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Design Resource
Wooden Toys - Kondapalli
The Craft of Wooden Toys
by
Antony William,Shruti K,PargnyaandMahendra Patidar
Coloring Process
Initially, the karigars (artisans) used Vegetable dyes for coloring and then migrated to synthetic paints and now they make in both the flavors. Vegetable dye based artifacts are bit costlier than the painted ones. The only disadvantage of vegetable dyes is that when exposed to air conditioning for a longer duration they tend to absorb the moisture and become sticky. To avoid this, artisans apply a coat of sheen-lac polish, which gives a glossy finish.
Now-A-Days artisan’s uses enamel colors, as they are economical and easily available in market. Before painting, wood primer solution is coated on the wood to avoid color absorption and also to enhance the life of enamel colors. Once the wooden toy is carved and coated with primer solution, it is dried and sent for coloring process. Artisan spontaneously creates designs of their own imagination on the toy. Different contrast colors are used to highlight the outer look and appeal. Most popularly used colors are bright red, green, yellow, black, white and blue.
