Celebrate the Indian art form of Madhubani with a gorgeous DIY Madhubani folk art fridge magnet! A great project to introduce kids to Indian folk art.

When it comes to art appreciation, I have to admit that some people are snobs. They prefer the ‘classics’, like Da Vinci and Van Gogh, and don’t pay much attention to cultural folk art. Well, all I have to say is that they’re missing out!

Since India’s Republic Day is coming up in a week, we think it’s a great time to put the spotlight on one of India’s popular folk art styles – Madhubani.

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What is Madhubani?

Madhubani is a style of painting that originated in the Madhubani district of Bihar, a northwestern state of India. It is also known as ‘Mithila art’, since the area of origin is also culturally known as Mithila.

Madhubani generally uses natural dyes and pigments, and artists use twigs, matchsticks, pens or even their own fingers! Most of the traditional artists were women, and the paintings were done on the walls and floors of their homes. Today, however, Madhubani artists use handmade paper, cloth and canvases.

So what exactly do the artists paint? Traditionally, Madhubani paintings depicted scenes from special occasions like weddings, or mythology. They also feature symbols of nature, like the sun, the moon, plants and animals. These symbols also act as gap fillers in the paintings.

Today, we’re going to stick with something simple – a fish! Here’s a gorgeous Madhubani folk art fridge magnet that even kids or beginners can make!

Beautiful DIY Madhubani Folk Art Fridge Magnet

Supplies Needed:

Cardboard/Chipboard (4*4 inches approx)
Handmade paper
Magnet
Acrylic paints in different colors
Black pen
Pencil
Eraser
Glue

How to make the Madhubani Folk Art Fridge Magnet:

1. Take a 4*4 inch cardboard/chipboard piece and cover it with handmade paper. Your base for the Madhubani folk art fridge magnet is ready!

2. Use a pencil to draw an image of your choice on the canvas – we’ve gone with a fish. Madhubani paintings often have detailed borders, so try to include one. Once you’re done with the pencil drawing, go over the pencil lines with a permanent black pen and erase the pencil lines. Do not worry if your lines are not straight, we will go through them once again in the end.

3. Time to bring out your paints and brushes! We’ve used a Size 000 brush since the image has minute details. Start painting your canvas from the outside in, which means starting with the borders.

4. Once your borders are done, move in to the main picture, i.e. the fish! Take your time and stick to the lines.

5. Once your painting is done, you’ll notice that the pen lines from Step 2 aren’t prominent anymore. So let’s go in with some black paint and the Size 000 brush to mark the outlines clearly. This makes the painting sharper.

6. Let your painting dry completely. Once dry, add some tiny dots around the outlines to make your painting prettier. Now stick a strong magnet on the back and voila, your Madhubani folk art fridge magnet is ready!

Isn’t this a stunning piece of art? And to think that it hardly took any trouble at all! The fact that it’s a magnet means you can see it every time you open your fridge. It’s a lovely reminder to respect folk art and artists from different cultures and it’s also proof that you can create beautiful things!

If you’d like to explore more folk art projects, check these out: