Pahari painting depend greatly on linear structure is important in Pahari painting, and in every sub school of this art form. The linear clarity is evident even in the finished art works.
This linear strength has the limitation of stylization, that limits its possibilities. Yet the linear formation binds the entire painting in Pahari art and imparts a distinctive character of its own.
The painting in Pahari art grows upon the linear drawing. Basically the drawing was made with brush but now a days, pencil work is used before the brush work by many artists, and this is easy of hide as the paint applied is opaque and covers the pencil lines.
Pahari painting is a repetitive form of art so the teaching method is also repetitive. The master artist draws a simple subject, for example Krishna’s head, or a peacock, and the student is instructed to make many copies of the picture.
The student is encouraged to make the copies as identical as possible with the picture the master artist made.
By reproducing a set form many times, the student learns to draw and colour that set form. In my opinion this rigid method is effective in teaching the set forms, but this method seriously inhibits innovative imagination.
Pahari painting is mainly a figurative art, so the student is instructed to give the maximum amount of importance to the figures in the composition.
The background and nature shown act as supports for the figures generally. Even when different seasons are depicted the nature is shown in relation to human beings.
I have never seen landscape painting for the sake of landscape painting in Pahari art. So, the students are not tought to paint landscapes for its own sake.
Even nature, when it is depicted in Pahari painting, is presented in a very stylized way. Whether it is a cloud, or running water, or the hills in the distant, are bound within the rhythm of stylization.
So by the practicing of set forms, in subjective and compositional way, the student attains the ability to recreate those set forms.
In the olden times only mineral and vegetable colours were used, so the student was required to learn arduously the methods of paint preparing and paper treatment.
In modern times the students learn the old methods of paint making and the preparation of other art materials but for practice and also for cheaper art pieces poster colours are used widely.
For better quality pieces even today, the old methods of paint making is used and this helps to carry on the technological expertise of Pahari to on next generation.