Tanjore Painting

Tanjore Painting, as the name suggests, traces its origin to the sixteenth century Thanjavur region of present-day Tamil Nadu. Traditionally, these paintings were two-dimensional with the main figure being in the centre and larger than the other subjects or elements. These figures were characterised by round faces, almond eyes and streamlined beautiful bodies. Drawings were traced with the help of stencil and then painted using all-natural colors made from vegetables and mineral dyes. Real gold leaves and gems were used for areas like jewels, throne, dresses, etc. In modern times, artists use chemical colors and real as well as artificial gold foil & gems to create this art form on canvas, plywood, MDF and other surfaces. This art form is particularly popular for usage during festivities in the southern states, and is used in homes as an art décor / wall piece.

During this Penkraft Online Tanjore Painting course, we start with the basic drawings, usage of materials and some necessary Dos and Don’ts. For the beginners, who are not fully confident of directly drawing on the surface, transferring the tracings provided with the course kit, on to the surface, is then covered. We then teach step by step, from surface and ceramic paste preparation, application of gold foil to drawing and painting of elements and figures of deities with acrylic colors. The course begins with using paper as the surface and then progresses to various MDF surfaces of different shapes like square, round, rectangle and Jharokha. Throughout the course, we keep providing tips and tricks to make your experience rewarding and your knowledge of this art thorough!