Cutting Mosaic Letters

Creating a title to look like a mosaic can add a lot of interest to your page. It's not a difficult project as long as you cut your letters the proper way.  When working with a letter that does not connect with itself, the direction you make your cuts is not as important.  But if you have letters such as an O, A, R, B, etc. and you randomly cut the letters in pieces, the pieces may not join in the correct places to form the letters once you add the space between each piece.

 

In preparing to create your mosaic, make sure you have enough space on the paper you will be adhering the letters to since the space between each piece will expand the size of each letter both vertically and horizontally.  Also, if you have a Xyron machine , it is helpful to run your letters through it before you cut so that assembly is easier.

There is a very consistent way to ensure that all your letters will look good as a mosaic based on the way you cut the pieces.  You can use this method for every letter, even ones that don't connect with themselves. The method is based on a circle that is cut into eight equal parts (see picture).  You don't actually cut the circle, just the spokes within the circle.  It is helpful to draw the lines on a transparency so that you can put it over the letter to determine the best placement of the cutting lines.

Looking at the picture as a reference, you may notice that the center point of the cutting circle was moved for each letter.  This was done to either avoid odd small pieces from being cut, to divide the letter so that joining parts sit in a straight line , or to make uniform shapes.  For the O, the center of the cutting lines is centered with the middle of the O.  For the R, the vertical line was lined up with the interior straight line and lastly with the M, the two cross cuts that form the shape X were lined up with the top corners of the M.

It is recommended that you actually draw the lines before cutting them so you can see what the different shapes will look like and catch any problems before you cut.  Also, draw your lines on the back of the letter, if possible, so you don't have to worry about the lines showing up or erasing the lines.

It is very important that you know which piece goes where for each letter.  One way to keep track of this is to write numbers on each section in the order they should be assembled.  You will want to start numbering with a piece that sits next to the center vertical line and continue either clockwise or counter-clockwise around the letter.  If you are working with a sticker or a letter you cannot write on, then as you cut the pieces, lie them down in the correct order.

Once the pieces are all cut, it's time to reassemble them back as the mosaic.  The vertical cutting line used to cut the letters will be used as your reference to be able to assemble your letters so that they are sitting straight.  This is especially useful for letters that don't have a straight bottom such as the O.  Take a ruler and place it so that it will act as that vertical straight cutting line and place the first piece lining it up with the ruler.  Continue to place the pieces leaving the same amount of space between each piece to create the mosaic.

Additional Helpful Tips:

• Consider the colors being used for the letters and the background page.  Your background page will be seen in the spaces between each piece of the letter.  Think of the space like grouting between tiles to help determine the proper color combinations.
  
• Having white,brown or black be your background will always work well with mosaics since they are neutral colors. Using Black will give your title more of a stained glass look.
  
• If your letters are dark, use a light colored background.