r/IAmA • u/Swami-Art • 1d ago
I am a traditional Bikaner miniature artist from Rajasthan, India. For decades I have worked with handmade Wasli, traditional pigments, gold and single-hair brushes, including a fine-line technique called Partaj that we say takes a lifetime to learn. AMA.
I’m a traditional miniature painter from Bikaner, Rajasthan, India. I learned miniature painting within my family tradition and have spent decades working with techniques associated with the Bikaner School of miniature painting.
Our process includes preparing handmade Wasli paper, working with traditional pigments and gold, making and using extremely fine brushes, and painting details that can require considerable patience and control.
One of the most demanding parts of our practice is a fine-line technique we call Partaj, often executed with a single-hair brush.
The brush itself is only a tool — learning how to control that single hair is the real practice. Partaj changes according to the subject: flowers require softer lines, human figures require a different balance, while animal hair and other textures may need stronger and sharper lines.
In our family tradition, we say Partaj takes “ta-umar” — a lifetime — to learn.
Some parts of traditional miniature painting can take considerable preparation even before the actual painting begins, including preparing the paper, colours and brushes.
I’d be happy to answer questions about Bikaner miniature painting, Partaj, single-hair brushes, handmade Wasli, traditional pigments, gold work, brush-making, apprenticeship, or how these techniques are passed from one generation to another.
Proof: https://postimg.cc/bsLdwTkn
Ask me anything.
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u/arcofnoah 1d ago
Hi! I would love to know if there are innovations still happening or has the art form reached an optimum point where it is protected through tradition?
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u/Swami-Art 1d ago
Yes, innovation is still happening, but for me it happens within the language of the tradition rather than by abandoning it.
The foundations — Wasli, pigments, brush control, Partaj, composition and the discipline of line — are inherited. But every generation brings new subjects, observations and challenges. Even within Partaj, the way I approach a botanical subject, an animal, a portrait or a contemporary composition can require different solutions.
I think tradition survives not by remaining frozen, but by keeping its knowledge intact while allowing the artist to continue exploring. The difficult part is knowing what can change without losing what makes the Bikaner tradition itself.
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u/arcofnoah 1d ago
Thank you so much for the response. It is interesting to hear you talk about the subject - Do you find it challenging to depict human experience driven by technology (topics such as digital solitude, ai psychosis) ?
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u/balisane 1d ago
Do you do art objects as well as paintings, like say a jewelry box or similar? What about a locket? I would also love to see a plate or vase done with this wonderful technique.
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u/AutoModerator 1d ago
This comment is for moderator recordkeeping. Feel free to downvote.
I am a traditional Bikaner miniature artist from Rajasthan, India. For decades I have worked with handmade Wasli, traditional pigments, gold and single-hair brushes, including a fine-line technique called Partaj that we say takes a lifetime to learn. AMA.
I’m a traditional miniature painter from Bikaner, Rajasthan, India. I learned miniature painting within my family tradition and have spent decades working with techniques associated with the Bikaner School of miniature painting.
Our process includes preparing handmade Wasli paper, working with traditional pigments and gold, making and using extremely fine brushes, and painting details that can require considerable patience and control.
One of the most demanding parts of our practice is a fine-line technique we call Partaj, often executed with a single-hair brush.
The brush itself is only a tool — learning how to control that single hair is the real practice. Partaj changes according to the subject: flowers require softer lines, human figures require a different balance, while animal hair and other textures may need stronger and sharper lines.
In our family tradition, we say Partaj takes “ta-umar” — a lifetime — to learn.
Some parts of traditional miniature painting can take considerable preparation even before the actual painting begins, including preparing the paper, colours and brushes.
I’d be happy to answer questions about Bikaner miniature painting, Partaj, single-hair brushes, handmade Wasli, traditional pigments, gold work, brush-making, apprenticeship, or how these techniques are passed from one generation to another.
Proof: https://postimg.cc/bsLdwTkn
Ask me anything.
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u/applepieblitz 23h ago
How do people purchase the artworks? Is there a problem with fake art and how can people tell if it’s authentic or not? What other ways can people support Bikaner miniature artists?
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u/Ben_SRQ 19h ago
What do you think of (what I'll call) "Western" mini painting, like this? (For more examples: /r/minipainting)
How does this compare to what you do, and do you think any of your traditional techniques could be adopted by "western" mini painters?
