Krsna Art Archives - Page 3 of 3

Posted on January 12, 2018March 14, 2019 by remember krishna — 6 Comments

Radharani’s 8 chief gopi companions

Krsna standing with Radha Lalita Vishaka 8 principal gopi friends in forest under tree with peacocks

She also excitingly commissioned new gopi dolls for her granddaughters – she wanted to give them a birthday gift to match the Krsna doll they already had, and asked me to create two more gopi friends as well as Radharani.

Well you can imagine the burst of joyous creativity this inspired!

I worked on Lalita and Vishaka because I was so attracted to their descriptions, and also made Campakalata, after looking up the description of the Campaka flower.

To create artwork I did some research, and I hope you will forgive my literal interpretations. It may not be precisely correct, but it was helpful to me in creating the really sweet dolls I have made.

Description of The Eight Principal Gopis

Lalita devi – 14yrs 8 months & 27days (older than Radha)

Constant companion of Srimati Radharani. She has a beautiful bright yellow complexion

Wears a dress the colour of peacock feathers.

Carries a parasol for RK

Decorates Them with flowers & decorates Their cottage when they rest at night.

Image result for peacock feathers — peacock feathers

Visakha devi – 14 yrs 2 months & 15 days (same age as Radharani)

Her garments are decorated with stars

Complexion, cream colour with a tinge of red.

Likes to dress & decorate Radha & the gopis

Likes to be a messenger between RK

Expert at joking with Krishna

Campakalata 14yrs 2 months & 13 & ½ days (younger than Radha by 1 day)

Complexion like the yellow campaka flower

Garments the color of a blue-jay’s

Expert at collecting fruits, flowers & roots from the forest.

Expert cook – expert at making various kinds of candy.

She can skillfully fashion things from clay with her hands.

Seva is to offer jeweled necklaces and to fan with a camara.

Image result for Campaka flower Campakalaata — Campakalata has a complexion like the Campaka flower. Magnolia champaca, known in English as champak, is a large evergreen tree in the Magnoliaceae family. It was previously classified as Michelia champaca. It known for its fragrant flowers, and its timber used in woodworking.

blue Jay of india — From the Odisha forest website, photo of Blue Jay Description: State Bird: Blue Jay The blue jay is commonly known as Roller under the family Coraciidae. India is famous for a single type of blue jay which is popularly called “Indian Roller Bird”. In Hindi its popular name is ” Nilkanth ” or “Sabzak”. This is an attractive Oxford-and-Cambridge blue bird about the size of a pigeon. They are believed to be near relatives of bee-eaters and kingfishers. They are strongly-built and jay- like. They are characterized by a big head, heavy bill, rufous brown breast, pale blue abdomen and blunt tail. The tail is square. The dark and pale blue colours in the wings show up as brilliant shining bands in flight. Blue jay prefers open cultivated green country and avoids dense forests. Source: http://www.odishaforest.in/states_pride.jsp

Citra-devi 14 yrs 7 months 14 days (younger than Radharani by 26 days)

Complexion like saffron

Garments the color of crystal

Her seva is bringing cloves & garlands

She can nicely make various kinds of nectarean beverages.

Expert in playing music on pots filled with varying degrees of water.

Especially expert at gardening

She is the leader of the gopis who collect transcendental herbs and medicinal creepers from the forest (they don’t collect flowers or anything else)

Saffron flower and the tiny philamen which is harvested and used for cooking.

Tunga vidya 14yrs 2 months & 22 days (15 days younger than Radha)

Complexion color of kumkuma

Wears white garments

Seva is dancing and singing, she is a celebrated music teacher expert at playing the vina & singing in the style known as marga.

Expert in dancing, drama, literature and all other arts & sciences.

Indulekha 14yrs 2 months & 10 & ½ days ( 3 days younger than Radha)

Has a tan complexion

Wears the color of pomegranate flower

Often serves K by bringing nectar-like delicious meals.

