Work! Work! Work!

This was the time when I was working day and night on terracotta. This terracotta was eating me up! Collecting stuff, compiling them and then presentation sounds easy , right? But belive me , Its NOT! Working all day on laptop then our sheets. Tough task man! 

And you can see a sincere student working ;D

Me Working

Concept Board

Concept Board? Concept Board? Concept Board?

Concept board is a form of stimulus material, consisting of visual or verbal representation of an idea of product or service , often showing benefits and idea of the research. 
We are waiting for the input for the concept board from the faculty and as soon as we get the input I"ll update the post.




Author- Harshita Jain

Material Board

What is a material board?
A material board shows all the material which is used to make the product or the material involved in the topic.

So terracotta is basically clay which is fired and glazed. So in my material board I made a pot look alike structure using sunboard and painted it red. Then to show the decoration part I used the material clay and wires used in making terracotta products.

Material Board

Author- Harshita Jain

Mood Board

Okay! So first of all, what is a mood board?
Don't worry I am not telling you to answer this because I will.

Mood board is something or collection of various pictures that depicts the "feel" of the topic or the product.

Thinking about terracotta brings me to a whole new different mood of Culture, Tradition, Coolness and Earthy feel. 
So my mood board came out to be full of brown colors and giving culture feels!

MOOD BOARD

Color Board

    

Color Board

Okay! So what is a color board? 

A color board shows the colors used in the product or the topic. 

Terracotta consist of very earthy colors which are brown, red, mustard, yellow, black and white. I drew the motifs and painting used in terracotta architecture and pottery and painted it with terracotta colors. The browns ,  hues, and reds are used in pottery and architecture. Red also shows the tradition and culture of Bengal.  Color blue depicts the coolness of terracotta products.  

Inspiration Board

My Inspiration Board

An inspiration board visually depicts the inspiration or the elements which led to the topic. This is the starting point what visually we think about terracotta.

My inspiration for terracotta craft of West Bengal was the culture, the tradition, the coolness of terracotta, beauty of terracotta products and jewellery, the old tradition in which Bengal resides. 

The fancy and huge structures of terracotta made ' Pandals ' and the ' diya stand ' were one great inspiration. The water ' matka ' that we use in our kitchens , decorative lamps even the terracotta architecture are amazing . 

To add a terracotta feel to my inspiration board, I added the colors of terracotta in the background of inspiration board. Now this takes me to my next board which is the Color Board!! 

About Visual Diary

Okay so those blank pages of my diary haunted me all day and night! It seemed quite a difficult task but with lots of research, ideas, creativity and hardwork I completed my visual diary.

Collage From My Visual Diary

First the difficult task was to select a topic. After finding my interest in crafts of bengal I decided to go for Terracotta Craft Of West Bengal . The earthy colours, history of terracotta architecture, jewelry designs, home decor stuff, dolls and various figures and horses were great to work upon. 

I started with the origin of craft , history, culture scenario, various stuff made from terracotta, process and tools used . Then I narrowed down into Terracotta Architecture , Terracotta Jewelry and The Bankura Horses. 

While researching I found many interesting facts. One of those was , between 12th to 14th century with the Mughal rulers the terracotta temples consists of intricate mughal motifs such as lotus, which is still present in West Bengal. 

I ended my visual diary with the description of Bankura Horses. It was very interesting to work on this topic. 

Terracotta Jewellery

While going through terracotta , I find terracotta jewellery one interesting part. The intricate designs and the splash of colour was really attractive. 

                                               

                                                        Jewelley Design

Making terracotta jewelry might appear to be a simpler form of art,  but it is a labor-intensive technique. From making the clay to molding it to desired shape and then baking it and firing it, is a long process. After the terracotta item hardens, it is then glazed for a lustrous appearance. 

Terracotta jewelry are still worn by many women .  Terracotta jewelry is fashioned to mimic kundan or meenakari jewelry with an astounding detail and finish. Tribal terracotta jewelry is very popular among teens and young adults. 

                                                                                                                                                      

             Making of terracotta jewelry 

Simple designs of terracotta with minimal details can be combined with semi-formal, ethnic wear or even everyday wear. Heavily embellished jhumkas, earrings, peandants, rings, etc are an apt accessory for teaming up with lehengas, anarkali kurtas and traditional saris. 

Heavy Jewelry


              

            In blue color 

                                                   

Introduction Of Terracotta Art

 

Mind Mapping 

Terracotta ( from the Latin word "terra cocta" ) , a type of earthenware is a clay based unglazed or glazed ceramic where the fire body is pourous. It is often used to describe objects such as figurines not made on potter's wheel.

Terracotta Art in West Bengal is the earliest form of art of Bengal. It is clay rather than stone which has been the medium through which Bengali culture has found expression for thousands of years.

Terracotta Art has been practised in West Bengal right from early days through the medival age till the 19th century. In present days it is used in the form of home decor and jewellery. Terracotta plaques depicted lives of gods and goddesses. Terracotta figures, horses, tigers, elephants and snakes as well as toys were also common.

Finally it can be concluded saying that terracotta art in West Bengal had flourished under the rule of many rulers. Terracotta artists of Bengal devoted their skill to modelling and sculpting, attaining high levels of acclaim and respect throughout India!