Q1.
Madhubani painting is a traditional art form from Bihar. The artists use natural colours to make them on the walls of their houses. You can also make and use natural colours as given below: • yellow from haldi • green from leaves • red from red flowers/geru/sindoor • orange from flowers • blue from neel/indigo powder. Given below is a Madhubani painting. Colour it with natural colours or any other colour.
Answer
The outline printed on page 139 shows a large peacock in the middle with its tail curling upward, a bird sitting on a branch in the top right corner and another bird at the bottom left, all surrounded by leaves, flowers and a thick zig-zag border.
How to make each natural colour:
| Colour | From | How to prepare it | Where to use it here |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yellow | haldi | Mix a spoon of turmeric powder in a little water. | The birds' bodies, the flower centres |
| Green | leaves | Crush fresh green leaves and strain the juice. | All the leaves and the branch |
| Red | red flowers / geru / sindoor | Soak red petals in water, or mix geru powder with water. | The border, the flowers |
| Orange | flowers | Soak marigold or palash petals in warm water. | The peacock's neck feathers |
| Blue | neel / indigo powder | Dissolve a pinch of neel in water. | The peacock's body and tail |
Tips for a neat Madhubani: add a spoon of gum or a little rice paste so the colour sticks; fill the large shapes first and the tiny border patterns last; keep the black outline visible — in Madhubani the line is never covered up; and do not leave any space empty, because filling every gap with dots, lines and leaves is the special mark of this style.