Block prints go back to nature
Anita Arora

FOR long, high-fashion Indian wear used to stand out for its beautifully laid out folk and tribal motifs in block print. These could be traced to the nation’s textile tradition with rural artisans drawing upon the beauty of their surroundings and imprinting designs on fabrics with natural dyes.

Embroidery, beads, mirror-work, crystals and such other embellishments came later.

Today, in what should seem a throwback from the past, designers are resorting to the use of natural fibres with fruit skins, shells, barks, twigs, flowers and leaves serving as sources for print dyes. Their popularity rests on the prevailing trend of ‘returning to the roots’ with simplicity and style.

Says Sanjay Narang, a dealer of block-printed fabrics: "Traditional prints date back thousands of years. Originally, designs were in black and red. Over time, other vegetable colours like indigo, orange, khaki and yellow began to make appearances... But for best results, 100 per cent fine cotton needs to be used."

The process involves a series of repetitive stampings from hand-held blocks. The blocks are carved with intricately designed motifs, made of teak or rosewood. For breaking the monotony, artisans keep experimenting with different colours and designs.

"For a sheet of fabric, 100"x100", the printers have to stamp approximately 1,400 times with different blocks of as many as five or six colours", informs Priti Patra, a designer working on techniques of block printing. "The designs and manner of printing have differed from region to region."

For instance, block prints from Bengal are recognised for their traditional alpana or rangoli style with motifs of birds, fish, flowers and creepers dominating. Of late, designers are getting blocks made of the popular patua paintings of Kalighat for saree borders, kurta collars and yokes of kameezes.

"Unlike the designs from Rajasthan and Gujarat, which are in bright colours, Bengali block prints are always in light pastel shades," says Nandita Raja, of a boutique in Calcutta that specialises in block printed garments.

Designers are also sourcing prints from Jodhpur, Jaisalmer, Bikaner, Sanganer, Barmer and Udaipur in Rajasthan, besides the Kutch-Saurashtra belt of Gujarat. The most popular dyeing centres there are located in Bhuj, Khawda, Mundva, Jamnagar, Rajkot, Jetpur, Ahmedabad and Baroda.

Each centre boasts of a distinctive style, inspired by nature — flowers, leaves, birds and seashells. "The beauty of block prints lies in the basic simplicity of its method and in the manner an artist’s creativity gives life to a garment," explains Patra.

The role of a designer is to integrate elements of a pattern on different parts of a cloth and with other pieces so that each garment is complete in itself and complements the others of a group. These suggestions are made in the form of diagrams, which the block maker works upon.

Usually, one block is made for every colour in the pattern. The printer then dips the wooden block into a fresh dye-bath and moves along the stretch of fabric, stamping with skilful precision. There are four options available to the printer.

In the first process, printing is done directly on the cloth. The second, called the resist process, involves the use of dye-resistant material such as wax, gum or clay. After the garment is dye-washed, the wax or other such material is taken off to reveal patterns in the areas where the colour does not penetrate.

The mordant process involves soaking the patterned area in the dye and bleaching the remaining portions to differentiate it from the print. And the fourth process, called khadi creates an embossed impression of the design with a special pigment paste.

"These days many printers are combining two or three processes and producing amazing results," says Patra. "Some are even working with reputed artists for free-hand paintings with a few brush strokes. The effect is very dramatic."

The only problem is that block printing is both expensive and time consuming. So some designers are taking the easier course out by switching to screen printing, which makes mass production faster and cheaper. Moreover, printers find it easier to replicate intricate designs from non-traditional sources.

Little wonder, garments these days are showing up with more than just florals and paisleys. Animal prints, dots and stripes abound, just as images of pop icons and luxury cars are on screen-printed shirts and sarongs. But then, screen prints are mass produced while block printing spells exclusivity! (MF)