Bharat Rawal (centre) demonstrates mural art in Ranchi on Tuesday. Picture by Hardeep Singh

It’s not a plain, two-dimensional painting; neither a normal mural or a relief panel. It’s a combination of all these.

This is how Pune-based artist Bharat Rawal described 3D mural art that he has been popularising across the country for nearly three decades.

Rawal, who is in Ranchi for a 10-day workshop starting from Wednesday at Roopram Tower near the AIR station on Ratu Road, was giving a demonstration on the subject on Tuesday afternoon.

“I have held over a hundred workshops all over the country, except Bengal, Odisha and Kerala. But I do intend to go there in near future,” he said, adding that Ranchi’s would be his 103rd workshop.

A graduate from Mumbai’s JJ School of Art, Rawal doesn’t charge anything from participants, but they have to pay for the materials, besides some overhead expenses.

The key to making the murals is “resin clay” — a mix of two chemicals — which Rawal introduced in the country. This special clay is the main material for 3D murals that is laid on a board. Other materials used are ceramic, seporix, glass or mixed media.

“The clay can be cut with a simple kitchen knife, withstands weather changes, doesn’t peel off the board, doesn’t require fire as in terracotta work, becomes hard when dried and is durable. The entire process, including designing, moulding and painting, is done by hand,” he pointed out.

How does he teach the techniques in just 10 days?

Participants first choose the subject, then they outline the drawing, which is followed by detailed work on developing the theme and finally glazing it by spraying a chemical.

Already, 25 enthusiasts have registered for the workshop. “Registration is still on and we can accommodate up to a maximum of 50 trainees,” said Neelam Modi of Queens Group, the local associate for the workshop.