The Siah Qalam is a traditional technique in Mughal painting where the work is rendered in watered-down black ink, originally using a brush made of the tip of a squirrel’s tail. Some paintings were only done in Siah Qalam and not necessarily using any other pigments. I find the monochrome nature of such works appealing.

I was impressed by one of Nizakat Ali Dipar’s practice works to hone his own technique as a basis of other works he does. He did this Siah Qalam as a student of miniature painting at the NCA in Lahore.