LEVEL 2 : DYNAMIC ANDAMENTO
OVERVIEW
Tesserae and Andamento are the building blocks of mosaic.
They can be read as a language, the tone of voice, or the tempo of a line.
Once you understand the basics of Classical Mosaic Opera (Andamento LEVEL 1) it’s time to learn how to build in more dynamism, movement and expression.
The Level 2 Course – Dynamic Andamento teaches you structured ways to introduce more movement and volume and energy into your work through sdoppiamento (line splitting), accentuating curves, flaring and scaling your tesserae, and using contour to create volume in your mosaics.
Working in predominantly one colour only, this level poses some technical challenges.
The tasks encourage students to tackle the truth of their andamento skills without the comfort of colour.
Colour is often used without knowledge or consideration of its elements and commonly overdone to hide the fact that the andamento doesn’t actually work.
A true ‘Andamento Boot Camp’, this level has been described as tricky, but in many ways it’s just as foundational to mosaic expression as Level 1.
Level 2 is a stage that should not be skipped in the learning mosaic journey.
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TESSERAE DRAWING DEMONSTRATIONS
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OPTIONAL EXTENSION ACTIVITIES
UNIT 1 : BASIC SDOPPIAMENTO
AVAILABLE NOW
Unit 1: Introduces Basic Sdoppiamento. This is one of the MOST important skills a mosaicist needs in their bag of tricks! Some students may have heard of the term, and others may be thinking what on earth is that!!!? This technique sits within the Classical tradition and in essence it refers to doubling or splitting your line in a fluid way.
Sdoppiamento enables you to grow your line seamlessly from one line into two, two lines into three or more and back again. This allows you to express fluidly, describing form and building flow in your subject matter and backgrounds.
Beginning with drawing exercises, we then create mosaic samples of each drawing, extending the techniques each time.
UNIT 2 : FLARED SDOPPIAMENTO
RELEASED END of APRIL 2025
In Unit 2 we start to move away from a Classical way of working by creating Flared Sdoppiamento.
This technique creates lines that are more energetic and have a bursting dynamism. I introduce the five sided piece, the ‘irregular pentagon’ which is a critical shape to employ where lines divide in rapid succession.
It is an essential shape to have in your tesserae toolbox – knowing when and how to use it (and when not to) is an important step.
UNIT 3 : SPIRALING AND SCALING
RELEASED END of MAY 2025
In Unit 3 we introduce the contemporary technique of scaling.
In classical mosaic we see different sized tesserae in different areas of the design – perhaps we see the tiny tesserae of Opus Vermiculatum in the emblema, we see mid sized tesserae in the background field and perhaps some larger tesserae in the border. So, different areas of the mosaic may have different patterns rendered in different sized pieces.
We notice in Classical mosaic that when lines widen and divide, the tesserae soon return to the original size, creating a seamless growth.
In Contemporary practice this is not always the case, and we can deliberately manipulate the scale of tesserae throughout a line to help create lightness, heaviness, fullness or delicacy. In this unit we undertake two studies to exemplify how scaling, paired with sdoppiamento can create these effects.
UNIT 4 : COMPRESSION AND EXPANSION
In Unit 4 we push scaling a little bit further, moving from the creation of a two dimensional depiction of scale to implying three dimensions.
This is possibly the hardest of the 5 units as we build understanding of volume through the use of compression and expansion in the tesserae.
Commencing as always with drawing, we learn to understand volume in prisms using perspective, converging lines, axes and ellipses before rendering dimensional shapes that imply volume through the compression of some lines and the expansion of others.
UNIT 5 : BRINGING IT ALL TOGETHER
The final lesson of Level 2 is probably the easiest and most reflects a real world application of the techniques learnt in Units 1-4.
The skills investigated in these units are explicit and at times fairly complex. But like Level 1, we see that in real life mosaic, these techniques are not used in isolation and instead are all used in subtle ways, here and there within a design.
A basic sdoppiamento here, a section of flared sdoppiamento there, some scaling through this line, and some compression and expansion over there.
Unit five demonstrates how these can be integrated in an image with subtle but explicit use of the techniques learnt in the previous units.
Once you complete these units, you will be soundly equipped with the andamento skills to tackle almost anything.
So let’s get started on Dynamic Andamento.. aka andamento boot camp!
I had my first art class in college, many, many years ago, unfortunately it wasn’t a good experience and I promised myself never to take an art class again. My dear friend and mentor Jacki Gran, a mosaic artist, suggested I take a class with you… despite my trepidation I signed up and it’s been a joyride.
Your mastery of the craft and your artistic talents are a beautiful foundation for learning techniques, understanding the art form, and acquiring an eye for color theory. I’m definitely on the elementary level, however, your patience, support, and encouragement coupled with your knowledge and experience makes the learning process fun, challenging and rewarding. I’ll be remiss not to add that my art (techniques) have improved greatly.
The design of the courses is structured with details and amazing resources; the involvement required and the easy-to-follow instructions are outstanding. Accessing the study guides and the class videos as often as I like are absolutely essential tools for me. For a slow learner like me, your courses are priceless.
