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Indian Block Printing will never fail to enchant you. They hold a special place in the Indian History of Printing.
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1. What is Block Printing?
These are essentially wooden blocks carved to the intended design, dipped in natural dyes and stamped on the fabric. Essentially there is
A background block which renders the base color intended on the fabric : called the Gudh
An Outline Block which defines the pattern : called the Rekh
Finally the Filler Block which fills colors into the pattern at specific areas : called the Datta.
Each region has developed their own style of Block printing in India.
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2. What are the different kinds of Block Printing?
A few names would be Ajarakh, Dabu, Bagru, Batik, Kalamkari, Bagh, Sanganer etc. Our Collection also includes Ikat which is an ancient weaving Technique creating Blurred patterns.
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3. What is the process involved in Block Printing?
Block carving is an art requiring years of practice to gain mastery and is done entirely by hand. The first step is to carve the wood, normally Sheesham variety. The block is carved fine and allowed to cure. The designs are mostly inspired by nature, leaves, natural forms, flowers etc, but now with the Indo-Western Influence, contemporary blocks are given shape too. The next step would be to prepare the dye, by the master printer. The natural dyes are affected by the weather, water and even the Vegetable/fruit variety. This is the reason that 2 different batches of such fabric will not have the same shade of colors. The colors are then poured into trays and each wooden block is dipped in the dye and uniformly stamped over the fabric in a pattern intended. It’s a laborious process as each block is stamped across the entire length of the fabric. The irregularities and the imperfections create the very beauty of the Block Prints. The beauty of the outcome is timeless and each fabric by batch is unique.
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4. What are the Indo-Western Designs?
With time and the fabrics going global, there is a need to evolve to suit the demands of the end-users. Indo Western designs are inspired by other cultures and patterns such as Telephones, Cycles, names of cities, Pop art, abstract forms.
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5. How can these Fabrics be integrated in one’s daily life?
Depending on the design, designers are using these fabrics for various purposes. Earlier these fabrics would be used for traditional styles of clothing, like a saree or bolster covers. But now these fabrics are now creatively used for home-décor, contemporary Designer Clothing, Footwear, Bags, Accessories like Earrings, Bracelets and many more. In-Di-Zyn attempts to just do this, in a place where Handworks are appreciated in a great way. Each Purchase of yours is not only going to make you feel good when you bask around in it, but also help an artisan, somewhere far away.