Artisan picks a handmade paper and draws the border for an intended design with a pencil. Once a rough sketch is made, a nib pen dipped in black acrylic paint is used to give border again over the pencil work, as highlighting borders is one of the important stages in Madhubani paintings. Then using vibrant colours, illustrations of natural elements bonded to human lives are drawn. These elements include trees, fruits, flowers, peacocks, rivers, fishes, etc. According to the scriptures, these elements hold symbolical meaning. Like for example, fish stands for fertility and good luck while peacock for love and affection. Branches, stems, and waves are being sketched later to fill the gaps that will give an extra charm to the work undertaken. The standard colours used here are yellow, red, orange, blue, green, black, pink, and brown. A Madhubani painting is always painted as per an artist’s creativity; hence it may differ from one another but allows the flow of each person’s unique zeal into the art. Paintings with these features framed at houses are believed to elevate the decor’s folk appeal.
Flow Chart: