The Art Of Hand-Block Printing

Hand-block printing is an ancient technique originating from South Asia (India, China, etc.). It is considered as an art form across the world. Block printing is mainly used for printing patterns on textiles or sometimes, on paper too.

This technique is mainly done by artisans to whom this art form is passed upon, from generation to generation. While, it is easy to understand the method theoretically, hand-block printing takes a lot of practice to become an expert artisan in the field.

The steps followed for developing a hand-block printed fabric are as follows:

1. The design/motif to be printed on the fabric is chosen and a stencil is prepared.
2. Once the motifs are finalized, the designs are carved onto a wooden or a metal block. Block printing done using a wooden block is also known as wood-block printing.
3. The fabric on which the designs are to be applied is chosen in a desirable colour and laid flat on an even surface and pinned down and any creases or ripples are avoided.
4. Artisans create coloured dyes from natural elements and spread them on a huge tray.
5. The block is then dipped in the paint, pressed against the fabric and slammed hard, mostly by the other hand for flawless imprinting.
6. If the design consists of multiple colours, the imprinting process is repeated for every colour separately.
7. Finally, the fabric is then sun-dried for enhancing the colours naturally.

The inspiration for the block printing motifs is derived from natural elements like flowers and plants or from abstract art and mehndi designs inspired by the architecture of royal families like Rajput and Mughals. Nowadays, the designs are also inspired by geometric patterns and some famous artefacts to meet the need of trendy consumers.

There are two types of wooden blocks used for the same design. One block is used for outlining which is known as ‘Rekh’ derived from the Hindi word ‘Rekha’ meaning a line. The other block used for filling in the design, is known as ‘Gadh’ derived from the word ‘Gadha’ meaning dark.

The art of hand-block printing has been flourished over years and is practised in many parts of India. The demand for hand-block printed products is always increasing in both local as well as global markets. Since this method mainly uses natural dyes and no electricity, it leaves a much less carbon footprint than other methods. This method consumes a lot of time to develop a single product and a lot of labour and hence the prices of those products are on the higher side. Since the products are handmade and natural dyes are used, they are of premium quality and last much longer.

Nowadays, machines are replacing artisans to digitally print designs that resemble hand-block prints in many ways. Fabric printing by machines is a lot less time consuming and cheaper but the automated process does not support local artisans having good expertise. We, at Ojariya, strive to provide our customers with authentic hand-block printed products which in turn also provides employment to local artisans. So, do not forget to check out our products!

There are various styles of block printing, which prevail in different parts of India. They will be discussed in the next article, so stay tuned to know more about the art of traditional hand-block printing.