<p>Twenty-eight-year-old Maithri Laxmikanth carves intricate and beautiful designs on chalks. A homemaker from the City, she uses needles and a small file to do the carving. “Chalks are readily available and very easy to work on it. They are brittle and dusty, so one should hold it very gently to carve a neatly shaped design. If you do not use the chalk in a right manner, it may literally break,” she says.<br /><br /></p>.<p>Carving on chalks is a time-consuming affair and requires delicate hands so as to create a magnificent piece. Maithri, who has been doing this for the last four years, says, “I have always been interested in art work. I stumbled upon this idea at historical places. I always liked the intricate carvings done on the pillars and wondered if this can be done in a different way. That’s when I got the idea but one needs to have a lot of patience and deep concentration to pursue an art such as this.” <br /><br />A young mother, she also enjoys doing other art works like bottle art, soap art, handmade greeting cards, paintings, pencil sketch, graphic design on T-shirts and mugs. Maithri’s carving comprises 20 intricate designs ranging from chess pawn, axe, knives, lamps, temples, churches and rings to idols of god and the Taj Mahal pillar. <br /><br /> The designed chalks have not been showcased yet but she has a Facebook page which has garnered quite a few likes to nurture her enthusiasm. “If I find the right platform, I will definitely exhibit my creativity,” exclaims Maithri. <br /><br />“One should keep carving to get the desired shape and design. Once I finalise on a design, I try to implement it on chalk. Once the artiste has a feel for the material, it is possible to construct fairly complex shapes, and make figurative work. Usually, it takes about one to two hours to complete the whole carving depending on the complexity of the design,” says Maithri. <br /><br />One of the designs she carved was the mantap which took her one whole day to create each nuance to perfection. <br /><br />It was done using multiple chalks and each pillar has been carved and attached using glue. One of her favourite carvings is the pillar in pink which has minute detailing and she likes it for the detailing and intricacies. Maithri not only carves on the coloured chalks but also colours them when required. <br /><br />The one design she has been waiting to carve is the Taj Mahal in all its beauty. <br /></p>
<p>Twenty-eight-year-old Maithri Laxmikanth carves intricate and beautiful designs on chalks. A homemaker from the City, she uses needles and a small file to do the carving. “Chalks are readily available and very easy to work on it. They are brittle and dusty, so one should hold it very gently to carve a neatly shaped design. If you do not use the chalk in a right manner, it may literally break,” she says.<br /><br /></p>.<p>Carving on chalks is a time-consuming affair and requires delicate hands so as to create a magnificent piece. Maithri, who has been doing this for the last four years, says, “I have always been interested in art work. I stumbled upon this idea at historical places. I always liked the intricate carvings done on the pillars and wondered if this can be done in a different way. That’s when I got the idea but one needs to have a lot of patience and deep concentration to pursue an art such as this.” <br /><br />A young mother, she also enjoys doing other art works like bottle art, soap art, handmade greeting cards, paintings, pencil sketch, graphic design on T-shirts and mugs. Maithri’s carving comprises 20 intricate designs ranging from chess pawn, axe, knives, lamps, temples, churches and rings to idols of god and the Taj Mahal pillar. <br /><br /> The designed chalks have not been showcased yet but she has a Facebook page which has garnered quite a few likes to nurture her enthusiasm. “If I find the right platform, I will definitely exhibit my creativity,” exclaims Maithri. <br /><br />“One should keep carving to get the desired shape and design. Once I finalise on a design, I try to implement it on chalk. Once the artiste has a feel for the material, it is possible to construct fairly complex shapes, and make figurative work. Usually, it takes about one to two hours to complete the whole carving depending on the complexity of the design,” says Maithri. <br /><br />One of the designs she carved was the mantap which took her one whole day to create each nuance to perfection. <br /><br />It was done using multiple chalks and each pillar has been carved and attached using glue. One of her favourite carvings is the pillar in pink which has minute detailing and she likes it for the detailing and intricacies. Maithri not only carves on the coloured chalks but also colours them when required. <br /><br />The one design she has been waiting to carve is the Taj Mahal in all its beauty. <br /></p>
