The Complete Pebble Mosaic Handbook

by Maggy Howarth

Extensive guidebook to a popular and rapidly growing craft. Many of us have walked the squares of Venice, Rome and Madrid and admired the geometric pavements of pebble mosaics. Made from found stones, and as beautiful as they are durable, pebble mosaics are a welcome addition to gardens, patios, and public spaces. The Complete Pebble Mosaic Handbook is the most complete sourcebook for enthusiasts and landscape designers -- an accessible and illustrated guide that covers materials, design, tools and techniques. The book lists the best sources to find or buy pebbles; how to choose and test pebbles for strength and quality; and which materials to avoid. There are practical instructions for ensuring the mosaic can withstand frost, foot and vehicle traffic, pollutants, and water. The book explains in detail the principles of creating walkways and patios, precast slabs, fountains, pools, and cascades. Illustrated sample projects are followed step-by-step. Designing is also fully explained whether using simple sketches or professional graphic design software. A showcase of pebble mosaic from around the world by leading artists demonstrates the craft's vast creative potential. In addition, a section of design ideas features many popular subjects and patterns including animals, heavenly bodies, spirals, borders, floral, fish, flowers, and many more.

Genres: Art, Crafts, Nonfiction, Reference

224 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2003

Reviews

[Cory]

Have poured over the pictures and it inspired me to create my own pebble mosaic--it worked!

[J. Gowin]

This is a great book for getting yourself in way over your head. And that is a very good place to be.

[Lucy]

Fascinating. I've seen pebble mosaics at the Alhambra in Spain and loved it then. Maggy Howarth is an English craftsman and artist who studies and creates pebble mosaics, both geometric patterns and pictorial. In this book she gives some how-tos and hints, but the best part is the pictures of existing mosaics around the world, not just hers. Some date back to the ancient Greeks. Highly recommended
I would love to have a copy of this book, and certainly plan to re-read it some time.

[Susan]

Beautiful!

[M.]

Great book full of beautiful designs. I won this in a contest and I really enjoyed seeing what you could do with the mosaics. Made me want to remodel and gave me lots of ideas!

[Tammy Hartnett]

I read the first edition and an excellent book on pebble mosaics
Highly recommended

[Jbussen]

I want to try to build a mosaic and I thought I'd do some research. This is not just a book of pictures of cool mosaics. It goes into techniques like how to position and size your stones to create a 3-D effect. How to create an effective base, where to locate you mosaic for foot traffic, what stones will last, how best to use a templates and stencils (and how to build them in the first place!), how to lock the stones and cure them to last 100's of years. And the stones themselves and using different colors & shapes to do shading and make boundaries and outlines have the desired effect. And FINALLY! I want to do Roman Style - Villa Type mosaics. There is even guidance on how to achieve that type of geometric layout. I love this book, and I can't wait to build some of my own.

[Ligaya]

I just finished reading the 2nd edition of this book and was blown away by the depth of knowledge the author shared. There is a wealth of historical and practical information not to mention generous photos of pieces from ancient times to now throughout the world. If you are at all interested in the subject, this is the book.