Two Fish Swam Onto My Desk: My Mithila Painting Story
This is my desk today. For a change, no ‘editing’, no ‘angle’ as in my journalistic writings. Just me, paper, and whatever shows up.
Today, it’s two fish. In Mithila painting.
I didn’t plan them. I let the two fish swim different directions.
The lotus came next. Pink, because my desk cloth that day was this turquoise, and pink felt right against it. No specific reason for the choice of pink and yellow. Just colour talking to colour.
And then I continued with water – those thin blue kachni lines that Mithila artists draw. The kind that makes you quiet inside.
I then drew the two borders with all triangles. Yellow, blue, black. Like a window frame. Like I was looking into a pond from my desk. For the other two sides, I chose thin lines. I filled the four corners with small single flowers.
This may not be the ‘authentic’ Mithila Art. I haven’t taken any formal training. I learnt it from looking at many of my artist friends’ works. From trying. From letting my hand remember something it never formally learnt.
On my desk when I painted this:
- Handmade paper, slightly rough
- Black fine liner pen for outlines
- Blue, yellow, pink, orange acrylic markers
- The monsoon light from my window
If you want to try similar paper and colours, you will find my list of art supplies I use here on My Art Desk page.
I write about music. I teach news reporting. And now, I am writing about what happens when I sit down with no plan and lets fish swim onto paper.
Thank you for being here for post #1.
It’s very special to me.
P.S. This isn’t a class. So there is no homework. But if two fish ever swam onto your desk too, I would love to know. Please share your version in the comments. Or tag me on Instagram
Some of the links below are Amazon Associate links, which means I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.
From My Art Table
I used my favourite fineliners and acrylic colours for this artwork. If you’re curious about the materials I keep reaching for, I have listed them on my My Art Desk page.
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