Traditional Tanjore Painting on Saree – A Unique Hand-Painted Dancer Motif

My Love for Traditional Tanjore Painting

Recently, I completed a fabric painting course, where I also learnt the technique of Tanjore painting on fabric. Though it is a form of fabric painting, the technique is a little different from regular fabric painting.

I have completely fallen in love with this art form. The rich colours, golden outlines and beautiful stone embellishments give a royal and traditional look to the painting.

I have already completed two orders of Tanjore painting on fabric. Interestingly, both were peacock designs. I enjoyed working on them, especially adding the intricate details that make Tanjore painting so beautiful.

Tanjore painting on blouses and sarees is becoming popular these days, and I can understand why. It brings the beauty of traditional Indian art into wearable fashion. After painting peacocks, I wanted to try something different. This time, I chose a traditional dancer motif.

Why I Chose a Classical Dancer Motif for This Saree

Here is the motif I painted:

The dancer motif

Choosing the Motif for Tanjore Painting on Saree

This is a pure silk saree which I had bought some time ago, with the idea of decorating it with either embroidery or painting. I had not decided on any particular design at that time.

This beautiful traditional dancer motif was given to me by my embroidery teacher. The moment I saw it, I felt it would be perfect for Tanjore painting. The graceful pose of the dancer, her ornaments and the intricate details make it a lovely choice for this art form.

Since the design has many fine details, I got it traced onto the saree by a professional tracing service provider. I have placed the motifs along the border of the saree, keeping a gap of approximately 15 inches between each motif.

I feel these dancer motifs will give the silk saree a beautiful traditional look once the painting is completed.

Choosing the Colours for the Tanjore Dancer Painting

The closer look-color combination

Choosing the right colours is very important, especially when painting on a coloured silk saree. Since the saree is purple, I wanted to select colours that would stand out beautifully against the background.

I chose royal blue for the dancer’s dress and orange for the flowing dupatta. Blue and orange make a lovely contrasting combination. I used golden colour for the ornaments, borders and other decorative details to bring the richness of traditional Tanjore painting.

I feel these colours complement the purple silk saree and give the dancer motif a bright, traditional and elegant look.

Painting the Intricate Details of the Dancer Motif

One of the beautiful features of traditional Tanjore painting is the use of gold and decorative stones. These give the painting a rich and royal look.

To bring the same effect to my dancer motif, I added small decorative stones at selected places. I also painted some delicate patterns over the golden areas to make the design more attractive.

These little details made a big difference to the overall appearance of the painting. The combination of gold, stones and intricate patterns has given the dancer motif a beautiful traditional look. Though adding these tiny details takes time and patience, I really enjoyed this part of the painting.

The patterns

Final Thoughts

I really loved the way this Tanjore dancer painting has turned out. The rich colours, golden details and decorative stones have given the motif a beautiful traditional look. I am sure it is going to add a royal touch to the silk saree.

But the real challenge is that there are 15 such motifs to be painted on the saree! Each motif needs a lot of time and patience, especially for the intricate details and stone work. So, completing the entire saree is definitely going to take some time.

Anyhow, when I imagine how beautiful the finished saree is going to look, I feel motivated to continue. I am eagerly waiting to see all 15 dancer motifs come together on this silk saree. Hopefully, I will complete it soon and share the finished saree with you all.

Love, Laugh and Live the life to the fullest,

-Ranjana