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Block printed sarees depict sunflower, gamla, charkhi, elephant in their patterns. The main colors
used in block print saris are red, the color of love, yellow the color of spring, blue as in Krishna,
and saffron of the yogi. Natural colouring materials of block print sarees like madder, indigo,
pomegranate rind and turmeric have been replaced with alizarine and synthetic dyes, which are less difficult
to prepare. Ahmedabad, Sanganer, Bagru, Farukhabad and Pethapur are the major center where
block printed saris produced on large scale.
Utsav sarees gives you the latest range from the block print sarees,
block printed sarees saris for online shopping of indian sarees,
also you can learn more about block print saris and block printing process. |
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THE ART OF BLOCK PRINTING (CRAFTS BAZAAR - BLOCK IMPRESSIONS)
INTRODUCTION :
Hand block printing, a craft handed down through generations is in the forefront of the fashion scene
today. The ancient craft has seen a major revival over the last two decades and has moved away from its
traditional rural centers to the metropolitan cities of Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, and Bangalore.
India has been renowned for its printed and dyed cotton cloth since the 12th century and the creative processes
flourished as the fabric received royal patronage.Though the earliest records mention the printing centers
in the south, the craft seems to have been prevalent all over India. Surat in Gujarat became a prominent center
for trade of painted and printed textiles. The major items produced were wall hangings, canopies and floor
spreads in rich natural colors.
HISTORY :
Records show that as far back as the 12th century, several centers in the south, on the western and eastern
coasts of India became renowned for their excellent printed cotton. On the southeastern coast the brush or
kalam (pen) was used, and the resist applied by the same method. In the medieval age printing and dyeing of
cottons was specially developed in Rajasthan. In Gujarat the use of wooden blocks for printing was more common.
Tents were created from printed fabrics and became a necessary part of royal processions. The seasons largely
influenced the integration of the highly creative processes of weaving, spinning, dyeing and printing.
Festivals also dictated this activity.
Trade in cotton cloth is said to have existed between India and Babylon from Buddha's time. Printed and woven
cloths traveled to Indonesia, Malaya and the Far East. In the 17th century, Surat was established as a
prominent center for export of painted and printed calicos, covering an extensive range in quality. Cheaper
printed cloth came from Ahmedabad and other centers, and strangely enough Sanganer was not such a famous center
for printing as it is today.
MAJOR CENTERS OF HAND BLOCK PRINTING :
Cotton is also printed in Ahmedabad, Sanganer, Bagru,Farukhabad and Pethapur, the main centers in Rajasthan
and Gujarat where hand block printing has continued to flourish.
In fact the prints of these areas seem to be quite similar. The Bagru and Sanganeri prints cannot be easily
distinguished but if one looks carefully each has its own typical characteristics. The Sanganer prints are
always on a white background, whereas the Bagru prints are essentially in red and black. Farukhabad is famous
for its artistry and intricacy of design. Pethapur near Ahmedabad is known for the finest block printing.
Banaras block makers design their blocks to suit fine silk printing - sometimes each design has seven colors.
Block designs get bigger and bolder and the delicacy is lost as one moves towards the south or towards Calcutta.
Today, Andhra Pradesh is a large center for hand block printing. Hyderabad is the home of the very popular Lepakshi prints. It is quite amazing how the same motif
can be interpreted in different forms. Ajarakh prints,popular even today originated in Gujarat involving a
resist print, primarily intended for garments for men.
THE PROCESS OF HAND BLOCK PRINTING :
Block printing has become popular because the simple process can create such sensational prints in rich and
vibrant colors. Originally natural dyes were used but today they have been replaced by chemical and artificial
colors. The main colors used are red, the color of love, yellow the color of spring, blue as in Krishna, and
saffron of the yogi.
The main tools of the printer are wooden blocks in different shapes and sizes called bunta. Blocks are made
of seasoned teak wood by trained craftsmen. The underside of the block has the design etched on it. Each
block has a wooden handle and two to three cylindrical holes drilled into the block for free air passage and
also to allow release of excess printing paste. The new blocks are soaked in oil for 10-15 days to soften the
grains in the timber.
Wooden trolleys with racks have castor wheels fastened to their legs to facilitate free movement. The printer
drags it along as he works. On the upper most shelf trays of dye are placed. On the lower shelves printing
blocks are kept ready.
