vanamahotsava chart work.

           Akhil's teacher asked to help her make a poster on Vanamahotsava , the festival of trees for his science expo. This is very much a hurried job. I had but an evening to finish this. I have two chart paper stuck together and painted the images with water colours. I have also used crayons on some places to give some extra effect. 

Navarathri Golu -2011

     These are the steps that have scenes that tell the story of the birth of Cauvery river and stories related to Cauvery.
    The last step shows celebrations on Adi perukku , along the banks of the river Cauvery. Houses are cleaned and newly weds are given new clothes and gifts. Mulaipari is taken in procession and left in the river. Lamps are lit on mango leaves and let afloat the river. People cook food and bring to the banks and feast. Karimani(black beads), kaparusi(sweet made from rice ,jaggery and coconut) and Kadolai(earrings made of palm leaves) are offered to river Cauvery by married women for a happy married life .

            This is one of the back drops I painted for the main theme of this year that is the story of the birth of river Ganges. In this story a king loses his sixty thousand sons , who are burnt to ashes by an angry sage.This picture depicts the ashes(Not a sunny picture).
          Taking my water colour paints have made me eager to paint more . The grey ashes though are painted with acrylic colours with the help of a sponge.

Warli- Tarpa dance

              I am so fascinated by the Warli art. With my quilling and card making I hardly find time for my other hobbies. Last week I took out my paint and brush and tried to make a simple Warli. This will be my first Warli and a painting after a long time. I really enjoyed painting these happy little people . Here you can see the people in celebration ,their dance is called tarpa .


        This extremely rudimentary wall paintings use a very basic graphic vocabulary -a circle , a triangle and a square.Warli is the name of the largest tribe found on the northern outskirts of Mumbai, in western India.


       

All things blue

                                                              BLUE JAY

                                              BLUE MORPHO BUTTERFLY

                                                          BLUE BELLS

                                                          BLUE WHALE

                                                         BLUE BERRIES

                                                      BLUE ASHOKA CHAKRA

      About ten years ago I made this for Abi's class teacher. She requested me to make twelve things that are blue , I researched and found twelve things that are blue and then painted them on paper ,then stuck them on cardboard and cut them out. I recently found them in a drawer and thought of sharing it in my blog. These are my six favourite ones , I remember the teacher asking me how I cut them out. I had cut them out with a pair of scissors and a blade in some places. Now I wonder how I could have done it so neatly.I have placed them on one of my favourite hand made paper to photograph.

Quotes on truthfulness .

  A teacher always guides the students to be truthful.

       These were done about seven years ago for my son Akhil's school.

      In the Thirukural we read Thiruvalluvar say that a useful lie is better than a harmful truth. These verses were given to me by Akhil's teacher .

       I have tried to make the paper cutting according to the quotes that I have written on them.

I painted the picture on paper and then stuck them on cardboard then cut them with a big scissor.

     Please click on the images to enlarge.

My first crochet

       My first crochet trial. I have been learning the basics of crocheting from the internet. I am sure I have made lot of mistakes and I don't properly understand still. But I am very interested and hope to learn more.

Quilled Aluminium

       Inspired by a post by Ann Martin at All things paper I tried some Aluminium quilling. I used  a big needle to roll and it is not as easy as paper of course. I need to do more of this and learn how to cut smaller strips and find some nice tools to roll and clasp the Aluminium at folds.


    I first marked on the bottom of the can to size the strips. (Too big it turned out:(   )

       I cut out the strips .

             I then turned the strip with a twist and then curled it with a needle. 

            After curling for a bit I curled with my hand, somehow after a couple of curls it becomes easy.

         I adjusted the coils as best as I could to get a symmetry . One or two strips tore when I twisted them .

GIVING

             Chart work for Akhil's school -Chettinad Vidyashram.