The Art of Block Printing

The beautiful art of block Printing employs wooden or metal blocks to print designs and patterns on fabric, by hand. What makes block Printing unique is that the design has to be created by the artist before the Printing begins. It is carved onto the block by hand. The colors used are normally vegetable dyes. Mineral and non-toxic chemical dyes are also used. The carved block is dipped into the required color, and then it is used to design the fabric.

The Origin of Block Printing

Excavations of dyed and printed fabric, have traced the origin of block Printing to seventeenth century Gujarat. Today, block Printing is practiced in numerous centers all around India.

Techniques of Block Printing

There are a number of processes of block Printing:

Direct Block Printing

In this technique, the cotton or silk cloth is first bleached. Then the fabric is dyed, unless a light background is desired. Thereafter, the fabric is printed using carved blocks, first the outline blocks, then the ones to fill color.

In the resist technique, areas that are to be protected from the dye are covered with a mixture of clay and resin. The dyed fabric is then washed. The dye spreads into the protected areas through cracks, producing a rippled effect. Block prints are then used to create further designs.

In this technique, the fabric is dyed. Then, a chemical is used to remove the dye from the portions that are to have designs in a different color. These portions are then treated, so they may be re-colored