Wooden Painted Toys locally known as Kondapalli toys are world-famous for their special wood that adds a touch of aesthetics to drawing rooms with their finely created figurines. These toys have carved a niche of their own in the world of handicrafts. Nimble fingered artisans carve with aplomb, as characters emerge and evolve from light soft wood. The wooden piece is heated to make it moisture-free. Different parts of the image are carved separately. They are then glued together with an adhesive made of crushed tamarind seeds.
Both water and oil colours are used to paint the toy or figurine. Painting is done with soft and thin paint brushes made of goat’s hair. The toys depict scenes from actual life, animals, rural folks, deities and characters from the epics. Kondapalli soldiers, pen stand, Dasavatar set and the Ambari elephants are among the famous items produced by the artisans here. The small wonders, made of white Poniki and painted with natural colors like vegetable dyes, are a collector’s delight. Vegetable dyes are used for painting the toys which are of export quality while Oil paints are used for colouring the toys sold within India and enamel paints are applied for the toys made for the purpose of special occasions.
Kalamkari Prints