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Activities / Kalighat Painting / Kalighat Painting

Kalighat Painting

Kalighat-Style Painting: Bold Brush Lines and Flat Colour from Bengal

Level
Intermediate
Duration
2 - 4 hours
Budget
₹441 – ₹983
Age
12+
State
West Bengal

Materials

  • Thick drawing paper, A4, 300 gsm smooth
  • Poster colours (India) or acrylic paint (USA), 12 colours
  • Round brushes, sizes 0, 1, 2, 4 and 6
  • Low-tack masking tape, 24 mm
  • Pencil (soft) and eraser
  • Board or thick cardboard, A3 size
  • Plate for a palette, jar of water, paper towel

Steps

  1. Tape the paper to a board and set out paints and brushes
    Tape an A4 sheet of thick paper to a board or a flat piece of cardboard with masking tape on all four edges. Put out a plate as a palette, a jar of water, a paper towel and your brushes. Squeeze pea-sized amounts of red, yellow, orange, brown, white, black and blue on the plate, with space between them. Kalighat paintings began in Kolkata near the Kalighat temple, and they use bold flat colours. Common mistake: using thin paper, which curls when wet.
    Tip: Tape the paper down firmly, as a taped sheet stays flat when the paint dries.
  2. Sketch a standing woman holding a lamp, about 22 cm tall
    With a soft pencil, draw an oval head about 4 cm tall near the top of the page. Add a long, curved neck, a rounded shoulder and a slim body in a long sari that flows to the ground. Raise one arm to hold a small lamp. Kalighat figures have large heads and smooth, curved lines, with no tiny details. Keep the whole figure about 22 cm tall so it fills the page. Common mistake: drawing a stiff, straight figure. Give her a gentle S-curve.
    Tip: Sketch the S-curve of the body first as one line, then draw the clothes around it.
  3. Draw the face with arched eyebrows and large almond eyes
    Inside the oval, draw two arched eyebrows high above two large almond-shaped eyes about 1.2 cm wide, each with a round pupil. Add a straight nose with a small curve and a small mouth with full lips. Keep the face turned a little to the side. Kalighat faces have an elegant, calm look with big eyes that stare out of the painting. Common mistake: tiny eyes. Draw them larger than seems right.
  4. Paint the skin and hair in flat colour
    Mix orange with a little white to make a warm skin tone. Use a medium round brush (size 4) to fill the face, neck and arms with smooth, even strokes in one direction. Then paint the hair in dark brown or black, keeping the edge of the hair clean. Do not worry about shading yet. Wash the brush between colours. Common mistake: using too much water, which makes streaks and pools.
    Tip: Paint small areas with a small brush, and large areas with a bigger one, for cleaner edges.
  5. Paint the sari in one bright colour
    Choose one bold colour, such as red or deep blue, and paint the whole sari with a size 6 brush. Work from top to bottom with smooth strokes, going in the direction of the folds. Keep the colour flat and bright, with no gaps showing paper. Let the first coat dry for 10 minutes. If the paper shows through, add a second coat. Common mistake: painting over still-wet paint, which lifts it.
  6. Add soft shading with a darker shade of each colour
    Mix a little black or dark brown into the sari colour for a darker shade. Paint a thin curved strip of it along one edge of the sari and along the underside of the arm. While it is wet, drag a clean damp brush along the inner edge to blend it softly. This soft shading on one side of each shape is a Kalighat trademark. Common mistake: shading every shape in the same direction. Keep the light coming from one side.
    Tip: Test the blend once on scrap paper first to see how much water is needed.
  7. Paint the eyes, eyebrows and mouth with a fine brush
    Wait until the skin paint is fully dry, about 20 minutes. With a size 0 brush and black paint thinned with a drop of water, paint the pupils, eyebrows and eyelid lines. Fill the lips with deep red. Add a small dot on the forehead if you like. Rest your hand on a clean paper towel so it does not smudge. Common mistake: painting the eyes while the skin colour is wet, because the black bleeds.
  8. Outline the whole figure in black with flowing brush strokes
    Dip a size 1 brush in black paint thinned slightly, wipe it once and draw a smooth outline around the head, arms and sari. Try to draw each long curve in a single confident stroke, because Kalighat is known for these flowing lines. If your hand wobbles, thicken the line a little. A slightly uneven line looks hand-painted and has charm. Work from the top down so your hand stays on dry paper.
    Tip: Breathe out as you draw each long curve, and the line stays steadier.
  9. Add jewellery, a border pattern on the sari and a few leaves
    With the size 0 brush, add small black or gold details: earrings, bangles and a necklace. Draw a simple border along the bottom of the sari with dots or short lines. Paint two or three small leaves or flowers near the feet. Leave the background plain. Kalighat paintings had empty backgrounds on purpose. Common mistake: filling the background, which hides the figure.
  10. Let it dry, sign it and peel off the tape
    Leave the painting flat for at least 1 hour, then sign your name in a bottom corner with the fine brush. Peel the tape slowly, pulling it away from the painting. Erase any pencil lines that still show. Wash your brushes in cool water and shape the tips with your fingers. Keep the painting flat under a book for a day if it has curled.

Sustainability

Medium - paper and water-based paints; reuse leftover paper

Safety

Paint stains; ventilate when using ink; take eye breaks during fine lines