Pixelhobby – New Mini-Mosaic Craft
How to Design and Make Mosaic Type Pictures for Coasters or Trays
Jun 6, 2008
Pixelhobby, also sometimes called Pixellart or Pixelcraft, was invented in Holland, but is rapidly becoming popular throughout Europe, the USA, and other parts of the world. It involves following a colour chart and using tiny plastic tiles to create intricate mosaic-like pictures. No counting is required, and no special tools are needed.
Baseplates and Pixel-Squares
The crafter has a transparent baseplate, 4” x 5”, with tiny pegs on one side. She also has a large number of different coloured pixel-squares, which are squares of 144 pixels – tiny plastic tiles with a hole in the back. The baseplate is placed on a chart which has different symbols on it for each colour, and is held in place with non-permanent glue or blutack. Using craft tweezers, the crafter places each little tile in its correct position and pushes it down; no glue is needed. There are four colours per chart; then the baseplate is moved to another chart for the next four colours. So it is very simple; children love it…and so do their parents and grandparents!
Picture, Mat, Coaster, or Greeting Card
When all the colours are in place, the crafter uses a rolling pin or similar object to even out the surface. And that’s it! She then has a mosaic picture that is very hardwearing and can be used as a mat or coaster, or incorporated into a very fancy and original greetings card.
Larger Pictures Using Several Baseplates
Larger pictures can be made by joining several baseplates together, to make framed pictures, trays, place mats etc. There is no limit as to size; one keen pixelhobbyist recently made a 24-baseplate picture – 20” x 24” - of her five cats. One baseplate is worked at a time, so larger projects are no more complicated; they simply take longer.
Mosaics from Own Designs and Photos
It is possible to buy pixelhobby kits containing all the supplies one needs, and this is how most people start out. However, once the technique is learned, the crafter can use the pixelhobby software to make their own designs and photos into pixel-pictures. The software is very user-friendly, and all the charts for each project are simply printed out, along with a supplies list, so that the crafter can then order what she needs…and get started. This is when pixelhobby really, really starts to be fun!
Kits and Supplies; Where to Get Them.
Pixelhobby kits and supplies are available from a number of small suppliers in many countries, and can usually be found via a web search. Or you can contact the author of this article, who has a small pixelhobby business in the UK, selling worldwide. A link to her website can be found on her profile page using the above link.
One more thing… Pixelhobby is extremely addictive!
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