Mask Making

Design Resource

Cheriyal Painting - Telangana

Stylized Form of Nakashi Art

Prof. Bibhudutta Baral, Divyadarshan C. S. and Rohit C.

Mask Making

Making of Cheriyal Painted Mask:

As the traditional Cheriyal painting lasts more than hundred years, painters prepared smaller scrolls and most importantly Cheriyal Painted Masks were made which represented the characters from traditional scrolls such as tiger, cow and few neutral characters. These masks were prepared to entertain children and also to decorate homes.

The same colors are used for painting the mask as those which are used in painting a scroll or Cheriyal painting.

Mask making involves the following steps:

1. Scraping and sanding of coconut shell.
    • Dry and hard coconut shell is used as the base.
    • The coconut shell is dried and it is sanded with the help of the sand paper to scrap out the uneven surface and coconut fibres from the shell

2. Preparing tamarind seed and saw dust paste.
    • Tamaraind seeds are boiled till it becomes soft and then it is grinded to prepare a paste.
    • Then the tamarind seeds paste is mixed with saw dust.

3. Applying tamarind seed and saw dust paste to the mask and shaping it.
    • Once the paste is prepared, it is applied on the coconut shell and the features like nose, eyes, lips and other features are rendered. This process provides the mask a three dimensional structure.

4. Covering it with khadi cloth and applying a coat of white mud and tree gum mixture.
    • After moulding the required shape the mask is covered with khadi cloth and it is stuck to the base with the help of the mixture made of rice starch, white mud and tree gum.
    • This mixture is then spread evenly and allowed for drying.

5. Painting the mask.
    • Once the mask is dried, it is painted with single base color and then the detailing like eyes, lip, hairs are done with the respective colors.
    • After the painting is completed, it is allowed for drying and used later.

These steps are described elaborately below:

• Scraping and sanding of coconut shell:
For making a mask traditionally, dry and hard coconut shell is used as the base. Due to its bulge structure it is easy to further shape it into a face kind of structure. The coconut shell is dried and it is sanded with the help of sand paper to scrape off the uneven surface and coconut fibers off from the shell.

• Preparing tamarind seed and saw dust paste:
Due to the extensive use of tamarind, in local market tamarind seeds are available in plenty. These are best to prepare the paste and it becomes rock solid as it dries. To prepare the paste, tamarind seeds are collected and is boiled till it becomes soft and then it is grinded to a paste like consistency. It is then mixed with saw dust, which is available in carpenters shop, as waste.

• Applying tamarind seed and saw dust paste to the mask and shaping it:
Once the paste is prepared, artisan applies the paste on the coconut shell and shapes it by adding features like throne, nose, lips, eyes and eyebrows and other ornamental details. This process provides the mask a three dimensional structure.

• Covering it with khadi cloth and applying a coat of white mud and tree gum mixture:
After moulding the required shape, artisan covers the structure with khadi cloth and sticks to the base with the help of the mixture made of white mud, tree gum and rice starch. Then the artisan spreads the mixture evenly with his bare hands and allows it to dry naturally. The mask is now solid and also has a smooth surface to paint upon.

• Painting the mask:
Once the mask is dried artisan paints the mask with a single base color, usually off white, red or yellow. Then the detailing like eye, jewels, lips, hairs are done with their respective colors. Once the painting is done, it is allowed to dry and used later.

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Cheriyal Painting - Telangana