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Activities / Sawantwadi Lacquerware / Sawantwadi Painted Fruit

Sawantwadi Painted Fruit

Sawantwadi-Style Painted Wooden Fruit Set

Level
Beginner
Duration
1 - 2 hours (plus drying)
Budget
₹700 – ₹1,337
Age
8+
State
Maharashtra

Materials

  • Unfinished wooden fruit shapes (MDF cutouts)
  • Acrylic paints with yellow, orange, red, green, brown and white
  • Round brushes, sizes 0, 2 and 6
  • Gold paint pen
  • Clear water-based varnish
  • Fine sandpaper, 220 grit
  • Newspaper, damp cloth, plate for paint, jar of water, plastic cup or jar lid

Steps

  1. Set up your table and choose four fruits
    Sawantwadi in Maharashtra is known for lacquered wooden toys and fruit sets turned on a lathe. You will paint plain wooden fruit shapes with acrylic and varnish instead, in the same bright style. Cover the table with newspaper and choose 4 fruit shapes from your set, such as a banana, apple, pear and mango. Put a pea-sized drop of each colour on a plate, because acrylic dries fast. Keep the paint away from your mouth, and keep small pieces away from children under 3.
  2. Sand each fruit lightly and wipe it clean
    Rub each fruit with fine sandpaper, going the way the wood grain runs, for about 30 seconds per piece. You are only removing the rough fuzz, not changing the shape. Wipe off the dust with a damp cloth and let the pieces dry for 10 minutes. Common mistake: skipping this step. The paint then dries bumpy and the wood fibres stand up.
    Tip: Sand edges and corners a little more, because that is where splinters hide.
  3. Paint the base coat on the front and edges of each fruit
    Pick the main colour of each fruit: yellow for a banana or mango, red for an apple, green for a pear. With the size 6 brush, cover the front and the edges in one thin even coat, painting in one direction. Let it dry for 20 minutes. Wood soaks up paint, so the first coat looks patchy, which is normal. Do not add thick paint to hide it.
  4. Turn the fruit over and paint the back and any remaining edges
    Once the front is dry to the touch, turn each fruit and paint the back the same colour. Stand the pieces on a clean plastic cup or a jar lid while they dry so the wet side does not stick to the newspaper. Wait 20 minutes, then give the front and back a second coat. Two thin coats give a smooth, bright finish, while one thick coat leaves brush marks.
  5. Add a second shade for depth
    With the size 2 brush, add a second colour to each fruit: a soft red blush on the mango, brown spots on the banana, a darker red streak on the apple, a yellow patch on the pear. Dab the colour on and soften the edge by drawing a clean, damp brush along it. Keep the shapes small and few. Common mistake: too many spots, which makes the fruit look dirty instead of ripe.
    Tip: Practise the blush on scrap paper first, so you know how much water to use.
  6. Paint the stems and leaves
    Mix a brown and a green on your plate. With the size 0 brush, paint each stem brown, about 5 mm wide, and add one or two leaves in green on top, shaped like small pointed ovals. Add a thin darker green line down the middle of each leaf as a vein. Let it dry for 15 minutes. Common mistake: painting over wet colour, which smears the stem into the fruit.
  7. Add tiny decorative dots and a thin gold line
    Sawantwadi fruit is often decorated with small painted details. Use the gold pen to add a thin line round each fruit, about 5 mm from the edge, or a row of tiny dots, each 2 mm wide and 5 mm apart. Shake the pen and test it on scrap paper first, because the first mark can come out as a blob. Keep the pattern light so the fruit colour stays the star.
  8. Let the paint dry for one hour
    Stand all the fruits on the plastic cup or lid, away from dust and pets. Leave them for 1 hour, until nothing feels cool or tacky when you touch an edge. If a piece still feels sticky, wait 20 minutes longer. Varnishing over damp paint makes it cloudy, so do not rush this step.
  9. Brush on two thin coats of varnish
    Open a window, because varnish smells. With a clean size 6 brush, cover each fruit with a thin coat of water-based varnish, front first. Let it dry for 30 minutes, turn it and do the back. After another hour, give each fruit a second thin coat the same way. Wash the brush in warm water before the varnish dries, and avoid a thick coat, which drips and stays sticky.
    Tip: Let the second coat dry for 24 hours before you handle the fruit or put it in a bowl.

Sustainability

Medium - reuses unfinished wooden fruit shapes; acrylic and varnish are plastic-based. Inspired-by exercise: real Sawantwadi lacquerware is turned on a lathe and finished with lac

Safety

Not for children under 3 (small parts); ventilate when varnishing; keep paint away from the mouth