My sister asked me to do these Phad paintings for her new home and gave me the opportunity to try something new. This is my first attempt at painting the images of the Hindu Gods.

Phad art is an indigenous painting style unique to the state of Rajasthan. The paintings were done on a long canvas or scroll called ‘phad’ and depicted folk tales around deities. The storytellers would go from village to village narrating stories and used the scroll to depict the stories. You can read more about Phad art here.

And this is all three of them together

I used ‘burnt sienna’ and ‘antique gold’ acrylic paint for these paintings and a micro tip pen to line the pictures after I’d drawn them with a pencil. I suppose those who find it difficult to draw could trace these images. For me, the most challenging part was ensuring the shade of burnt sienna did not change (the paper tends to drink up a lot of paint). Another thing with this kind of art is that there’s no scope for errors because a single mistake will stand out like a sore thumb.

It was interesting doing this kind of painting just before our trip to Rajasthan because going there made me appreciate and understand the art form even more. If you’re interested in reading about our week’s holiday in the desert state, then you know where to come back. I hope to share everything about the trip- the places, the food, the things we did there so that you don’t put your travel plans on hold. As long as you follow protocol- wear your mask, sanitise, you will be safe.

You can check my art on https://spacesbysmithav.com

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