Design Resource
Kerala Murals
The Art of Painting on Walls
by
Prof. Bibhudutta Baral and Antony William
Preparing the Wall
A mixture of crushed limestone and sand is stored for about three to four days. There are three stages towards the preparation of the wall.
First Stage:
This mixture is blended with water and a molasses solution. This mixture of lime, sand, water, molasses solution (dissolved jaggery) and juice ofKadukka (mussels) is mixed well and this rough plaster is evenly applied on the wall.
Second and Final Stage:
Ground cotton is also added for plastering.Each application of this mixture is of half an inch thickness. On drying the process of application is repeated until it is of 2 mm thickness.Over this mortar, lime (white) and tender coconut water is applied to gain a whitish appearance, acting as a primer to the wall.
