handprinting

The discovery of dyed cotton fabric dating back to the Indus Valley civilization shows that the art of dying with the use of mordents was well known to the Indian dyers 5,000 years ago. This form of dying which reveals a mastery in the chemistry of dying was responsible for making India famous all over the world for its dyed and printed fabrics.

Recent excavations of the Red Sea ports have also brought out a greater range of printed textiles. These date back to 800 AD. Their technique and design point to a western Indian origin. The printing industry has its important centres all over India. The most important cotton printing centres that follow the traditional technique of printing are found in the desert belt. The important centres of hand printing in Rajasthan are Jaipur, Sanganer, Bagroo, Pali and Barmer.

Various printing techniques have been developed including, direct printing, resist printing, and screen-printing. Direct printing is practiced all over India where a bleached cotton or silk fabric is printed with the help of wooden blocks, with beautifully carved designs. But first the outline block is printed, after which the blocks for filling in the colors are to be utilized. If the background is to be a light color, the cloth is dyed after the printing has been completed. Normally, three to four colors are used.

In the resist technique, a paste made up of different material is used over areas to be printed which are required to resist the dye. The fabric is then immersed in the dye bath. In some cases, clay mixed with resin is used for printing areas which have to be protected from the dye; in others hot wax is used. After dying, the fabric is washed in flowing water or in hot water to melt the wax. Some of the dark color of the background material flows on the protected area, thus creating a soft tonal effect.

The batik technique is a development from this form of resist printing. Here the fabric is painted with molten wax and then dyed in cold dyes after which the cloth is washed in hot water. This results in the melting of the wax and emergence of the patterned cloth. The effect of the resist technique in printing is soft and subdued and the outlines are not so clearly defined as in the case of the painted batik.
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