Planning a lippan panel before you open the mirror pack
Lippan work is forgiving in the making and unforgiving in the planning. Mirrors that are placed by eye look placed by eye, and a board that warps takes the whole panel with it.
Count first
Our kits state the pack size — for example twelve shapes across 1,200 pieces. Lay out the shapes you intend to use before mixing any clay, because a pattern that needs forty of one teardrop shape and only twenty-eight are in the pack turns into a compromise halfway through.
Spacing
- Keep at least one mirror-width between mirrors so the clay border reads as a border and not as a gap.
- Work outward from the centre motif; alignment errors then land at the rim where they are easiest to absorb.
- Press mirrors in while the clay is still slightly soft — set clay chips at the edges when pressed.
Board choice
MDF is the usual base. Anything above about 45 cm across benefits from a batten glued to the back, and a board stored flat rather than leaned against a wall stays flat. Seal the back if the panel will hang on an outside wall that gets damp in the monsoon.
Variation is part of it
Mirror edges are cut in batches, so shade and edge finish vary slightly across a pack. On a finished panel that variation is what stops the surface looking printed.