Activities / Tanjore Painting / Tanjore Painting

Tanjore Painting

Tanjore-Style Painting: Gesso Relief, Gold Foil and Bright Colour

Level: Advanced
Duration: 15 - 30 hours (over a week)
Budget: ₹940 – ₹2,343
Age: 16+
State: Tamil Nadu
Craft: Tanjore Painting

Materials

Plywood or MDF board, 20 x 25 cm (8 x 10 in), 3 to 6 mm thick
White glue (PVA) in a bottle
Chalk powder (whiting) for gesso paste, or ready-made white gesso
Imitation gold foil sheets with gilding adhesive
Acrylic paints with red, blue, green, yellow, white, black and brown
Fine round brushes (00, 0, 2, 4, 8) and a flat brush for the gesso
Carbon paper and fine sandpaper
Small coloured glass stones or beads
Clear matte acrylic varnish
Thin cotton cloth, 30 x 35 cm
Zip bag, tray, soft brush, cotton buds, pencil, tape, paper, plate for paint, jar of water

Steps

Plan a simple, respectful design and prepare your workspace
Thanjavur paintings traditionally show deities, so for a first try paint a lotus inside an arch with a patterned border, which uses all the same skills. Clear a table you can leave untouched for a week, because the layers need long drying times. Cover it with newspaper, and open a window, because glues and varnish smell. Draw your design on a sheet of paper cut to 20 x 25 cm first, so you can fix mistakes before they reach the board.
Tip: Draw the arch 14 cm wide and 18 cm tall, a lotus 8 cm wide inside it, and a border 1.5 cm from the edge.
Sand the board and glue a layer of thin cotton onto it
Rub the 20 x 25 cm board with fine sandpaper and wipe off the dust. Spread white glue over the board in a thin even layer with a flat brush. Lay a piece of thin cotton cloth, slightly bigger than the board, on top and smooth it from the centre outward with your palm so there are no wrinkles or bubbles. Fold the extra cloth over the edges and glue it down at the back. Let it dry overnight.
Tip: Press out each bubble toward the nearest edge with a flat card, like a credit card.
Brush on two thin coats of gesso and sand between them
Mix 2 tablespoons of chalk powder with 1 tablespoon of white glue and a little water until it is like thin cream, or use ready-made white gesso. Brush on one thin coat and let it dry for 2 hours. Rub it lightly with fine sandpaper, wipe it clean, then add a second coat and dry it again. The board should feel smooth like paper. Common mistake: one thick coat, which cracks as it dries.
Transfer your design with carbon paper
Place the carbon paper on the board with the dark side down, then lay your paper design on top and tape both at the top edge. Trace over every line with a hard pencil, pressing firmly. Lift one corner to check that the lines have transferred before you remove everything. The lines should be clear but not dug into the surface. Redraw any missing lines directly on the board with a pencil.
Build the raised relief with thick gesso paste
Mix chalk powder and white glue into a paste as thick as toothpaste, with no water. Spoon it into a small zip bag and cut a tiny hole in one corner. Squeeze a line along the arch and lotus outlines, the border, and add small dots where jewels will go. Raised lines should be about 2 mm high, and the board must dry flat for 24 hours. Common mistake: runny paste, which slumps.
Tip: Practise squeezing lines on spare paper first, to learn how hard to press.
Paint the raised areas with yellow ochre
Mix yellow acrylic with a tiny drop of brown to make yellow ochre. With a size 2 brush, paint all the raised lines and dots, and the parts that will get foil. The warm yellow glows through the gold and hides any gaps in the foil. Paint carefully so that no yellow reaches the background areas. Let it dry for 30 minutes.
Brush on adhesive and press gold foil onto the raised parts
Brush a thin layer of foil adhesive over the raised, ochre-coloured parts only. Wait 15 to 20 minutes, or as long as the label says, until it is clear and tacky. Lay a piece of foil on it, press it down with a fingertip, then rub it with a soft brush so it sticks into every ridge. Peel off the sheet slowly and sweep away the loose flakes. Patch any gaps with a dab of adhesive and a small scrap of foil.
Tip: Work over a tray, because foil flakes stick to anything. Keep your hands clean and dry.
Paint the background and border in bold flat colours
Use a size 6 brush for large areas and a size 2 for corners. Paint inside the arch deep red, the outer area deep blue and any leaves green, each in 2 thin coats with 30 minutes of drying between them. Keep the paint off the foil by painting right up to the raised edge. If paint covers the foil, wipe it quickly with a damp cotton bud before it sets. Keep the colours flat, with no shading.
Paint the lotus petals and add shading in the traditional way
Paint the lotus petals white or pale pink, with 2 or 3 thin coats and 10 minutes between them. When dry, add a darker pink at the base of each petal with a size 0 brush and soften it upward with a clean, damp brush. This soft shading inside a flat outline is the signature of Thanjavur painting. Common mistake: using wet colour next to wet colour, which blurs the outline.
Add black and white outlines and fine details
Use a size 00 brush and thinned black paint to outline the petals, leaves and arch edges next to the foil. Add white dots, small leaf veins and tiny lines in the border, about 1 mm wide. Rest your wrist on the table and move the brush slowly. If a line wobbles, wipe it at once with a damp cotton bud and redraw it. Work from the top of the board to the bottom.
Glue coloured stones or beads into the relief dots
Put a tiny dab of white glue on each raised dot and press a small coloured glass stone or bead into it with a toothpick or tweezers. Use red, green and white stones in a pattern, such as one red and one green in turn. Leave the board flat for 2 hours so the glue sets firmly. Common mistake: too much glue, which squeezes out and shows around the stone.
Varnish the painted areas and let the painting cure
In a ventilated room, brush one thin coat of clear matte varnish over the painted areas only, and keep it off the foil and stones, which would turn cloudy. Let it dry for 24 hours. Stand the painting upright, away from sun and damp, and wait a week before hanging it so the layers cure fully. Wash your brushes in warm water as soon as you finish.

Sustainability

Medium - uses plywood and paint; imitation gold foil is plastic-based; traditional work uses real gold leaf, which is costly

Safety

Adhesives and varnish release fumes, so ventilate; sharp cutters and glass beads must be handled carefully; back and eye strain, so take breaks