Hobby ideas can be converted into entrepreneurship. A few skills and business sense is vital for marketing handicraft items. Investment is a necessary way of financing. Raw materials can be brought in bulk purchases to reap the benefits of bargain. Small scale start up business can be looked from home itself. As business picks up it would be necessary to employ people and also look for industrial galas or affordable shops.

Displaying the artifacts at prominent places is important. In case you have your own outfit at a mall or shopping arcade half of the advertisement is taken care of. Annual discounts or sale pricing will ensure good sales. Co branding is also a great idea and can be looked up during festive times. Interesting offers will enhance business.

Corporate gift items can also be looked into as an opportunity like candles, pottery work, minakari work or other clay art. Ensuring quality and novel ideas of presentation is a good way to promote business. Good will certainly assures increasing business opportunities and innovation is an important ingredient. Wrapping ideas and specification of bulk orders will also be necessary to adhere to formal standards.

Handicraft items like needle work on cushions covers, embroidery and tie-dye patterns are interesting show cases. Wood sculpture or carvings with aromatic sandalwood craft work is also a common inclusion. Idols are very common displays in handicraft shops especially of Ganpati, dancing Natraj or the childlike form of Krishna. Paintings or beaded jewelry can also be looked as an option to make the choice varied.

Fabric painting displays, glass works and pottery forms can also be arranged in a gift shop. Distribution of flyers for exhibitions or discounts is another way of marketing the items. Fairs and strategic alliance with mega shows works to be an advantage.

Wood carving has been an ancient art. Earlier wood was used as a chief instrument for hunting by prevalent tribes and later this was aesthetically explored by artistic people. Modern carving is easy with specially crafted automatic knives, engineered moulds and also scientific means of ascertaining proportions. There are several types of carving that is related to different countries.

Painting or giving color to the wooden art form like a bird, basket, figurine or a deity is also part of the art. There are several instruments like chisel, gouge, fish tail, carving knives and blades that aids the process of chipping wood. The works are different from various geographical resemblances that are typical like Africa, Italy or India. Utility items blended with aesthetic value are the remarkable feature of wooden sculpture.

In India, there are several idols or deities that are carved in wood especially in South India and this is a typical way of adorning the temples. Bangalore is famous for its sandalwood carvings that are aromatic and yet the miniature wooden sculpture makes a great gift item. Rosewood is also a part of carving deities. The southies refer the idols as ‘kachankurchi’ where in the idols cannot be bathed (abhishek) on a daily basis.

Wood variety like oak is of the thicker variety and needs a special hardener or chisel to get the form. Bowls, key chain holders, spatulas and also kitchen utensils can be artistically carved out of wood. The polishing is dependable to adjust to use. Wood carving also is a special handicraft work in Northern hilly areas. There are table tops, book stands and also miniature varieties to adorn a show case.

In many areas in India, the local artisans engage in the wooden carvings to eek out a means of living. There are several pieces that attract the attention of foreign tourists visiting India. Monuments also have huge doors infused with wood carvings. Wooden pillars are also common in the medieval age.Several books are also available to guide you on wood carving. This is splendid hobby and a very creative pursuit. 

The beautiful specimens of Indian art can be found in all parts of the country. The beauty of Indian art lies in variation found from village to village and region to region. All the regions in India have their separate art culture. One of the lesser known but beautiful piece of paintings can be witnessed in eastern state of West Bengal. This state has thrived on producing amazing variety of Patua Paintings that are basically sheets of paper sewn together. Once sewn, paint is used on these structures. These sheets of papers basically contain mythological stories. The narration part is as appealing as the painting part.

With changing times, the themes have also changed. Socially relevant issues, historical events, floods, storms and other such ecological events apart from religious stories are wonderfully narrated on these sheets. Patua paintings have also evolved with time. During earlier times, clothes were used. Later on, they were replaced by handmade paper. The scroll used on the paintings always varies in size. The average length is mostly fifteen feet. However, it can be as short as four feet and as long as fifty feet.

The story narration part is done on different compartments of the pata. Like the length of the pata, the compartment part also does not have a fixed length. All the compartments have different episodes of the story. The artists of this special type of paintings do not follow a fixed religion. They follow both Hindu as well as Muslim rituals. However, the stories are inspired from Hindu mythology. Mostly, Patua artists are men. The fascinating part with this style of painting is they have continued to flourish and maintain their own tradition and style. With rising interest in regional and local paintings, Patua paintings are slowly gaining the recognition they so richly deserve.    

:- Image courtesy clayimage.co.uk

Rameshwar Broota, born in 1941 is one of the talented painters of modern India. Broota mostly paints in the monochrome technique. His canvas foundation is usually painted in matte black. He works with a sharp and thin blade so as to bring in light and forms. This exposes the white surface below giving it a magnificent effect and creating deep space dimensions. His paintings look like a print.

