Indian Folk Art DIY Kits — Paint Your Own Heritage
Most people who love Indian folk art have never tried making it. Not because they lack the interest — but because the access was never there. The right surface, the right paints, the right guidance — all from someone who actually knows the tradition.
EthniiChic's Indian art DIY kits change that. Designed by practicing folk artists, each kit gives you everything you need to create an authentic hand-painted piece in the tradition of India's most celebrated regional art forms — starting with Cheriyal from Telangana and Thanjavur from Tamil Nadu.
These are not generic craft kits. They are structured introductions to living art traditions, designed for adults who want to do something meaningful with their hands.
What Is a Cheriyal Painting DIY Kit?
Cheriyal is a 200-year-old scroll-painting tradition from Telangana, originally used to narrate mythological stories to village audiences. Cheriyal paintings are identified by their bold red backgrounds, flat perspective, sequential storytelling panels, and high-contrast earthy pigments. The motifs — gods, animals, folk characters — are stylised with a confident graphic quality that makes them immediately striking in modern interiors.
The EthniiChic Cheriyal Mask Painting DIY Kit gives you a pre-shaped wooden mask surface primed in the traditional Cheriyal style, authentic colours mixed to match the classic palette, and step-by-step illustrated instructions written by our in-house folk artists. You paint a complete Cheriyal mask — ready to hang — without needing any prior art experience.
What Is a Thanjavur Painting DIY Kit?
Thanjavur art originates from the royal courts of Tamil Nadu and is one of South India's most formally structured classical art traditions. Thanjavur paintings are known for their densely jewelled surfaces, gold-foil detailing, and devotional subject matter — typically deities in frontal poses with wide, expressive eyes and layered ornamentation.
The EthniiChic Thanjavur Dancing Doll Painting DIY Kit adapts this tradition into an accessible format. You receive a dancing doll outline on a prepared surface, step-by-step guidance for layering colour and detail in the Thanjavur style, and the authentic acrylic palette that captures the jewel-bright character of the tradition. The finished piece is a display-ready artwork.
Who Are These Kits For?
EthniiChic's folk art DIY kits are designed for adults — not children's crafts. They suit:
Cultural learners who want to understand Indian art by doing it, not just reading about it.
NRI households looking for a meaningful cultural activity that connects with heritage at home, especially for families with children who've grown up outside India.
Art enthusiasts and hobbyists who want to add Indian folk traditions to their practice without needing formal training.
Gifting occasions — Diwali, housewarmings, birthdays, corporate gifting — where the gift carries both beauty and cultural meaning. A kit that someone will actually use is rarer than most gift options at this price point.
Mindful activity seekers — folk art painting is a documented form of slow, focused creative work. Cheriyal and Thanjavur traditions, with their structured motifs and methodical colour-building, are particularly well-suited to meditative practice.
What's Included in Each DIY Kit?
Every EthniiChic Indian art DIY kit contains:
A pre-prepared surface — either a shaped wooden mask (Cheriyal) or a flat board with a printed outline (Thanjavur) — primed and ready to paint without any prep work on your end.
Authentic pigment-based paints in the tradition-specific palette, pre-portioned for the included design.
Fine-tip painting tools suited to the detailing requirements of each art form.
Step-by-step illustrated instructions, written and tested by working folk artists on the EthniiChic team.
All materials are eco-friendly. No toxic solvents. No synthetic substitutes for traditional pigments where avoidable.
Why EthniiChic DIY Kits Are Different
Most Indian art kits sold online are designed for children and simplified to the point of losing the tradition entirely. EthniiChic's kits are built from the other direction — starting with the authentic tradition and simplifying the technique just enough for an adult beginner, without stripping the cultural integrity.
The Cheriyal kit teaches you the actual colour-sequencing logic of Cheriyal scroll painting. The Thanjavur kit teaches you how classical South Indian artists built up their signature jewel-tone layering. You are not approximating folk art — you are learning its structural grammar.
Each kit is curated by Roshni, founder of EthniiChic and a practising folk artist who has spent over a decade working with traditional art forms across Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Rajasthan, and Bihar.
Indian Art DIY Kits as Gifts
If you are looking for a meaningful cultural gift for Diwali, a housewarming, a birthday, or a return gift for an event, an EthniiChic DIY kit works where most gifts don't — it gives the recipient an experience, not just an object. The finished piece is a wall-hanging or display item they created themselves, which carries a different kind of value than anything pre-made.
For bulk gifting or corporate orders, EthniiChic accepts custom orders. Write to contactus@ethniichic.com or visit our Bulk Orders page.
