Learning Tanjore painting was in my To Do list from a very long time. When I lived in US, one of my beloved friends who was an art teacher would do Tanjore painting. That was when I came to know about this art form. I wanted to learn Tanjore painting since then. She invited me a couple of times but somehow stars were not aligned.
Recently my brother's sister-in-law took up a 6 month course in Mysore painting in Chitrakala Parishat. That inspired me and I instantly developed an urge to learn. I inquired at Chitrakala Parishat but they asked me to contact after 3-4 months. Also considering that Chitrakala Parishat is very far from where I live, commuting everyday for 6 months became a challenge. So I googled other art classes nearby. That's when I discovered Kalavismaya Art classes by Smt. Vijayalakshmi near Hanumanthnagar, Bangalore. It was not very nearby but compared to all the art classes that showed up in Google this had a good review and was relatively nearer.
The art teacher offered painting for different sizes with different pricing. She said size doesn't matter to learn even if it's beginning. I chose a medium size. Since it was my first time, I chose to paint Ganapati, the lord of knowledge and remover of obstacles. It is a common practice in Hindus to pray Ganapati before starting any work. Hence I chose to paint Ganesha.
The first step is to select an image of Ganesha. Then go to Jumbo xerox to get a printout of the image for the required size. Then prepare a wooden board, paste Fabriana paper onto the board. My art teacher got it done by a framework shop.
Once the board is ready, trace the deity and the designs using a Carbon paper. According to my art teacher, using a regular carbon paper does not allow to erase any mistakes during tracing. So she takes a plain paper, rubs it with red oxide powder. By using red oxide, it allows us to erase any mistakes in tracing.
Above Picture : Muck work in process
To prepare muck we need chalk powder and arabic gum. To prepare arabic gum, we get granules, need to soak it in water. To this arabic gum mix chalk powder and mix well to get a proper consistency. We used paint brush to do the muck work. We painted yellow paint on the parts where we decided to put gold foil. Only on those parts the muck work is done.
Above Picture : Applying gold foil
Next process is to apply gold foil. Place the gold foil on the muck work, get an impression and cut the gold foil only so much. Using arabic gum paste it on the parts.
Above Picture : Putting Stones
Once gold foil is complete, apply stones on the areas.
Above Picture : Painting in process
Next step is to start the painting process. I did not do the painting completely. My art teacher helped me in painting the deity's part. It is better one has painting knowledge to mix colors to get appropriate shades like for example skin color.
Thus the painting is done.