Seva is fanning with chamara fan

Expert at stringing various kinds of wonderful necklaces, gemology & weaving various kinds of cloth.

Related image — Beautiful big pomegranate flower.

Ranga devi 14yrs 2 months & 4 & ½ days ( 7 days younger than Radha)

Complexion the color of a lotus filament

Garments are red

Expert in the use of perfumes & cosmetics and aromatic incense.

She carries coal during the winter and fans the divine couple in the summer.

Also her & her friends are able to control the lions, deer & other wild animals in the forest.

Sudevi 14yrs 2 months & 4 days

She is the sweet and charming sister of Ranga devi, slightly older by ½ day (twin)

So similar to Ranga devi that they are often mistaken for one another.

Complexion colour of lotus stamen

Wears colour of the red jaba flower (hibiscus)

Seva is to bring water

Arranges Radha’s hair, decorates Her eyes with mascara and massages Her body with scented oils.

Expert in training male & female parrots.

Expert sailor, knows how to start fires & keep them burning and knows which flowers blossom with the rising of the moon.

Image result for red hibiscus — red hibiscus

If you would like to get a copy of this to print or store for later, you can download the document Description of The Eight Principal Gopis HERE.

Because this is a super interesting topic – who can ever get tired of the Gopi Companions of Srimate Radharani, I am working on a new set of all 8 cheif gopi companions of Radha!

Posted on September 26, 2017November 16, 2017 by remember krishna — Leave a comment

Why Krishna art

Krishna doll from Remember Krishna shop online doll blue boy

I remember practicing to draw that beautiful blue treasure of our hearts when I was just a little tyke!
In fact I remember the first drawings of some of the most incredible artists of this age (Yep I’m looking at you, Devaki & Yogananda!)

Because we all dote on Krishna we can look fondly on the blue or yellow or green scribble and encourage further attempts.

The thing I find the most encouraging is that, Krishna’s sweetness can be evident even in a sketchy scribble where the arms maybe not exactly proportionate or even correct, but we can see tilak or some effulgence and we have this little piece of remembrance.

While I personally am only a mediocre artist, and am always learning more, it is a great delight to draw and practice on Krishna.

Thankfully many people have enjoyed my Krishna art and of course I am thrilled to be able to sell my Krishna dolls.

When I was little our parents encouraged us to create by giving us stories of Krishna, nursery rhymes which had lyrics about Him, and always coloring in activities with Krishna and His transcendental companions. If you remove tv and computer games as a distraction then there’s a lot more time to develop an interest! Interestingly – and this is not at all the point of my post but a fascinating side note – Bill Gates, the genius behind Microsoft computers, does not even allow his kids to own or have devices – citing developing creativity and interests as his parenting reasoning.

So, the beauty of capturing Krishna in art is such that, while we do so we can absorb ourselves in thinking about Him (what does He look like? How does He stand/ what does He wear, what have I heard about Him that I can incorporate into this artwork?).

The beauty for the audience is they also get to enjoy remembering Krishna by gazing upon the Krsna artwork – however inexpertly created. A win win situation!

While I work on painting my Krishna dolls, I find it is conducive to listen to a lecture, so my ears are occupied in hearing while my hands are busy. This can be nice, but other great times are when family is gathered or friends are visiting – like someone who knits, always on your lap!

Krsna_deity_painted_diy — Adorable but shiny

I also ask Krishna for His blessings and assistance before I try and represent Him – most especially before I attempt to paint deities of the Lord, I pay my obeisances and ask Krishna for His help to guide my hand – I need it because I am not very expert, but who can accurately portray the beauty of Krishna without His assistance?

Remembering Krishna’s name, qualities, beauty and pastimes I have some very very favorite and inspiring quotes to share with you to assist you in your own creativity painting Krishna.

Sri Krsna’s complexion is as enchanting as an emerald, a tamala tree, or a group of beautiful dark clouds. He is an ocean of nectarean handsomeness.

