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Activities / Cheriyal Scroll Painting / Cheriyal Fridge Magnet

Cheriyal Fridge Magnet

Cheriyal Fridge Magnet: A Mini Telangana Scroll Figure on a Wooden Disc

Level
Beginner
Duration
45 - 90 mins (plus drying)
Budget
₹1,143 – ₹1,643
Age
10+
State
Telangana

Materials

  • Unfinished round wooden or MDF disc, about 5 cm across
  • Acrylic paint set (you need red, yellow, blue, green, white and black)
  • Paint brush set with a small round brush (size 2 or smaller) and a flat brush
  • Black waterproof fineliner, 0.5 mm
  • Clear water-based gloss varnish
  • Self-adhesive magnetic tape, about 1.2 cm wide
  • Fine sandpaper
  • Pencil
  • Jar of water, paper plate and a rag
  • Newspaper to cover the table

Steps

  1. Set up your table and lay out your supplies
    Cover the table with newspaper and sit near a window. Put out the wooden disc, sandpaper, paints, brushes, a jar of water, a paper plate for mixing, a pencil and a rag. Squeeze a pea-sized blob of each colour onto the plate only when you need it, because acrylic starts to dry in about 10 minutes. Common mistake: putting out all the paint at once, so half of it dries on the plate.
    Tip: Wear an old shirt. Acrylic paint does not wash out of clothes once it dries.
  2. Sand the disc until the face feels smooth
    Fold a piece of fine sandpaper in half and rub the face and the edge of the 5 cm disc in small circles for about a minute. Wipe off the dust with a slightly damp rag and let it dry for 5 minutes. The wood should feel as smooth as a coin. Common mistake: skipping this step, which leaves rough fibres that show through the paint.
    Tip: Sand in the direction of the grain on the edge so you do not leave scratches.
  3. Paint the face and edge deep red, two coats
    Load a flat brush with red, wipe off the extra on the rim of the plate and paint the face in even strokes in one direction. Do the edge too. Wait 20 minutes until it feels dry and not tacky, then paint a second coat in the other direction. Cheriyal scrolls are famous for this strong red ground. Common mistake: one thick coat, which leaves ridges and takes much longer to dry.
    Tip: If the brush drags, dip the tip in a little water first. Thin coats look smoother than thick ones.
  4. Pencil a simple figure that fills half the disc
    Lightly sketch one figure: a peacock, a deer or a dancing woman. Make it about 3 cm tall so it fills half the face, and leave room for a border 3 mm from the edge. Cheriyal figures have big eyes, rounded faces and bold shapes, so draw the eye larger than it feels natural. Pencil shows on red, so press very lightly. Common mistake: too many details, so keep the shape simple.
    Tip: A white or yellow colour pencil shows up better on red than graphite. Use whichever you have.
  5. Fill the figure with flat colours, one at a time
    Use the small round brush. Paint the largest part first, for example the peacock body in blue, then the next colour, such as yellow for the feathers and green for the leaves. Let each colour dry for 5 minutes before painting beside it, so colours do not mix. Cheriyal uses flat colour with no shading and no blending. Common mistake: painting wet next to wet, which turns the colours muddy.
    Tip: Two thin coats of a light colour such as yellow cover red better than one thick coat.
  6. Add small details: dots, stripes, jewellery and leaves
    With the smallest brush and a very little paint, add tiny white dots along the edge of the feathers, stripes on the body and a few small leaves. Wipe the brush tip on a rag so you do not drop blobs. Work from the middle outwards and rest your pinky finger on the table for a steady hand. Common mistake: too much paint on the brush, which makes dots into smudges.
  7. Outline everything and draw a thin border
    Let all the paint dry for 20 minutes. Then trace around the figure, the eye and the main details with the black waterproof fineliner, using slow smooth strokes. Draw a thin border about 3 mm from the edge of the disc. Black outlines make the flat colours pop and are the signature of Cheriyal. If the pen skips on a bumpy spot, go over it again slowly.
    Tip: Try the pen on a paint-covered scrap first. If it smears, wait longer for the paint to dry.
  8. Brush on two thin coats of varnish
    Wait 30 minutes after outlining. With a clean flat brush, spread a thin coat of gloss water-based varnish over the face and edge, using one direction only. It looks milky when wet and dries clear. Wait 1 hour, then add a second thin coat. Common mistake: going back over a part that is already drying, which pulls up the paint and leaves streaks.
    Tip: Wash your brush in water right away. Dried varnish ruins a brush.
  9. Stick the magnet on and let it cure
    Cut a 5 cm piece of self-adhesive magnetic tape. Peel off the backing and press it onto the back of the disc, rubbing firmly for 20 seconds. Leave the magnet flat for 24 hours before sticking it to the fridge, so the varnish and the glue set. Keep magnets away from small children, because they are a swallowing risk.
    Tip: If the tape does not stay, add a dot of strong craft glue under it and press under a book for an hour.

Sustainability

Medium - reuses a wooden blank; acrylic and varnish are plastic-based

Safety

Magnets are a swallowing risk for young children; paint stains; ventilate when varnishing; keep magnets away from pacemakers