Cherial Scroll Painting
The process of preparing the canvas and painting a Cherial Scroll Painting from Telangana, India
Dastkari Haat Samiti
Dastkari Haat Samiti
Cheriyal scroll painting (2017)Dastkari Haat Samiti
Preparing the canvas
Cherial scroll paintings are narrative pictures painted on the cloth that were used by
traditional storytellers of Telangana. These storytellers travelled
from one village to another, reciting tales of legendary heroes.
Traditional Cherial scrolls, made on handwoven khadi fabric, is first treated with a specially prepared solution. The fabric base is specially prepared by the
painters.
Three coats are generally applied. This is to make the canvas stiff and to allow free movement of the brush for outlining, to help in colour absorption and increase the lifespan of the painting.
Cheriyal scroll painting (2017)Dastkari Haat Samiti
The solution made of rice starch, white clay, boiled tamarind seed and lac solution is prepared to treat the surface.
A soft cloth, folded into a round shape, is used to apply this solution.
Cheriyal scroll paintingDastkari Haat Samiti
Once the canvas is prepared, the artist marks out the frame using graphite.
Cheriyal scroll painting (2017)Dastkari Haat Samiti
Brushes made using squirrel and camel hair are used to outline and paint.
Cheriyal scroll painting (2017)Dastkari Haat Samiti
The outline of figures is drawn free-hand, in clean brush strokes, with no preliminary markings or rough drawings.
Cheriyal scroll painting (2017)Dastkari Haat Samiti
The outlines are sharp and well defined.
Cheriyal Scroll Painting: Drawing Outline (2017) by D. VaikuntamDastkari Haat Samiti
The outline is painted directly onto the canvas in red using a fine squirrel hair brush.
Cheriyal scroll painting (2017)Dastkari Haat Samiti
The more well defined the lines, the more is the depth of the experience of an artist.
Filling in colour
Once the fabric is prepared and the outlines drawn, the artist fills the background with bright red, excluding the outlines drawn earlier. He fills colour into the figures with a goat hair brush. It is then left to dry. As it dries quickly, he begins to outline the characters and other features in black with the help of a finer squirrel hair brush. Artists use natural and commercial colours for their art form.
Cheriyal Scroll Painting: Filling Colour (2017) by D. VaikuntamDastkari Haat Samiti
Bold solid colours are used to fill in the painting.
Cheriyal scroll painting (2017)Dastkari Haat Samiti
The artist fills in the background with red colour.
Cheriyal scroll painting (2017)Dastkari Haat Samiti
Both natural and commercially available colours are used for painting.
Cheriyal scroll painting (2017)Dastkari Haat Samiti
The artist excludes the outlines that have been drawn while filling the background with colour.
Cheriyal scroll painting (2017)Dastkari Haat Samiti
The artist does not use any visual references or guides. The composition is in his mind and unfolds on the fabric with each brush stroke.
Cheriyal scroll painting (2017)Dastkari Haat Samiti
After the background is complete and dry, other colours are filled into the defined spaces.
Cheriyal scroll painting (2017)Dastkari Haat Samiti
Natural colors used for painting are extracted from different elements such as stones, ash from an oil lamp and sea shells.
Cheriyal scroll painting (2017)Dastkari Haat Samiti
Yellow is obtained from a stone called pevdi in Telugu, which is the local language.
Cheriyal scroll painting (2017)Dastkari Haat Samiti
Then and now: D Vaikuntham and Family
Compared to the long scrolls made in the past, artists have now begun making smaller ones. These may depict just a single episode or a few characters from a traditional story. The newer ones can be framed and hung easily in modern environments. Gollu dolls and masks have also become a part of home decor. Cherial painting continues in the hands of a few selected artists who use their unique techniques to carry forward an age-old tradition.
D. Vaikuntam, whose family has continued this tradition since the 15th century, is one of the masters of this art.
Cheriyal scroll painting (2010) by D. VaikuntamDastkari Haat Samiti
A traditional Cherial painting based on the life of Rama.
Cheriyal scroll painting: Making a Cheriyal mask (2017)Dastkari Haat Samiti
Read more about Cherial Scroll Paintings and Masks here:
- Preparing Colours
- Cherial Masks
Text: Aloka Hiremath and Jaya Jaitly
Photography:Chirodeep Chaudhuri
Artisans: D. Vaikuntam and family
Ground Facilitator: Shalini Shashi
Curation: Ruchira Verma