His work of art has earned him three prestigious Lalit Kala Academy awards in 1980, 1981 and 1984. He was awarded the ‘Kala Vibhushan’ award by the AIFACS in 1987. From the very beginning of Broota’s career, he has been passionately involved in the human situation that degrades individuals. As a young painter Broota’s anger at the sufferings of the poor and the anguish at the voracity and corruption that he saw in society was eminently expressed in his early works which are a sardonic and bitter comment on the social society.

While admiring Broota’s Painting, imagination takes over the real form inspite of looking at a real form. There are innumerable interpretations that the spectator may have about his paintings but the importance and the joy is when Broota allows you to weave your own story through the painting.

His canvasses are large and are enormously obscure monumental drawings. Broota’s present works have an abstract bent with symbols communicating the cadence of time, of man, and of existence. His works can be seen at www.broota.com.

Broota has also made some experimental video art films which were shown at Shridharani Gallery in 1987. Broota’s works are housed in the leading collections in the National Gallery of Modern Art, Lalit Kala Academy, and other international art museums.

This is one of the most cavernous mediums to work with as there are endless mediums that can be used in permutations and combinations which will create fantastic effects to your painting. Most artists like working with materials like which are acrylics, colored pencils, colored inks watercolor pencil and paints, pastels and graphite pencils. What is important to remember is that while using mixed media is that the canvas or the paper that one is working on needs to be smooth. Mixed media is a platform which is most interesting because this is used for abstract arts and you can really create mysterious conundrums through this painting medium!

Here, there are no set techniques like we saw in water colour painting. This medium is absolutely open for your creative output. Hence do not hesitate to do what your heart wants to do. Many amateurs feel apprehensive towards doing something innovative with their paintings. Do not follow the norms always. Experiment with the medium and learn from your own mistakes. To start with, watercolour wash and a colored pencil approach are usually adapted.   They give a pastel type effect to the whole picture. Graphite pencils are used for fine detailing and acrylics and oil paints are used for heightened effect. Some of the things that one needs to keep in mind are: not to use dark colored pencils over dried pale acrylic colours. This is because when acrylic colour dries they leave tiny little bumps on the canvas and the pencil color that one will use will only accumulate the bumped area and this will be very prominent in the picture and will look shabby.

One can view Mixed media paintings, sclupture and new media works by Partha Das Gupta, Sanjay Barot, Hardik Kansara and Bhrigu Sharma till 30th May 2009 at the Strand Art Room, Colaba Mumbai.

If India is known for its wonderful assortment of paintings and sculptures then handicraft further adds value to the overall beauty of Indian art. In fact, the culture of handicraft is so prevalent in India that it has always been proudly associated with India. Skilled artisans of India have given us numerous craft work in last few centuries. Also known as craft-work, handicraft found a new direction during Mughal reign. The primary use of this form of art is in making range of articles using the biggest weapon of a human body, i.e., hands. Not everybody can master this art instantly. This requires years of hard work and dedication to learn the nuances of handicraft.

Handicraft artisans mostly belong to a tradition who has continued to produce astounding number of craft-works over the years. The tradition has been further bolstered by usage of modern tools and latest themes. Handicraft hasn’t fallen prey to the clutches of modern day technologies rather it has used them to further enhance the beauty of the craft. Many had doubted the longevity of this craft because of arrival of latest tools but handicraft has proved the doomsayers wrong. It has continued its march forward with even more vigorous zeal and class.

Traditional method of handicraft was limited to few products but now a day, several modern products have added to the arsenal of handicraft. These include, fashion jewelry, wooden coasters, photo frames, candle holders, Christmas hangings and several other products. Craft-works enjoy popularity all across the world because of their class and uniqueness. At the same time, popularity of handicraft helps in generating employment. Handicraft works are a great source of revenue for government. Handicraft items have maintained their local flavor and earthy charm and yet managed to keep up with modern advancements.

Indian art is a mélange of a lot of different styles of painting originated from varied parts of the country. Indian art has its roots in the antediluvian styles which are prevalent even today. The scope of these styles of art is wide considering its modern uses on clothes and accessories. One such art style is the art of Batik painting. Batik art is a widely used on textiles in India. Artists and craftsmen use this wax-resist dyeing technique on paper and cloth to bring out some of the best designer prints.

In India, one will be mesmerized with the exquisite Batik painted wall hangings which are found especially in the state of Rajasthan and Gujarat. Goddess Laxmi and Lord Shiva and other deities are painted usually on cloth or paper using the Batik painting technique.

Batik painting consists of a three stage process that includes waxing, dyeing and de-waxing. There are sub-processes as well. One can trace the designs after stretching the cloth on the frame.

