Online vs Studio vs DIY Tanjore Painting Classes: Which Fits You?
Written by
Vibha Raj
Live online, in-person studio, or self-paced DIY? Here is a clear, honest look at our three Tanjore painting formats, how each one works, and who it suits best.
Key takeaways
- We teach Tanjore painting in three formats, live online, in-person at our Bangalore studio, and self-paced DIY video. All three are built for complete beginners.
- Live online runs two evenings a week (around 5:45 to 7:30 PM IST) over 6.5 to 11 weeks, in group batches, with 3 to 4 teachers and every session recorded.
- The studio batch meets in Basavanagudi, Bangalore, 10:45 AM to 1:30 PM, in a small group of 20 to 25, with your materials on hand.
- DIY is fully self-paced: 18 to 27 video lessons, 90-day access (we extend it freely on request), with photo feedback from a teacher on WhatsApp.
- In 40 years we have taught over 5,000 students, and more than 95% finish their painting. Choose live for structure, studio for in-person, DIY for flexibility.
Deciding to learn Tanjore painting is the easy part. The question that usually holds people back is a smaller, quieter one: which way of learning is right for me? You might be in Bangalore and longing to sit in a studio with gold foil and brushes around you. You might be in another timezone, wondering if an online class can really teach something this detailed. Or you might simply want to start tonight, at your own pace, after the children are asleep.
All of those are good reasons, and we have a format for each. Over the years we have taught more than 5,000 students across online, studio and self-paced courses, and almost every one of them, beginners included, has finished a painting they were proud to place in their puja room. This guide walks you through the three formats honestly, so you can pick the one that fits your life, not the other way around.
The three formats at a glance
Here is the short version. Live online gives you guided teaching from anywhere, the studio gives you that same teaching in person in Bangalore, and DIY lets you learn entirely in your own time. Every format is beginner-friendly, includes your materials, and ends with a certificate.
| Live online | Studio (Bangalore) | DIY video | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Where | Online, on Zoom | In person, Basavanagudi | Anywhere, on your own screen |
| When | 2 evenings a week, about 5:45 to 7:30 PM IST | 2 sessions a week, 10:45 AM to 1:30 PM | Anytime, self-paced |
| Group size | Group batch (about 30 to 60) | Small batch (20 to 25) | Just you, with a teacher on WhatsApp |
| Pace | Guided, 6.5 to 11 weeks by complexity | Guided, in the room | Your pace, 18 to 27 lessons |
| Recordings / access | Recorded; access 30 to 60 days after the course | Same online recordings on the app | 90 days from kit receipt, extended on request |
| Best for | Structure and feedback, from anywhere | Hands-on learners in Bangalore | Busy schedules and other timezones |
| Cost | Mid | Premium | Most accessible |
Live online classes: guided learning from anywhere
A live online class is a real, taught class on Zoom, not a folder of videos. You join your batch live, two evenings a week, usually between 5:45 and 7:30 PM IST, and you learn each step as it happens. The two days are fixed for your batch (for example Tuesday and Friday, or Monday and Thursday), so it settles into a gentle weekly rhythm.
So you can see every fine detail, we teach with three cameras and two monitors, moving from the canvas to a close-up of the brush as the work gets delicate. Courses run from about 6.5 weeks for a simpler painting to around 11 weeks for an advanced one. Every course is taught by three to four teachers, each taking the part they know best. One teacher guides you through the embossing and gold foil work, and Vibha Raj, who leads our teaching, takes the faces and the fine, intricate detailing. Vibha is an award-winning Tanjore artist who learned the art from her mother, the master artist Vani Bhaskar, carrying a lineage of over 40 years. Spurthy, who trained at the Karnataka Chitrakala Parishath, leads the gold foil work, and Yashaswini, who began here as a student herself, guides the embossing and intricate detailing.
Feedback is warm and free-flowing. Each batch has its own WhatsApp group where you post photos of your painting and your teachers respond, answer doubts, and gently nudge you along. Many students simply call when they are stuck. If you miss a session, the recording goes up the same day on our student app, and you can watch it for 30 to 60 days after the course ends. Students join us from all over the world; just tell us your city so we can confirm timings and ship your materials in time.
If this sounds like you, read what a live online class is really like and when a live class is the right choice.
