Wasli

{{Short description|Special kind of handmade paper for miniature paintings}}

{{About|the painting material|the interpreters' organisation|World Association of Sign Language Interpreters}}

Wasli, also referred to as wasli paper, is a type of handmade paper used specifically for painting miniatures. It was devised in India, in the 10th century, and figures widely in Mughal-era painting.

Wasli can be produced to varying thickness and its uses range from classical/traditional painting methods with opaque water colors to building structures of various kinds.{{cite web |title=Beyond the Page: The Miniature as Attitude in Contemporary Art from Pakistan |url=http://www.pacificasiamuseum.org/_on_view/exhibitions/beyond_page.aspx |website=Pacific Asia Museum |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101128012320/http://www.pacificasiamuseum.org/_on_view/exhibitions/beyond_page.aspx |archive-date=November 28, 2010}}

Miniature Painting is a term used for making opaque/translucent water color paintings/illustrations on a small scale inspired from Persian or Pahari miniature schools{{cite web |title=The World of Pahari Miniature Painting |url=http://www.123himachal.com/pahari_painting.html |website=www.123himachal.com |access-date=28 May 2019}} and Wasli is used as a canvas for making miniatures.

The term derives from a Persian word Vasl which means union or coming together, oneness, etc.

Wasli is an acid-free paper and it has archival qualities. Paper-eating insects cannot eat it because of a poison copper sulphate (Neela Thootha) used its preparation. The glue typically used to paste sheets together is also acid-free, being made out of cooking flour.

To use it for miniature paintings this layered paper is burnished with either smooth glass or a sea shell. This way the paper is shiny and smooth and has minimal perceptible grain.{{source?|date=January 2020}}