
Explore Phad Rajashthani painting, tracing its cloth-based natural-pigment storytelling, its shift to canvas, and learn facial features, body structure, dress, and stories of Mahabharat and Ramayana.
Explore essential Phad materials for Indian traditional folk art, from motive and body design to minimal composition using three colors, markers, brushes, and handmade paper.
Phad Rajashthani painting basics teaches core motives, from eyes, nose, and lips to hands, legs, and motifs, using marker linework and practice on various papers.
Learn to sketch Phad male and female faces using circle guidelines and the potato method, refining eyes, nose, lips, ears, hairline, and head attire.
Learn to craft male and female phad figures in fat painting, from neck-to-body proportions to hands, fingers, belts, dresses, sleeves, jewelry, and headcloth, including drum poses.
Learn to draw and color lord Ganesha, the elephant-headed god, in phad rajashthani painting, starting with the head and trunk, then body, eyes, and mouse, with a practice pdf.
Learn to draw fat Phad trees using thick trunks, concentric circular leaves, and curved outlines, including banana and banyan motifs, with a white background and a forthcoming coloring session.
Master a fat painting mono composition in Phad Rajashthani traditional folk art, using a single color, borders, outlined figures, and careful layering for a harmonious, detailed scene.
Design and finalize the Phad painting composition by arranging six figures with a central pair, adding trees and ground flow, using handmade 300 gsm paper and a mechanical pencil.
Explore Phad advance composition part 2 by coloring the camel watercolor with a limited palette of yellow, blue, green, and red, and mix cobalt blue with white for skin tones.
master outline and composition for Phad advance composition part 3, detailing tool choices, line work, hair and eye work, and color layering with acrylic or watercolor.
Master the Phad painting border with two alternating flora and fauna designs, using a migrant pen and watercolor, then apply color and rotate the canvas for precision.
Conclude the Phad project by applying swat motifs, head shapes, body forms, and border design to create a minimal, life-filled Phad painting composition that celebrates beauty and community.
Hello I am Nabojit Kar a artist, educator and creator. I have been teaching folk art from last 5 years. I have got various national level awards for my artworks
Phad is an Indian folk art form that originated in the Shahpura/Bhilwara region of Rajasthan more than 700 years ago. A type of scroll-painting made on cloth, the art of Phad is associated with storytelling traditions. In the olden days, Phad paintings narrated stories of local deities, warrior and rulers, such as Devnarayan and Pabuji. Over time, efforts were made to make the art form more relevant to a broader audience, and now, Phad paintings depict a variety of religious figures and stories, including scenes from Mahabharata, Ramayana, and Hanuman Chalisa.
Find PDF in the Last Class for practice. If not send me a message and I will reply back within 2 days
Phad paintings were originally carried as mobile temples by travelling priest-singers or Bhopas, who performed stories for people in the villages using the Phad painting as a backdrop. Traditionally, the paintings were 15 to 30 feet long, but today, they are made in smaller sizes to be commercially viable.
The entire process of making a Phad painting is natural, with cotton cloth being used as a base, and natural paints made from stones, flowers, plants and herbs used to create the artwork. Watercolours or acrylics are sometimes used in newer Phad paintings. The paintings are vibrant in colour with prominent black outlines. While traditionally, Phad paintings depicted an elaborate story with different sections or episodes, the smaller paintings made today could depict just a single character or story.
Traditionally, Phad paintings were made exclusively by members of the Joshi family, who were commissioned by the Bhopas to create the painting. Progressive members of the Joshi family broke from tradition to promote the art form, and trained people from outside their family in the art of Phad.
Nabojit Kar