Make a stained glass mosaic portrait from a photograph.

Step 2 Making your backing

You are going to need to glue your mosaic onto something, and in this case we will be doing glass-on-glass. That means that light will show through your mosaic, but the back is going to be sort of ugly up close.

If you'd rather it be completely opaque, you will need to get a piece of fiberboard or some other hard, thin substance and cut it down to fit in the back of your frame.

If you are using clear or opaque glass that came with the frame, you are ready for the next step.

If you need to cut down a bigger piece of glass to fit into the frame, here is how you do it:

1. Measure your frame and jot down the size of the hole in the back that the backing glass needs to fill. It will be bigger than 8"x10" or whatever sized frame you are using, because the front of the frame is smaller than the back.

2. Procure your backing glass, whether it be old window glass, mirror, or opaque glass. If you are using window glass, don't use any with potential cracks (you can't always see them, so if the window has been broken in the past anticipate having invisible hairline cracks in the glass).

3. With a ruler (preferably a metal, cork-backed ruler to prevent skid), mark out on your glass with a sharpie where you need the cuts to be. If you have a square corner, use it and only make 2 cuts. If your corners all suck, put it about an inch in from the closest edges and make 4 cuts.

4. If you don't already have a glass cutter, get one. I like the fancier handled ones, but a simple oldschool cutter will work just as well. Get cutter oil as well, as cutting with a dry wheel tends to lead to chipping, breaks going askew, and horrible noises.

5. If this is the first time you have cut glass, make sure to read over the instructions that come on your glass cutter, if they came with any. Practice on a scrap piece first. Remember to oil your cutting wheel, and press firmly. Only cut in one direction, don't cut over another cut, cut your glass on a flat surface or table, cut on the smoother side of the glass if it has texture. Cutting away from yourself is usually easier than cutting toward yourself, although safety-wise in this case it doesn't actually matter.

6. Using the ruler as a guide, cut out your pane of glass. Set the cutter on the glass next to the ruler to see how close to the ruler it actually gets, and line up your cut accordingly. Your pane can be a little smaller than it should be, but if it's bigger it's not going to fit, and you'll have to grind it down. (We will not be going into grinding in this instructable.)

Oh, and be careful, glass is sharp; duh.

7. Once you have made your cuts, use a pair of running pliers to break the glass on your scores. They are curved, which puts stress on the glass and causes it to break on the score line that your cutter makes. Break the glass down and away, per the illustration I have provided. If you do not have running pliers and for some reason refuse to buy them or can't find them, you will need a straight edged table and some courage. Position the score just over the edge of the table, then lift and slam (gently) the glass downward. Carry on the motion beyond the table and grip firmly with your fingertips so that you don't drop the glass.