Seven-year-old Mini loved to colour. Every evening after school, she would search for a new colouring book and fill it with the different shades of the pastels that her mother gave her. She always wondered if she could paint other things as well.
One day, Mini saw a group of men painting the window panes of the flat next door. She marvelled at the way they used a paintbrush to evenly spread a splash of white.
Painting windows
“Amma, can I also use the paintbrush to colour our window panes?” she asked at breakfast the next morning.
Mini’s mother chuckled at the question. “That requires technique,” she replied.
Mini scrunched up her face and said, “I get A+ for colouring in school and I always draw within the lines. I also use my pastels carefully.”
“That is all very well, Mini. But do you know that we use different colours for different objects? The workers next door are using paint that can be applied with brush strokes.”
“But, Amma, isn’t it like spreading butter on the bread? You taught me the way to delicately toss the butter with the bread knife so that the yellow reaches all the corners.”
“How do I put it?” exclaimed Amma. “You also have to take into account the weight of the brush.” Then, suddenly, Amma changed her mind and said, “I have an idea! Let us try painting some colour on your study table this weekend, shall we?”
Another kind of brush
That week, when Amma and Appa had gone to visit their friends, Mini was invited to her neighbour’s house. Aditi’s house smelled odd, as if someone had made a paste of mushrooms and citrus juice. The verandah, which had a fresh coat of paint, was particularly pungent.
Illustration: Satheesh Vellinezhi
Mini’s eyes widened when she saw a tin of lavender tucked under the bed of Aditi’s guest room. “Aditi! Have you been watching those men paint in your house? It seems like a fun profession where all you get to do is play with colours.” Mini was bursting with excitement.
Ten-year-old Aditi giggled. “It is not so easy, Mini. Suresh bhaiya sweats a lot and must bend his body often to make every nook and cranny look dazzling. I have seen him make the brush soft also.”
Mini wanted to know more and, to satisfy her curiosity, Aditi bent to search for the paint brushes. A small rat whizzed past the two of them and they screamed.
“Should we check if the brushes are all right?” asked Mini.
To their horror, they found that one of the brushes had been damaged. “The rat has chomped on it constantly,” exclaimed Aditi.
“I have an idea”, said Mini. She began trimming it and, slowly, made it look new.
“Let’s soak this brush in soap lather,” chirped Aditi and, half an hour later, they had a soft paintbrush. Mini took it home to surprise her mother.
New project
When the weekend came, Amma was surprised to see that Mini had a special paint brush for the study table. Amma put a coat of caterpillar-green on the left leg. Mini was happy to follow Amma. She found it easier to use a softer and thinner brush.
“I think the colours will fall nicely all over if we use a thicker brush,” said Amma. But Mini struggled with the new brush though the colours spread evenly.
After a few hours of solid work — interspersed with breaks for milk, noodles and tea, the study table was ready. Amma noticed that some of Mini’s strokes had give the table a fat green skin on one side. So she gave a double coating on the other side to ensure it was even all over.
Mini, then, had a special request. She wanted a black and yellow butterfly in the left corner. So she took out the marker and drew the outline carefully. Impressed with her work, Amma filled in the other corners with black and yellow butterflies too. When Appa came home, Mini had a surprise for him: a green study table.
Published - January 31, 2025 06:20 pm IST
