Read Book Online : http://www.archive.org/stream/blockprintsfromi01lewi#page/n3/mode/2up

Download pdf Book : http://ia700202.us.archive.org/10/items/blockprintsfromi01lewi/blockprintsfromi01lewi.pdf

Thank you for sharing...

Nice!

This is a very familiar book to me. I either had a copy or borrowed it from the library many years ago. Nice little book.

I think it was about the time the Field Museum had an exhibition of Indian block printed textiles that I went to see. It had some of the most finely hand printed gorgeous cloth that I have ever seen.This book gave me an idea of what it took to make precision textiles with blocks.

Even this sample is not natural dyed.Dyeing and block-printing now is almost 99% chemicalised and the process started in 1880's. Block-printing , the traditional way is very laborious and water-consuming. Block-printing at one time was spread all over India and Farukkhabad in UP was a major centre. The famous Chikankari of Lucknow is based on block-printing the designs in neel powder and then embroidering on it. The master print designers made the "khakha" while assistants carved it out. The blocks were at one time made with well-seasoned Sheesham but now are made with cheaper local woods. A good block-maker has to start learning by the time he is 10 years old. Modern education systems devalue such skills so slowly they are vanishing , it is only the master-artisans who keep the traditions alive in their families. The major centres of hand-block printing are in Rajasthan, Gujarat and Andhra Pradesh. W.Bengal has some while MP has batik block-printing in Ujjain and classic Bagh printing. Just like mangoes are known by the area they come from traditional block-prints too come from specific regions- Kalamkari from AP, Maleer and Ajrakh from Kutch and Barmer , bootis and Dabu(mud-resist) from Jaipur region. Mostly screen-printing has replaced block-printing and is a major part of Indian textile handicraft exports.

The book shows the printing process in the most simplistic form without any details of how the printing process happenned or happens. Also there is no clear description of the three kind of blocks used in printing and why. The negative block for base-colours which cannot be dyed and only printed , though he does mention the outline and filler. I have personally seen block-designs going upto 16 colours ! Though mostly 3 colours are used in prints and another 1-2 through dyeing. It is a very basic primer for motifs.

There is a museum of hand-block printing set up by Anokhi in Jaipur,Rajasthan. They have taken out some great books , which are visual treats and great detailing on different hand-printing traditions of Rajasthan based on region/towns . See their site if interested http://www.anokhi.com/museum/permanent-collections.html

And if you are interested in how contemporary block-printing is alive and kicking with modern graphic intervention and a photo-documentation of natural-dyeing go here to a small village in Rajasthan - Kaladera - http://www.peopletreeonline.com/60/64/ch_intro.html

amazing!!!!!!

this is really interesting.

Very nice! Just a couple weeks ago I was at the royal museum of textiles in Bangkok, and I'd say about a third of the collection was Indian blockprinted cloth specifically commissioned for the Siamese court around 100 years ago. Cool stuff.

@ friends...i am surprised that gujarat is not mentioned by our friends..in gujarat near gandhinagar in a village of Pethapur the tradition is still alive ..and the blocks are made for up to 9 diff colur prints...Ahmedabad was also a great centre of block printing in past..