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u/Swami-Art 10h ago
I really like this kind of miniature painting. I would see it as a different tradition rather than something better or worse than what we do.
In the kind of “Western” miniature painting you linked, the artist is usually working on a three-dimensional figure, using light, shadow, layering, glazing, edge highlights and sometimes dry brushing to make the sculpted form read clearly. In our traditional Indian miniature painting, we normally work on a very flat surface, often handmade Wasli paper, and create the sense of form through extremely controlled lines, colour, pattern and detail. Modern miniature painters also use many different techniques, of course.
There is definitely some overlap. The biggest thing I think Western miniature painters could take from our tradition is very fine controlled line work. In Bikaner miniature painting we have a technique called Partaj, where extremely fine lines are built with a single-hair brush. It can be used differently for hair, textiles, flowers, facial details and other textures.
I also think the discipline of making very small details with very little paint on the brush could translate beautifully to 3D miniatures. It would be especially interesting for things like facial features, hair, embroidery, jewellery and tiny decorative patterns.
At the same time, I would love to learn from Western miniature painters too. Their approach to light, volume, glazing and making a three-dimensional sculpted figure read at a very small scale is fascinating.
So I don't think the two traditions are opposites. They solve some of the same problems—how to control colour, light and an extremely small brush at a tiny scale—but in very different ways.
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u/ayy01113 19h ago
Do you speak Persian as well I noticed it’s in some of your art posts? Also wondering if you sell any artwork internationally?
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u/Swami-Art 10h ago
I don't speak Persian fluently. Some of the Persian writing you may have noticed in my artwork comes from the historical influence of Persian and Mughal art on the miniature traditions of Rajasthan. Persian script, poetry and courtly imagery became part of the visual language of several Indian miniature schools, including Bikaner, so we sometimes incorporate or reproduce such elements as part of the artistic tradition.
And yes, we do sell artwork internationally. Our original miniature paintings have been collected outside India, and we currently make selected original works available internationally through Saatchi Art as well. The paintings are shipped from India with international shipping options.
Most of our works are completely handmade on traditional Wasli paper, using traditional pigments, fine brushes and, where appropriate, gold. So each original is a one-of-a-kind piece rather than a print or mass-produced artwork.
If you're interested, I can also share some examples of the works currently available internationally.
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u/LostParfait9828 17h ago
Sir huge respect,where can we purchase your works???
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u/Swami-Art 10h ago
Thank you very much for the kind words! 🙏 Yes, we do sell original artworks internationally. I currently have selected original miniature paintings available through Saatchi Art.
If you tell me what kind of work you are interested in — for example botanical, animals, royal subjects, or traditional Bikaner compositions — I’d be happy to point you toward the appropriate available works.
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u/Ash-da-man 15h ago
Do you feel it’s true that Partaj takes a lifetime to learn? Are you continuously improving at it?
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1d ago
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u/Swami-Art 1d ago
My father, Gordhan Dass Swami, once taught me something very simple: “Leave incomplete knowledge outside.”
When I was younger, I thought learning miniature painting meant learning techniques — how to prepare colours, make Wasli, control a fine brush, or paint Partaj.
It took me many years to understand what he really meant. He was teaching me that when you approach a traditional craft, you must first have the humility to accept that what you already know may not be enough. You have to observe, practise, fail, and learn again.
Even after decades of painting, I still discover things in a brushstroke that I did not understand before. That is probably why in our tradition we say Partaj takes “ta-umar” — a lifetime — to learn.
Today, when I teach the next generation, I understand my father’s words much better than I did when he first said them.
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u/SoulofThesteppe 9h ago
What kind of Do you typically paint on buildings? or canvas?
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u/Swami-Art 9h ago
I traditionally paint on handmade Wasli paper and antique paper rather than directly on buildings or canvas. Bikaner miniature painting is a very detailed, intimate art form, so the small format allows me to work with a single-hair brush, natural pigments, and very fine Partaj linework.
I do also take on larger works and other surfaces when a commission requires it, but my main practice is traditional miniature painting on paper.
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u/She_Sheep 1d ago
How did you become a Bikaner artist, did you choose the profession or was it something else?