HAND MADE BONSAI

To grow a bonsai tree takes years and years of painstaking ,patient work....

This Handmade Bonsai is an imitation of the real one...

And it just takes a few hours' of imaginative,creative effort....

You need....

•  Pliable steel wire bits
• Tissue paper
• Flower making wire with green gum tape wrapped on them
• Glue
• Plaster of paris
• Acrylic paints in brown and yellow ocher shades
• Flower making wires wrapped with green colored gum tape.
• A suitable base/holder (I used anartistically shaped  coconut shell which was sold in an exhibition for just Rs.5)
• Thread

Method

• Cut steel wires into 3 -4 inch bits to shape the branches.
• Cut a few longer bits to shape the trunk of the tree.
• Cut the green wires into 1 1/2 to2 inch bits. Tie 8-10 bits aroun the tip of a steel wire 
• Wrap tissue paper soaked in diluted glue around the wires  and shape the branches.
• Run a thread around each bit and fasten it well.
• Similarly use more tissue papers and make a thicker trunk.
• Let them dry for a day.
• Bend them to your desired shapes.
• Shape the green wires to resemble some spiky tree leaves.
• Arrange the branches on the trunk and secure them with thread and glue.
• Mix the Plaster of paris with enough water .
• Pour some into the base and set the trunk in it .Let the Plaster of Paris harden well.
• Mix more plaster of paris and  apply it on the trunk ,base and branches roughly so it resembles a tree.
• Let it dry well.
• Paint it with acrylic colors .

The Bonsai is ready for display!

INDIAN ELEPHANT- MY BATIK PAINTING

Here is a simple Batik painting done by me...

Batiks are done on cotton or silk clothes...



I am giving the basic procedure for doing a batik painting ...

Plain white cotton cloth is washed well and destarched.

On that fabric ,the basic design is roughly sketched...

Paraffin wax and bees wax is mixed in the proportion 2:1 nd dissolved on medium heat.The hot wax is painted on the design and then dyed in yellow.(Napthol dyes)

The cloth is then dried and the areas that has to be yellow is coated with  wax and now dyed in maroon.

The cloth is now dried and the areas to be preserved as maroon is waxed 

Lightly crush the fabric so that it develops cracks .

Now,Dye it in the final color-Navy Blue.
Dry well.

Dewax the cloth by dipping it in boiling water to melt away the wax  and iron it between sheets of newspaper to clean the wax stains completey.

The technique used in Batik is called wax resistant technique.