He wears yellow garments and a garland of forest flowers. He is decorated with various jewels and He is a great reservoir of the nectar of many transcendental pastimes.

His handsome crown is decorated with many different flowers. His handsome forehead is splendidly decorated with tilaka markings and curling locks of hair.

The playful movements of His raised, dark eyebrows enchant the hearts of the gopis.

The tip of His nose is as handsome as the beak of Garuda, the king of birds.

His charming ears and cheeks are decorated with earrings made of various jewels.

He speaks many charming jokes.

Decorated with a necklace of pearls, the beauty of His neck enchants the residents of the three planetary systems. Decorated with a necklace of pearls and with the Kaustubha gem, which shines like lightning, Krsna’s handsome chest longs to enjoy the company of the beautiful gopis.

Decorated with bracelets and armlets, Krsna’s arms hang down to His knees.

Krsna’s knees are very splendid, charming and handsome.

His charming lotus feet are decorated with jeweled ankle-bells.

Krsna’s feet have the luster of roses, and they are decorated with various auspicious markings, such as the markings of the disc, half-moon, octagon, triangle, barleycorn, sky, parasol, waterpot, conchshell, cow’s footprint, svastika, rod for controlling elephants, lotus flower, bow and jambu fruit.

His reddish toes are decorated with the row of full moons that are His toenails.

Although we have sometimes compared Krsna’s handsomeness to various things, nothing can actually be equal to it.

Posted on April 30, 2017April 30, 2017 by remember krishna — 4 Comments

Photograph Krsna competition Ideas

sweet baby krishna doll resting in a field of tulsi, on a dandelion puff in the green grass with yellow dhoti and bum up

cute balaram krishna jewellery — Baby Balaram pendant resting on a dandelion Krishna doll love

It’s been so nice seeing the different photographs people have been taking, staged with my sweet lil Krsna figures.. . You might have seen some of them on Instagram or Facebook – Here’s a few:

So, some of you suggested that I create a competition with a prize, for taking photo captures of my Krishna dolls, Balaram dolls, Radha dolls, & little Nimai dolls! Which I was interested in, but felt that probably the amount of people who have my little Krishna figures are quite limited – maybe 200 people? So I felt like that was too exclusionist for all my worldwide instagram friends! Besides which, for some, it’s simply not feasible to buy my Krsna dolls because of the conversion rate and shipping costs (how am I going to ship cheaper!?! Australia is such a far away place for most of you!).

Well because you guys are basically geniuses you suggested opening up the competition so that it can be ANY Krishna doll. I like it! I’m an inclusive sort of person, not exclusive…

Now all the little details are starting to jostle in my head!

Do we limit it to Krsna DOLLS only?

What about Deities?

Whose to say whats a doll whats a deity/ Krishna murti? See! Boggled!

Adorably positioned and photographed krishna doll, balaram doll, and radha doll positioned in a little travel cart

And how could I possibly judge all the wonder I just KNOW you creative people are going to come up with…

Should I have a panel of judges (would you like to be on it?) Should I have #peoplesvote (how does that work by the way!)
Should I run it from Facebook (would you keep up with it on Facebook?) & Instagram?
How long would you need to really brainstorm and prep your amazing photoshoot?
Have I forgotten anything????

What excites me about this competition idea is how much fun enthusiasts will have with it!

I was so delighted to glimpse all the Lego Krishna pastime settings which my clever friend Kalindi set up in 2016. So I know that the kids LOVE the challenge, and Krishna kids – now that’s my passion!

See how much help I need?! Please comment with your ideas, or email me!

Posted on March 27, 2016December 25, 2016 by remember krishna — Leave a comment

Beautiful Carved Krishna Deity Project

It’s no secret that Krsna is our hero… He’s just so all-attractive! When I was lucky enough to be asked to paint this beautiful Krsna deity hand carved by an incredibly talented artist it was pretty exciting.

this isn’t an amazing diy tutorial, more of a rough process documentation!

