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Activities / Bidriware / Bidri Scratch-Art Plaque

Bidri Scratch-Art Plaque

Scratch-Art Plaque Inspired by Bidriware's Engraved Silver Lines

Level
Beginner
Duration
45 - 90 mins
Budget
₹60 – ₹700
Age
10+
State
Karnataka

Materials

  • Silver mirror card, A4, 250 gsm
  • Black acrylic paint
  • Tracing paper, A4
  • Flat or sponge brush, 2.5 cm wide
  • Dish soap
  • Wooden skewer or toothpick, as the scratching tool
  • Soft pencil, eraser, masking tape, scissors and an old soft brush
  • Dark card and double-sided tape for mounting (optional)

Steps

  1. Cover the table and cut the silver card to A5 size
    This is an inspired-by project: real Bidri artists engrave black metal and hammer silver wire into the grooves, and you will scratch a black coating to reveal a silver card for a similar black and silver look. Cover the table with newspaper. Fold an A4 sheet of silver mirror card in half across its short side and cut along the fold to get an A5 sheet of 14.8 by 21 cm (5.8 by 8.3 in).
  2. Mix the black paint with a few drops of dish soap
    In a small cup, stir 2 tablespoons of black acrylic paint with 4 drops of dish soap until smooth. The soap breaks the paint's grip, so it scratches off the shiny card easily. Without soap the paint peels in flakes and ruins the lines. Wear an apron because acrylic does not wash out of cloth once it dries.
    Tip: Test a small mix on a scrap of the card and scratch it with a toothpick after it dries.
  3. Paint the first coat evenly across the whole silver surface
    Use a flat or sponge brush about 2.5 cm wide. Brush the paint in one direction, from left to right, covering the whole card to the edges. Keep the coat thin: you can still see a little silver through it. Let it dry for 1 hour. Common mistake: a thick first coat, which dries with cracks and bubbles that spoil the scratching.
  4. Paint a second coat in the other direction and let it dry for 2 hours
    Brush the second coat from top to bottom, across the first one, so any thin spots get covered. The surface should be a solid matte black with no silver showing. Leave it flat for 2 hours until it does not feel cool or tacky when you touch a corner. Scratching a coat that is not fully dry smears the paint instead of lifting it.
  5. Draw your design on tracing paper at full size
    Cut a sheet of tracing paper to A5. With a pencil draw an eight-petal flower inside a circle about 8 cm across at the centre, and curling vines with small leaves in each corner. This flower-and-vine layout is a classic Bidri style. Keep the drawing simple and symmetric, with thin lines about 2 mm apart in the petals. Erase and redraw until you like it.
    Tip: Fold the paper in half to check that both sides look the same.
  6. Transfer the design onto the black surface
    Turn the tracing paper over and shade the back of the lines with a soft pencil. Flip it right side up on the black card and tape the two top corners with masking tape. Trace over every line with a wooden skewer, pressing gently. A faint grey line will show on the black. Lift one corner to check the transfer before you untape.
  7. Scratch along the lines with a wooden skewer to reveal the silver
    Hold the skewer like a pencil at about 45 degrees and scratch along the faint lines, pressing evenly. A bright silver line appears where the paint lifts. Start with the circle, then the petals, then the vines, so you do not drag your hand through finished lines. Common mistake: pressing too hard, which scores the card and breaks the shine. Light, steady pressure gives clean lines.
    Tip: Pause to brush away the flakes with a dry soft brush so you can see the line.
  8. Fill the background with tiny scratched dots and cross-hatching
    Fill the empty spaces between the vines with tiny dots, about 1 mm across, by pressing the tip of the skewer straight down and lifting. Add cross-hatching in the corners with lines 2 mm apart, crossing at right angles. Bidri designs are busy, with texture everywhere around the main motif. Leave a plain black border about 1 cm wide around the edge.
  9. Brush off the flakes and mount the plaque on a card
    Brush the scratched flakes away with a dry soft brush into a bin, and do not blow them toward your face. Wash your hands with soap, because the paint flakes stay on your skin. Stick the plaque in the middle of a bigger piece of black or dark card with double-sided tape, leaving an even border. Stand it on a shelf or hang it with a loop of tape.

Sustainability

Medium - a small card project. Inspired-by exercise: real Bidri engraves metal and inlays silver wire; scratching a coating to reveal foil imitates the effect

Safety

Use a wooden stylus or a toothpick, never a blade; wash hands after handling coating; ventilate if using paint