THE ART OF INDIAN HAND BLOCK-PRINTING

Master craftsman at work

The traditional process of hand block-printing on textiles, with rich natural colours, has extensively been practiced in Rajasthan, North India, for more than 500 years. 

This delicate art has been passed down for generations within families and communities of the region. The designs, ‘recipes’ for the traditional plant-based dyes, and the unique styles of the Master Printer of the area have remained the core of this ancient art – each retaining their characteristic ‘signature’ of the original styles of the old Masters.  

Block Carving

A print starts with the design, drawn on paper and meticulously carved by hand into the ‘Sheesham’- wood block of approximately 20cm in length.  These blocks, one for each colour in the print design, are then used to stamp a single repeat in rows across the fabric, forming a seamless design pattern.   

Each colour in the design is carved into a separate block – an immensely delicate task requiring years of apprenticeship to gain mastery of depth of cut and design.  This process is done entirely by hand.

Carving the block.

Colour Mixing  – Preparing the Dyes

Once the blocks have been carved, the Master Printer prepares the colours which are used for printing the designs onto the cloth.  The printer stamps the block in the colour tray each time before doing the next.  Precision and meticulous placing of the block are essential to maintain evenness of pattern and visual accuracy.  

Mixing colours in the tray.

Printing Process

Each colour pattern is then individually imprinted onto the fabric.  This is a delicate and time-consuming process as each colour is masterfully stamped repeatedly across the fabric, colour by colour. The slight human irregularities create the artistic effect so characteristic of authentic block printed material. This ensures that every garment made from this fabric is unique, gently reminding us of the dedication of the craftsmen who created the patterns.

A collection of delicately crafted wooden blocks ready to be used for stamping the designs onto the cotton fabric.

Each block is individually hand-cut and trimmed for every design change in the overall pattern.

Plain material is laid out over the surface of long tables on which the intricate process of many-layered hand block-printing is completed.  Each design is meticulously repeated many times over as demarcated by the Master Printer. 

After washing , the completely colour-fast material is hung up for drying, ready to be sold in pristine condition. 

A typical small operation block printing manufacturer in Jaipur, India.