BY Admin
The diminishing art of Hand Block Printing is nowadays emerging its reputation in the textile industry for being the most elegant designs to print on fabric with natural colors. This art has been practiced for centuries in Rajasthan, India. It involves a process that requires steady movements and careful hand-eye coordination of pressing dipped in dye wooden blocks on fabric to recreate some gorgeous designs. Block Printed fabrics display a palette of colours that bring these designs to trend.
Presently, these textile prints are widely practice in Bagru and Sanganer villages near Jaipur which are a hub of block printing Jaipur. Some certain forms of art make use of natural and vegetable dyes which sets this technique apart from the rest. Here’s a process of printing fabric in this art, which goes like –
Step 1. Block carving
The foremost important step of the art is carving a woodblock using tools like small hammers, chisels, and drills to make elaborative patterns into wooden blocks. Once the block is carved, these are soaked in mustard oil and allowed to rest for a week. This helps in preventing cracks of the blocks on exposure to dry conditions. Also, carvers drill miniature holes into the wooden blocks to allow the wood to breathe.
Step 2. Apply Dye
After the carving process, the dye is applied to the wooden block surface with the help of a sieve. Further, the block is softly pressed onto the colorful palette of dye before being applied against the fabric.
Step 3. Placement of Fabric
The chosen fabric is first washed to remove all the starch. Some fabrics of saree lengths require dyeing before the process begins. For hand block printing, the craftsman will lay the fabric on the large printing table, stretching it well and holding it in the right place with tiny pins to make it remain stable.
Step 4. Print the fabric
It involves a special technique that needs to be followed in order to get the desired results on the fabric. This step begins from left to right. A plank of wood is used to get even out the color on the tray. Afterward, the artisans dip the block into a dark outline colour and apply it to the fabric.
Step 5. Post printing
After completion of the process, the craftsmen scatters some dust onto the wet dye to prevent, smudging of the design. The fabric is then left under the sun to let it get dry. Some of the most common cotton dyes include indigo sol, rapid dyes, and pigment dyes. The traditional colors are used for this process like red, brown, mustard, and orange.
If you are someone having a keen interest in textile printing, then you must visit the factories in Bagru Block Printing Workshop that will let you understand the entire procedure from your eyes. So, book your workshop now and get the best textile experience in Jaipur.