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Activities / Nirmal Art / Nirmal Floral Coasters

Nirmal Floral Coasters

Nirmal-Style Floral Coasters: Gold-Outlined Flowers on Wood

Level
Intermediate
Duration
2 - 4 hours (plus drying)
Budget
₹1,200 – ₹1,600
Age
12+
State
Telangana

Materials

  • Unfinished wooden coasters, 10 cm (4 in) squares
  • Fine sandpaper (220 grit or finer)
  • Acrylic paint set (green, black, white, red, pink, yellow)
  • Gold paint marker, fine tip
  • Round paint brushes, sizes 0, 2 and larger
  • Water-based clear varnish (satin or gloss)
  • Round self-adhesive felt pads, 1 inch
  • White or yellow colour pencil, plate, water jar, newspaper, cotton buds, damp cloth, bottle caps

Steps

  1. Cover the table and sand each coaster smooth
    Cover your table with newspaper. Take fine sandpaper (220 grit or finer) and rub the top, sides and edges of each 10 cm square coaster in the direction of the grain for about a minute, until it feels silky. Wipe off the dust with a damp cloth and let them dry for 10 minutes. Common mistake: skipping sanding, because rough wood makes brush marks and soaks up paint. Work outside or wear a mask, since sanding dust irritates lungs.
  2. Paint a dark green base coat on the top and sides
    Mix dark green by adding a pinch of black to green on a plate. With the biggest brush, paint the top and the four sides of each coaster in smooth strokes. Let it dry for 30 minutes, then add a second coat. Cream also works if you prefer a light look. Common mistake: thick paint that pools at the edges, so use thin coats and check the sides for drips.
    Tip: Stand the coasters on bottle caps while they dry so the painted sides do not stick to the table.
  3. Sketch one flower spray lightly with a white colour pencil
    Pencil does not show on dark paint, so use a white or yellow colour pencil. Draw one large flower with five petals about 3 cm across slightly off centre, two small buds on thin stems and four curved leaves, keeping 1 cm free around the edge. Draw lightly, so that you can wipe off mistakes with a damp cotton bud. Practise the layout on paper first if you wish.
    Tip: Copy the same layout onto all four coasters so they look like a set.
  4. Paint the stems and leaves in muted green
    With the size 2 brush, paint the thin stems first, then fill each leaf in a mid green that is lighter than the base. Paint the stems in one smooth pull each. Let them dry for 20 minutes, then add a lighter green line down the middle of each leaf for a vein. Mix the green with a little white so it shows well on the dark base. Common mistake: using the same dark green as the base, which makes the leaves vanish.
  5. Paint the flower and buds with two shades per petal
    Paint each petal and bud in white first, with the size 0 brush. When it is dry, add red or pink over most of each petal, leaving a lighter tip. Use a little paint that is not too wet, so each petal has a deeper colour at the base and a pale tip. Paint a yellow dot in the middle of the flower and wash your brush between colours.
  6. Outline the flowers and leaves in gold
    Shake the gold pen and press the tip on scrap paper until the paint flows. Trace around each petal, bud and leaf in one steady line, about 1 mm thick. Add a thin gold ring about 4 mm inside the edge of the coaster as a border. Gold outlines make Nirmal art look rich, and the gold needs 20 minutes to dry. Common mistake: dragging a wet pen over wet paint, so wait until each colour is dry before outlining.
    Tip: Work from the top of the coaster downwards, so your hand never rests on wet gold.
  7. Add fine details: veins, dots and tiny tendrils
    With the size 0 brush or the gold pen, add veins on the leaves, dots around the flower centre and small curling tendrils reaching from the stems. Keep marks small and few, since too many make the design look busy. Rest your hand on the table. This takes patience, so rest your eyes every 30 minutes. Common mistake: details that are thicker than the outlines.
  8. Repeat on the other three coasters and let them dry for 2 hours
    Paint the other three coasters with the same steps. Painting all four in rows, one stage at a time, is faster than finishing one by one, because paint dries on the first while you work on the others. Once all four are done, leave them flat for 2 hours. They must feel completely dry and cool before varnishing. Wet paint under varnish turns cloudy.
  9. Brush on two thin coats of water-resistant varnish
    With a window open, brush a thin coat of varnish over the top and sides of each coaster, working in one direction and avoiding drips at the edges. Let it dry for 2 hours, or as the label says, then add a second thin coat and let it harden for 24 hours before using. Common mistake: a thick coat, which turns milky and sticky. Water-based varnish washes off brushes with soap and water.
  10. Stick felt or cork pads underneath
    Turn each coaster over and press one round felt pad into each corner, so 4 pads per coaster, or one large pad in the middle. Press for 10 seconds so they grip. Pads stop the coasters scratching the table. Wipe the coasters with a damp cloth when needed, and do not soak them or put hot mugs on them, since the varnish is not heat-proof.

Sustainability

Medium - reuses wooden coasters; acrylic and varnish are plastic-based

Safety

Varnish fumes, so ventilate; paint stains; eye strain from fine work, so rest every 30 minutes; sanding dust irritates lungs