Printing with blocks in India is as old as time itself. OK, maybe I exaggerate, but it's pretty old nevertheless originating somewhere between the 8th and 12th century AD.
Designs are carved onto wooden blocks, mostly teak wood. Some designs more intricate than the others, the skill of the carver that much more precise.
The technique most ubiquitous is the dye printing done straight away on the cloth. The cloth is tightly stretched on the tables and readied for printing. Blocks dipped in various dyes are used to print the design. If there are multiple colours, then printing is done colour by colour in layers. Here's an interesting post of a 'live demonstration' - Block- printed awesomeness. Now imagine the same across reams and reams of fabric block printed by hand in different parts of the country - Rajasthan, Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and maybe even more.
There are other techniques of printing, some even more painstaking and time-consuming with fabulous looking fabric as a result. Mud-resist block printing is one of them. The blocks are dipped into a mud-based paste and pressed onto the cloth. Once the paste dries, the cloth is dyed in the required colour. Where the mud-paste is printed, the cloth retains the original colour while the dye catches onto the rest of the cloth. Dabu printing - another blog post that best describes this process. :)
Today, block printing has evolved into a DIY craft that has permeated homes in India and abroad. Even Martha Stewart's website has an article on it. ;) The blocks are easily available in the markets and are used to print on paper (tags, cards, bags etc) and even henna onto the hands. A quick & easy shortcut.
I'll leave you with some pretty prints you will have certainly seen in stores (images courtesy: Google.com/images).
Buying hand printed fabrics encourage the survival of the art form, allowing traditional artisans to continue the age-old ways of creating beautiful designs while earning their livelihood. Overall, giving a boost to the local economy.
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| Carving a printing block (photo courtesy: architecturetraveljournal.blogspot.in) |
Designs are carved onto wooden blocks, mostly teak wood. Some designs more intricate than the others, the skill of the carver that much more precise.
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| Wooden block (photo courtesy: Barenforum.org) |
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| Paisley design on wooden block (photo courtesy: onceuponatime.blogspot.com) |
The technique most ubiquitous is the dye printing done straight away on the cloth. The cloth is tightly stretched on the tables and readied for printing. Blocks dipped in various dyes are used to print the design. If there are multiple colours, then printing is done colour by colour in layers. Here's an interesting post of a 'live demonstration' - Block- printed awesomeness. Now imagine the same across reams and reams of fabric block printed by hand in different parts of the country - Rajasthan, Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and maybe even more.
There are other techniques of printing, some even more painstaking and time-consuming with fabulous looking fabric as a result. Mud-resist block printing is one of them. The blocks are dipped into a mud-based paste and pressed onto the cloth. Once the paste dries, the cloth is dyed in the required colour. Where the mud-paste is printed, the cloth retains the original colour while the dye catches onto the rest of the cloth. Dabu printing - another blog post that best describes this process. :)
Today, block printing has evolved into a DIY craft that has permeated homes in India and abroad. Even Martha Stewart's website has an article on it. ;) The blocks are easily available in the markets and are used to print on paper (tags, cards, bags etc) and even henna onto the hands. A quick & easy shortcut.
I'll leave you with some pretty prints you will have certainly seen in stores (images courtesy: Google.com/images).
Buying hand printed fabrics encourage the survival of the art form, allowing traditional artisans to continue the age-old ways of creating beautiful designs while earning their livelihood. Overall, giving a boost to the local economy.