The studio: learning in person in Bangalore
Our studio course is for those who want to learn Tanjore painting in the room with us, in Basavanagudi, Bangalore. You paint alongside a small group, with your teachers moving between easels, and your materials already laid out for you. Sessions run twice a week, from 10:45 AM to 1:30 PM, and we keep each batch small, around 20 to 25 students, so everyone gets real attention.
We usually run a weekday batch and a weekend batch, and because the studio has limited seats, new batches open only once or twice a year. The same painting is often running as a live online course at the same time, so studio students also get those recordings on the app to revisit a step at home.
Not sure if in-person is right for you? Here is who the studio course suits best, and the full picture of learning at our Bangalore studio.
DIY video course: learn fully in your own time
The DIY course is for learning entirely at your own pace. After you sign up, you get access to a series of video lessons, between 18 and 27 depending on the painting, that take you from a blank canvas through sketching, gesso relief, gold foil, kundan stones and the final detailing. You watch on the Tanjore Collective student app, on your laptop or phone, whenever suits you.
Self-paced does not mean alone. We create a WhatsApp group with you and a teacher, and you send photos of your painting as you go, so you get real feedback on your actual work, not a generic reply. We check in to see how you are doing and answer any doubt, big or small. Your access runs for 90 days from when your kit arrives, and because life happens, we are always happy to extend it on request, even months later. More than 1,000 students have finished their painting this way.
To decide if it fits, read who should do a DIY course and the honest online versus DIY comparison.
How to choose the right format for you
The simplest way to choose is to start with your own life, not the painting. A few honest questions make it clear.
- How is your schedule? If you can hold two fixed evenings a week, a live batch gives you a rhythm and keeps you moving. If your weeks are unpredictable, DIY lets you learn around them.
- Where are you? In Bangalore and craving the real thing, choose the studio. Anywhere else, live online brings the same teachers to you, and DIY suits large time differences best.
- How much guidance do you want? Live and studio give you a guided, time-bound class. DIY gives you freedom, with a teacher a WhatsApp message away.
- What about budget? DIY is the most accessible, live sits in the middle, and the studio is our most hands-on, premium option.
One more thing worth knowing: we teach in batches, never one to one, and there is a good reason for it. You can read why we teach in batches, which is a big part of why so many students actually finish.
What every format includes
Whichever way you learn, the heart of it is the same. Every course is taught by three to four of our artists, all of whom were once students here, and every course is built for a complete beginner. You get your materials, access to the Tanjore Collective student app for your recordings, the course sketches and vendor information, and a certificate on completion, both digital and physical, that names your course and is signed by Vibha Raj.
"This is my first attempt at any form of painting so I was naturally doubtful if I could do this, but the way Vibha taught the process step by step without even realising I was able to see the Tanjore painting come to life by following the steps."
But the number we are proudest of is this: more than 95% of our students finish their painting. For an art this detailed, that is rare, and it is not luck. You can read why almost all of our students finish, and if you are nervous about starting, how complete beginners learn with us.
Frequently asked questions
Can a complete beginner join any of the formats?
Yes. Every format, online, studio and DIY, is built for complete beginners, even if you have never held a brush. We teach each step slowly and stay with you until you finish.
Which format is the most flexible, and which is the most affordable?
DIY is both the most flexible and the most accessible, since it is fully self-paced. Live online balances flexibility with guided teaching, and the studio is our most hands-on, premium option.
Do I get teacher support in all three?
Yes. Live and studio students get their teachers in class and on a WhatsApp group, and DIY students get a dedicated WhatsApp group with a teacher for feedback on their own painting.
Can I switch formats or take another course later?
You cannot switch a course midway, but you are welcome to enrol in any format and any painting you like, and our returning-student benefit applies across all of them.
Do I get a certificate?
Yes, both a digital and a physical certificate, naming your course and signed by Vibha Raj.
Can I join from outside India?
Absolutely. Students join us from around the world. Tell us your city so we can confirm the live timings for your timezone and ship your materials in good time, and DIY is often the easiest choice across large time differences.
We do not take that trust lightly. Over four decades, Tanjore Collective has grown to a 5.0 rating from more than 450 reviews on Google, and our work and teaching have been featured in Deccan Herald, Hindustan Times, Deccan Chronicle and Incredible India.
Take your time with the choice, and trust that there is no wrong one. Wherever you begin, our teachers will be right there with you, and we cannot wait for you to fall in love with this art form.
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