Handmade Batik tapestries of various kinds are made from hand woven threads to give it a special quality. Batik art is three-dimensional.  It has features of profundity and texture. Batik print is done on saris, bed sheets, covers, wall hangings, shawls, etc.

Batik painted fabric is known for its strength and durability. Batik artists have creative freedom as the patterns in this art are drawn rather than weaved. Batik art has symbols and many traditional Batik pieces are mystically influenced.

There has been a certain paradox about the world of art and artists. Most of famous artists had to struggle real hard to get recognition and fame that was accorded to them only after they ceased to exist. The magical pieces of work created by them in their lifetime did not attract as much attention and appreciation as they had desired. It’s an irony that sometimes it requires death to make us understand the true value of things. While telling this tale, one name that comes to our mind is Vincent Van Gogh. A true legend and a quintessential painter.

He possessed every quality that we normally associate with an artist. He was supremely talented, troubled and his life was a vivid example of struggles faced by an artist. He never got his due while he was alive. It’s not that he, himself was not confident of his work but going by the worldly reactions, he somehow always believed that he appealed to a very small audience. We can’t actually blame him because we get accustomed to the repetitive views of the world about us, even though it may be far away from the reality.

What can be more ironic than the fact that an art work ‘Irises’ of the same van Gogh was sold for astonishing $ 27 million after many years of his death. Now, Vincent Van Gogh is considered as one of the greatest and most talented painters of all time. If we talk in Indian context, can we forget the fact that redoubtable M.F. Hussain started his journey as a painter of film posters? But as the greatness demands, he never quit and reached the highest pedestal. What I am trying to emphasize is these examples are not isolated cases. There were many and we will see many other talented but ignored artists in the future. Here comes, concept of investment in art. Who knows, the artist and the art work you invested in, turn out to be the one of the all time greats and your belief is well paid in terms of monetary riches. So keep looking for hidden gems. We will soon cover how to look out for potential investment opportunities in world of art.  

The culture of art is uniquely present in all regions of India with same fervor. For reasons other than talent, other regions have earned more accolades than eastern part of India. But we can not forget that this region has been a harbinger of several art movements including famous Patta paintings movement. This part of India has also given us artists like Nand Lal Bose and Jamini Roy. If there is one word that truly defines the art forms of eastern India then it must be assorted. Artistic beauty has flourished and floated in this region like breath of fresh air. Many Indian art connoisseurs can not have enough of one of the great art forms; Patta Chitra of Orissa.

Patta Chitra is an ancient form of art. This form took birth and flourished in cultural riches of Orissa. The origin of Patta Chitra is quite interesting.  As we all know, during ancient times, we did not have any papers to indulge in written communication so palm leaves were used for communication. Initially, only messages were conveyed through these palm leaves but later on illustrations also started to accompany these texts. Sooner than later, these illustrations were transformed into a magnificent form of art.

The illustrations are mostly composed of mythological epics like Mahabharata, and Ramayana. With the passage of time other themes also started to take prominent places in Patta Chitra. Among the most commonly used deities are Rama, Durga, Radha, Krishna and Ganesha etc. Locals of orissa have continued to carry this wonderful form of art with same élan and class.

Sculpture is a great piece of art form. Marble, wood, clay and bronze sculpture has a certain element of definition of form. Various forms like human figures, modern art and aesthetic styles are depicted through sculpture. Bronze sculpture has a regal feel to the art form and a very authentic style. Bronze sculpture is prominently used as an interior decoration in hotels and many times it is an adornment in the living room.

Bronze works are usually cast in alloys. The ancient works of bronze sculpture were broken down during war times to make weapons owing to its ductile property and also strength. It is also a fact that the internal cast of a sculpture is worked on clay or other material and then the bronze cast is over-fixed on the same. This is a time consuming and costly job. The casting process is also done in lost wax form which is a common method.

Various forms of art are captured in bronze sculpture in India. There are figures of dancers, courtesans, horses and other animals depicted in an artistic form. There are also prominent displays of bronze sculpture as part of an ambience in corporate houses that is a remarkable part of the interior. Special cleaning agents are liquidized to clean the bronze items. It is also possible to engage a professional service to restore the luster of bronze.

Exquisite sculpture works are seen depicted in Indian bronze works like a Statue of a deity especially of Ganesha. The conch shell is again a marvelous piece of work. A dancing Natraj or Ganesh amidst a decorative background is another form of art. Indian sculpture or carvings in bronze have a ethnic charm that is well captured by the craftsmen. Lamps or diyas are a common inclusion.

Outdoor placing of statues or sculptures in bronze is also a common appearance in Indian bronze sculpture. There are several forms of Buddha and also other Hindu Gods with various emotions portrayed with chiseled sculpture work and embalmed with bronze.