The object when it reaches the naqash is firstly covered with thin paper strips of butter paper pasted on the object by means glue. This thin layer of paper acts as barrier between the plaster covering the object and the paintwork, ensuring that the painted surface does not crack. Earlier muslin was also used along with kashur kakaz (local hand made paper).
The surface so formed is then covered with a base coat of paint. Formerly crushed, pounded white stone was made into a paste and the same applied to obtain white color. Burnt and pounded cow-dung was used for obtaining black color. After the base color is applied the required design is usually out lined on the surface by means of pencil. This is known as khat travun. Traditionally master craftsmen would draw out the khat without the help of any stencil or khakha. Thus there used to be an individualistic touch to the rendering of a motif. But these days many younger artisans prefer to make use of khakas, which are essentially perforated paper stencils. Rubbing the khaka with chalk leaves a faint mark on the surface that has to be painted. These faint lines are generally outlined with zarda or the yellow colour. Thereafter the required colors are filled in. The process of filling the colour within the motif is known as aastar. In case some portions of the work are to be raised (or embossed) a process known as vathlavun, then gacch is applied in the required places. After the object has been painted over it is covered with two coats of varnish to give the required glossy finish. |
Living Heritage