The art of Kajali paintings originated and is flourishing at Rajasthan. Mainly done in eastern parts, popularly known as Shekhawati region. As the name suggests, it is done using kajal - the carbon black. Previously, it was done only in shades of grey, but now the art has grown to give multicolored paintings also.

Kajali paintings is not a very popular style of painting, as it is quite primitive. It involves no use of brush and this makes it all the more special. The carbon black is obtained by explicitly lighting oil lamp and gathering its carbon on some plate. This is now spread over the paper, using a whip of paper. According to the final figure required, different shaded of grey are given using hand and cloth to evenly spread the kajal.

With changing markets, now colored kajali is also available, beside the tradtional monochrome style. The artists use the powder of crushed semi precious stones to give colors to their paintings. The procedure of giving color remains the same. A wide range of colors are obtained and various shades of a color are possible by the way artists spread them.

The paper used for this purpose is special one with creme base and a little rough surface. The rough surface makes the absorbing of color possible. Only such a paper can hold back the powder particles. Along with the paper, kajali is also done on cloth also. Canavas again due to its little rough surface makes the suitable medium.

One can find various figures done in kajali. The God and Goddesses, animals as leopard and lion are the most popular figures. Women figures, which include the face expressions are another subject of interest. Men and Women from Village, involved in their daily activities is also much demanded. The kajali paintings are done on order basis also and hence a wide range of subject is covered. It holds its uniqueness in todays world, where high technology has taken over the art also.