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 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 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 became a prominent center for
trade of painted and printed . 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 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 fabric to be printed is washed free
of starch and soft bleached if the natural
grey of the fabric is not desired. 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 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.
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