The printing starts form left to right. The color is evened out in the tray with a wedge of wood and the
block dipped into the outline color (usually black or a dark color). When the block is applied to the fabric, it
is slammed hard with the fist on the back of the handle so that a good impression may register. A point on the
block serves as a guide for the repeat impression, so that the whole effect is continuous and not disjoined.
The outline printer is usually an expert because he is the one who leads the process. If it is a multiple color
design the second printer dips his block in color again using the point or guide for a perfect registration to
fill in the color. The third color if existent follows likewise. Skill is necessary for good printing since the
colors need to dovetail into the design to make it a composite whole. A single color design can be executed
faster, a double color takes more time and multiple color design would mean additional labor and more color
consumption.
Different dyes are used for silk and cotton. Rapid fast dyes, indigo sol and pigment dyes are cotton dyes.
Printing with rapid dyes is a little more complicated as the dyes once mixed for printing have to be used the
same day. Standard colors are black, red, orange, brown and mustard. Color variation is little difficult and
while printing it is not possible to gauge the quality or depth of color.
It is only after the fabric is processed with an acid wash that the final color is established. Beautiful
greens and pinks are possible with indigo sol colors but pigment colors are widely popular today because the
process is simple, the mixed colors can be stored for a period of time, subtle nuances of colors are possible,
and new shades evolve with the mixing of two or three colors. Also the colors are visible as one prints and do
not change after processing. Colors can be tested before printing by merely applying it onto the fabric. The
pigment color is made up of tiny particles, which do not dissolve entirely and hence are deposited on the cloth
surface while rapid dyes and indigo sols penetrate the
cloth.
Pigment colors are mixed with kerosene and a binder. The consistency should be just right, for if it is too thick
it gives a raised effect on the material, which spoils the design. Small plastic buckets with lids are ideal
for storing the mixed colors over a few days.
Cotton saris after pigment printing are dried out in the sun. This is part of the fixing process. They are rolled
in wads of newspapers to prevent the dye form adhering to other layers and steamed in boilers constructed for
the purpose. Silks are also steamed this way after printing. After steaming, the material is washed
thoroughly in large quantities of water and dried in the sun, after which it is finished by ironing out single
layers, which fix the color permanently.
BLOCK PRINTING CREATING - COTTON CLOTH BLOCK BY BLOCK :
Records show that as far back as the 12th century,several centres in the south, on the western and eastern
coasts of India became renowned for their excellent printed cotton. On the south eastern coast the brush or
kalam (pen) was used, and the resist applied by the same method. In the medieval age printing and dyeing of
cottons was specially developed in Rajasthan. In Gujarat the use of wooden blocks for printing was more common.
Tents were created from printed fabrics and became a necessary part of royal processions. The seasons largely
influence the integration of the highly creative processes of weaving, spinning, dyeing and printing.
Festivals also dictated this activity.
Trade in cotton cloth is said to have existed between India and Babylon from Buddha’s time. Printed and woven
cloths traveled to Indonesia, Malaya and the Far East.
In the 17th century Surat was established as a prominent centre for export of painted and printed calicos,
covering an extensive range in quality. Cheaper printed cloth came from Ahmedabad and other centres, and
strangely enough Sanganer was not such a famous centre for printing as it is today. Wall hangings, canopies and
floor spreads were created from printed and painted cottons largely in western India for the European
market.
Thirty two kilometres east of Jaipur city is a small village called Bagru, where there is a hum of activity
even today in the field of hand block printing on textiles, using traditionally patterned blocks, and rich
natural colours. There has always been some confusion with regard to Sanganer and Bagru prints which are
similar, though actually each has distinct characteristics. Sanganer prints initially were printed
on white or off-white backgrounds whereas Bagru prints are essentially in two colours – red and black.
Sometimes the fabric is dyed and different colour variations are possible on printed fabric. Commonly,
green, black and red are used.
Ajrakh prints, popular even today originated in Gujarat involving a resist print, primarily intended for
garments for men.
It is possible that when the search was on in alchemic laboratories for the elixir of life to free the body and
mind from the pressures of life and ageing, the researchers stumbled on to medicinal plants like harda,
myrobalan. The by-products were doubtless invaluable in the process of dyeing and bleaching and even till to day
many plants used in archaic dyeing processes are found listed and described in Ayurvedic medical texts.
