Hand Block Print

Hand block printing is a traditional art form from India of printing on fabric, paper, and other materials using vegetable dyes and natural colors. It originated many years ago. Hand block printing is also known as woodblock printing or woodcut printing. This art form is done by following a beautiful process where the desired designs are carved on blocks and natural dyes are used to print on fabrics. 

History of hand block printing

Be it tussar saree or any other saree, traditional hand block printing has been practiced in Rajasthan, India for more than 500 years. This form of printing started in the 12th century and it was being enjoyed by the kings and queens. After getting royal attention, this form of printing got recognition among the masses. Block printing on plain tussar silk was introduced by the Chippa community who are located in the Bagru district of Rajasthan.

The art of block printing on tussar saree has been passed down to generations. In Rajasthan Sanganer and Bagru are two major hubs of block printing in India. And in Jaipur, there is a huge unorganized textile market selling almost anything and everything. 

The process

Hand block printing is a simple and manual process, yet it takes a lot of time to finish the work. Then the wooden blocks get carved in accordance with the required design. Finally, it is dipped into vegetable or natural dyes and colors. Then it is pressed on the cloth for printing on fabric. It takes a lot of practice to master the craft, thus a block printed tussar silk saree is created.

Why Ramdhanu Ethnic?

We, at Ramdhanu Ethnic, bring to you the best collection of high quality and latest and pure tussar silk sarees that are specifically hand-crafted by using impressive designs using block printing. We create blocks at our production house and hence we have exclusive designs as well. We make hand block printing on tussar saree at our production house. We have a broad range of block printed tussar silk sarees in different color combinations designed specifically to enhance your look. These sarees drape you beautifully in your body to enhance your beauty and silhouette. On our website, you can explore a wide range of collections of traditional tussar silk sarees. So don’t hesitate to explore them and shop the best to make your presence appealing.

Why is block printed tussar silk sarees so expensive?

As mentioned earlier, the process of hand block printing is a tedious and time-taking process. It takes 10-15 days of work to perfect a block. The process of printing is repeated over and over again until the length of the fabric is covered. Our artisans make sure that there are no breaks in the motifs. Our artisans wait for the print to dye first. The fabrics are then left in the sun to dry. Then they get rolled in a newspaper to prevent them from sticking to each other. The process of post-printing starts with the fabrics being steamed, washed in water, dried in the sun again, and finally ironed. There are only three widely-used techniques of block printing in India- resist printing, direct printing, and discharge printing.

Resist printing - Resist printing is a well-known technique for printing color on fabric. It is a resist paste or material that is imprinted on the fabric and then dyed. Resist-dyeing is basically an abstraction of the woodblock system. Along with the woodblock, oftentimes the mud, paste, or wax gets transferred onto the fabric. It is one of the most esteemed relief dye techniques that comes from Indonesia. Once the fabric has been dipped in dye and the wax is washed away, you get the world’s most gorgeous patterns.

Direct printing - In this process, the color gets mixed with a gum base and then the block is immersed and stamped on the de-starched fabric base. When the drying of the fabric is complete, it is steamed and dried. Finally, the printed tussar silk saree is ironed and finished.

Discharge printing - Also known as extract printing, discharge printing is a special block printing process. In this form of printing, artisans remove color from a piece of fabric which creates a lightened effect and reveals a pattern. The process starts with fabric dyed in a rich yet saturated hue. Next, the artisans dip a carved wooden block into a bleach paste and stamp the block onto the dyed fabric. Doing this bleaches the pattern onto the dyed ground. Also, the bleach paste doesn’t immediately lighten the fabric upon contact. As the paste dries on the fabric, it looks almost transparent. The design is barely visible and this makes the discharge printing a particularly challenging process.