Because, you know, like all artists I’m also insecure it took me a while and Krishna had some repaints.. I canvassed the opinion of every visitor while being coy about the progress on my personal online diary (ok I mean instagram).

There’s nothing quite as exciting as painting a Krsna statue or Deity. I don’t know if there’s anything else as daunting either!

Decorated with peacock feather flute and some necklaces Krsna s so cute

So from the start (no I didn’t prime – why? Coz the paint dries faster and first off I was planning to leave all that beautiful wood showing through.. I soon decided against that, and there was a scary dark blue stage (not shared) which got painted over…

“What do you think of this? Does He look good?”

Well I kinda had a lovely friend over, and we decided I need to improve him. You must be crazy! Agreed. Totally bonkers.

He was pretty much perfect except a tiny detail of his eyes…

So of course when I repainted him I did one thing and another and ended up with a full repaint virtually.

When you blend your own skin color it’s probably a good idea to save some of that paint blend (for acrylics you can put plastic wrap over it & refrigerate to save it).

Painting deities is a huge commitment, a really big deal undertaking. Personally I love painting Krsna deities so much as a meditation on Krsna that all the time and tears are forgotten afterwards.

Start painting a wooden statue of Krsna straight away:

Acrylic paints
tiniest paint brushes you can. Buy. Order them online if you can’t find them small enough. It’s critical to get tiny eye details. As a note on paintbrushes quality matters. I have found Windsor newton brushes the most reliable because the paintbrush hairs don’t split off. You pay about $10 per brush so you really don’t want it to fray on you after a week of use.
Lots of time
Reference picture of Krsna is always a plus! I had a beautiful picture of murli I was looking at but then really that beautiful pic of Krsna bringing water to his devotee.. I’ll try & find a pic to show.

If necessary you can lightly sand the wood. The nicest surface will be completely smooth. You may have the opposite problem and need to actually strip a clear varnish off the wood, if you have bought a Krsna deity who has been heavily varnished. “forget perfection just aim for the best you can do” Seriously you could do this for years if you chase the dream of perfection. Krsna is so sweet He is a delight to look at, even if you’re not the worlds most talented artist (or anywhere close).

Decide if you are going to completely paint the wooden Krsna deity/ statue or if you are going to leave some of the wood shining through (I do really like that look, it’s beautiful, you see it in a lot of Christmas natural carved statues).

Lay down the base skin coat first. You may need a couple of layers to acheive the depth and brilliance you like. My favorite shade of blue (coastal blue) is so watery and thin I think it takes about 5 coats before it looks good.

Allow decent drying times!

If you’re antsy like me you can use a heat gun. Pure genius.

Next work on your eyes, for me I feel like painting Krishna’s eyes is super important to get them done asap, it informs everything else, the angle of His smile, the cheek coloration, etc etc.

Then it’s open slater anything goes do whatever area you like.

After that I would start laying in any shading or colors you want, I love to make Krsna look all fresh and youthfully innocent, like He’s just about to run off and play with the cowherd boys or girls.

Next paint in his lips/ features/ hair.

Once dry and you have made any required corrections lacquer using a polyurethane varnish but be careful! Two coats might cause him to have a sheen. I wasn’t thrilled when this Krsna developed a glossy look after two coats of lacquer, totally my fault for not testing enough. I have three bottles of Jo Sonja lacquer and I always forget which does what. Think I’d better label them with notes!

*I am not an expert I’m an enthusiast! I still learn as I go (ergo the total repaint which all to often occurs!) So please, use common sense and if you can think of a better way to do something, or a step I’ve missed in the process, then you should do that.

Should I have a panel of judges (would you like to be on it?) Should I have #peoplesvote (how does that work by the way!)

Should I run it from Facebook (would you keep up with it on Facebook?) & Instagram?

How long would you need to really brainstorm and prep your amazing photoshoot?

Have I forgotten anything????

Start painting a wooden statue of Krsna straight away: