth edges and since I like to lay my pieces close together, grinding them helps ensure a good fit between my pieces. I also use my Leponitts to remove extra glass, but this leaves jagged edges, so my grinder quickly takes care of that. There are different techniques used in order to achieve precise shape and fit with a grinder and nippers. More precise fitting of glass is important with GOA. Since grout is not transparent, it's best to use smaller grout lines.

Now that I have smoothed all the edges, I put my pattern under my acrylic and position all my glass pieces onto my acrylic to make sure they will fit where I want them to be.

Technique #1 – Applying Adhesive to Acrylics

I have set aside all the pieces and I am using Gorilla Glue Clear, No-Foam adhesive and an applicator to spread the glue over the areas that my glass will go on. Then I place each piece onto the backer and press down to get a good, solid coverage of glue on them.

I then used my wheeled nippers and nipped clear, green glass for my background and here is the piece with all the background glued down with the glue. Knowing how to hold your nippers correctly and how to cut with them is also important.

Technique #2 – How to Stop Grout Bleed

Grout bleed can be very frustrating after you've worked so hard to create a beautiful glass-on-glass mosaic. Here is an example:

To help stop grout from seeping under your glass, you need to make sure you get your glue all the way to the edges of your glass. But sometimes this doesn't always happen. So a good remedy for that is to use a Weld Bond Wash.

To make your weld bond wash, mix ½ water and ½ weld bond and I like to paint it on. I give it a good, generous coat and then wipe off the tops of the glass. You can see below where some of the weld bond wash ran under my glass even though I tried to coat all my glass.

A trick I used was to put it in my oven for a few minutes on a very low heat (less than 200 degrees Fahrenheit) and this helped dry it up quicker.

After it had all dried clear, I used a gray grout. You only need to mix a small amount of grout. A trick I discovered in cleaning up my piece was to put it on my lightbox. This really allowed me to see where I needed to wipe and where to use my Skeewpicks to get rid of unwanted grout and glue.

If you want to try acrylics, I recommend you use 1/8" thick (3mm) sheets.It is important to find acrylic that is UV resistant also, so it doesn't get yellow or cloudy. You can cut acrylic - use a jigsaw, table saw; and you can also drill holes in it carefully with a drill press. I have seen acrylic sheets for sale on Amazon also.

Here's one final tip. Join the Facebook group GOG Mosaics (glass on glass) to see what and how other artists are making art similar to this. For all the tips, tricks and in-depth “know how” here are some helpful videos that delve into all the important details of cutting, grouting and more!