In India every craft has sprung up with the influence of religious traditions. The finest creations of craftsmen
were prepared for rituals and the most skilled of dyers,painters, weavers have congregated around main centres
of religious worship. India has always been sensitive to colours, which has formed the basis of poetic
inspiration, of music, surcharged with the subtle nuances of mood. Red was the colour of love, and madder
being fast it could not be washed away.
Yellow was the colour of spring, filled with blossoms and the cry of mating birds. Nila or indigo was the
colour of Krishna who is like a rain filled cloud. Gerwa or saffron, was the colour of the yogi, the seer who
renounces the earth.
The main tools of the printer are the wooden blocks in different shapes and sizes called bunta. The blocks are
made of seasoned teak wood though gurjun (grown in the forests of a district in Rajasthan) is being preferred
because of its light weight. The blocks are prepared by craftsmen trained in this art. The underside of the
block is kept flat, and the design etched on it. Two or three cylindrical holes are drilled into its thickness
connecting the upper side of the block to the carved lower surface. The holes help in freeing air bubbles and
excess of printing paste if any while printing. Each block has a wooden handle carved on top.
There are various centres for block making and each region has its own speciality. Block makers at
Farrukhabad are known for their artistry and intricate designs, as also those in Pethapur, Gandhinagar, 29
kilometres from Ahmedabad. Pethapur is famous for some of the finest printing blocks in the country. Benaras
block makers design their blocks to suit fine silk printing, sometime each design their blocks to suit fine
silk printing, sometime each design bears seven colours! It is surprising how the same motif can get interpreted
differently at each centre. Block designs become bigger and bolder and the delicacy of design gets watered down
as one goes south or even towards Calcutta. Andhra Pradesh is a big centre today for hand block printing.
Kalahastri and Machilipatnam which are prime centre for kalamkari, have also organized printing with vegetable
dyes. Hyderabad is the home of lepakshi prints, a rage in India about 15 years ago.
Before new blocks are used for printing they re soaked in oil for 10 to 15 days as this softens the grains in
the timber. The wooden printing table is long and rectangular usually about five metres in length, 120
centimetres in width and 90 centimetres in height. In our unit we used tables to accommodate the length and
width of a sari so time was not wasted adjusting the material during printing. To offer resilience during
printing about 24 layers of jute are stretched taut, and fixed to the tables, covering the entire upper surface.
This padding is varied to suit one’s convenience. Over this a heavy mattress is spread before printing to
present a smooth surface and to absorb any colour that might drop out during the printing process. The mattress
or achada is changed and washed frequently so that adhering dyes do not pass on to the new fabric.
Wooden trolleys with racks have castor wheels fastened to their legs to facilitate free movement. The printer
drags it along as he works. On the upper most shelf trays of dye are placed. On the lower shelves printing
blocks are kept ready.
The fabric to be printed is washed free of starch and soft bleached if the natural grey of the fabric is not
wanted. If dyeing is required as in the case of saris,where borders, or the body is tied and dyed, it is done
before printing. The fabric is stretched over the printing table and fastened with small pins (in the case
of saris the pallu is printed first then the border).
The printing starts form left to right. The colour is evened out in the tray with a wedge of wood and the
block dipped into the outline colour (usually black or a dark colour). When the block is applied to the fabric,
it is slammed hard with the fist on the back of the handle so that a good impression may register. A point
on the block serves as a guide for the repeat impression, so that the whole effect is continuous and
not disjoined. The outline printer is usually an expert because he is the one who leads the process. If it is a
multiple colour design the second printer dips his block in colour again using the point or guide for a perfect
registration to fill in the colour. The third colour if existent follows likewise. Skill is necessary for good
printing since the colours need to dovetail into the design to make it a composite whole. A single colour
design can be executed faster, a double colour takes more time and multiple colour design the second printer
dips his block in colour again using the point or guide for a perfect registration to fill in the colour. The
third colour if existent follows likewise. Skill is necessary for good printing since the colours need to
dovetail into the design to make it a composite whole. A single colour design can be executer faster, a double
colour takes more time and multiple colours would mean additional labour and more colour consumption.
India is today in the fashion forefront in the world.Foreign buyers have been greatly attracted by
traditional hand printed textiles, the export trade has been so consistent that traditional printers are kept
busy even today and hand block printing has extended itself to non-traditional centers like Delhi, Bombay,
Madras and Bangalore.
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City, Oklahoma, Wyoming, Cheyenne, Las Vegas, Nevada, Massachusetts, Boston, Hawaii, Sydney, Mauritius,
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