Bagru Block Print

BAGRU
BLOCK
PRINTING
WHAT IS BLOCK
PRINITNG?
 Block Printing is making use of a
carved piece of wood or any other type
of wooden block to imprint an image
on fabric or paper.
 Printing and dyeing of cottons were
originally developed in Rajasthan
during the medieval period of India.
 In India block printing is practiced in
Rajasthan and Gujarat.
BAGRU PRINTING
 Bagru is a small village located near
Jaipur, the capital City of Rajasthan. It’s
home to the Chippa community who have
been practicing a unique style of printing
for more than 350 years.
 A beautiful form of block printing that
originated in Rajasthan, Bagru reflects
the beauty of handcrafted Indian textiles
coupled with contemporary style.
 One of the oldest block printing
techniques in India
TYPES OF BLOCK
PRINTING
 Mainly two types of blocks used by the
printer at the time of printing .
 Wooden block: which is also two
types .
 a. Outlining block (rekh) .
 b. Filling block (gadh) .
 Metallic block.
WOODEN BLOCK
 Blocks are hand carved of seasoned teak
wood by trained craftsmen. On the
bottom face the motif are engraved with
steel chisels different widths and cutting
surface by the carver.
 Each block has a wooden handle and two
to three cylindrical holes drilled into the
block for free air passage and also to
allow release of excess printing paste.
 To soften the grains in the timber, the new
 blocks are soaked in oil for 10-15 days.
 These blocks sometimes have metal over
the wood.
METALLIC BLOCK
 Metal sheets are beaten by hand and
made wafer thin and malleable.
 Then, the thin sheets are cut into
strips of even length.
 The pattern or design of the block is
drawn on the wooden block and the
thin metal strips are pressed onto the
design and gently hammered in.
 The designs are filled in from the
center to the outside to allow
maneuverings of the hand.
 After the design is completed the
design is checked to see if all the
brass strips are of the same height
from the wooden base as it ensures
good quality of printing.
FABRIC USED FOR
PRINTING
 Cotton is a natural fiber.
 It has the specialty to absorb colors and
fix it permanent after some natural
steaming process.
 You can also do block print in silk, linen
and khadi fabrics.
 Only pure natural fabric are best of block
printing.
TECHNIQUES
 CHARACTERISTICS
 TOOLS
 DYES & COLOURS
 MOTIFS
 PROCESS
CHARACTERISTICS
OF BAGRU BLOCK:
 Carving should be deep upto 2-3cm.
 Surface evenness must be there.
 A hole should be there for exit of air
Bonds of repetition.
 Normally the cost of block ranges
from Rs.300-Rs. 4000/piece
depending upon the design and type
of wood use.
TOOLS USED FOR
BAGRU PRINTING
 A few bowls or trays.
 Sponges (washing up sponges)
 Table for printing.
 Carpet underlay or foam.
 Felt.
 Fabric
 Textile paints or natural dyes.
DYES & COLOURS
 Red or Madder from Aahl tree.

 Black from fermented Harda seeds.
 Blue from Indigo plant.
 Yellow from dried pomegranate rinds,
turmeric and dried flowers of Daharia
trees.
DYES & COLOURS
 Bagru block printing traditionally uses

vegetable dye colors such as
indigo/dabu (a mixture of mud resist
dabu and indigo
dip dyeing techniques) and harda
(which is a yellow base color).

PROCESS
 STEP 1: WASHING
 This step is important to rid the fabric
of any impurities. In the olden days,
they would use cow dung diluted in
water to do this. My fabric was already
treated so I began on the second step.
STEP 2: HARDA DYEING
The fabric is dyed in cool water and harda
powder. Think of this as a primer. Without this
step, the dye will not absorb into the cotton
properly.
STEP 3: DRYING
Once dyed, the fabric needs to lay flat and dry in
the sunlight. The fabric will have a yellowish tint
after this stage, which will later disappear once
washed.
STEP 4: PRINTING!
first stretch and pin the fabric into the printing
table .The block is placed from left to right and
then slammed hard with your fist on the back of
the handle for complete registration.
STEP 5: DRYING
Now its time to dry the cloth
STEP 6: WASHING
The fabric is now ready to be washed in cool
water. The pieces are beaten against the
concrete and ready for the final step
STEP 7: BOILING
This is where the color fasting takes place with
the help of flowers from the Dhaura tree. Pieces
with red dye is boiled in a separate pot with
alizarin which then turns the once yellowish
color red.
STEP 8 – DRYING UNDER THE SUN
Once boiled they keep the cloth under sun to
dry it
DIFFERENT T YPES OF MOTIFS :
 Motifs of flowers and birds: These are

often found in the stem or in the
central motives which helps to
balance the floral arrangement.
MOTIFS OF INTER-TWISTED
TENDRILS
 These are motifs of flowers

comprising of spiralled or inter-twisted
stems, with flowers, leaves or birds
present on the same. These are used
as ‘bels’.
MOTIFS OF TRELLIS
DESIGNS:
 These are mainly the ‘Jaal’ intricate

grid (connecting designs), which were
formulated under the Persian
influence.
MOTIFS OF FIGURATIVE
DESIGNS:
 These are animal, bird and human

motifs, e.g., ‘hiran’ (deer), mayur’
(peacock), ‘sua’ (parrot).
MOTIFS OF GEOMETRICAL
DESIGNS
 These are geometrical in shapes, e.g.

‘Leheriya’ (wave), ‘chaupad’ (check),
‘kanguras’ (triangular), ‘chatai
FROM TRADITIONAL TO
CONTEMPORARY
ANITA
DONGRE
USED
BAGRU
PRINT
AT LAKME
FASHION
WEEK
2017
FROM TRADITIONAL TO
CONTEMPORARY
AZA
FASHION
BY
DESIGNER
URVASHI
KAUR
USED
BHAGRU
PRINT IN
LAKME
FASHION
WEEK
END PRODUCT
CONCLUSION
 Today, artisans of various regions are
using modern techniques to develop
their craft.
 While traditional art form is replaced
by modern tools, techniques and
synthetic dyes, many Chhippas have
given up the art of hand block
printing.
 Yet there are a handful of artisans
who engross themselves in their
traditional and distinct art of dyeing
and printing.
 As the world is waking up to
environmental consciousness and eco-
friendliness, this captivating and
exotic art is getting recognized day by
day.

Bagru Block Print

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How is block printing traditionally done in India?

What are the different types of blocks used in block printing?

BAGRU

 Red or Madder from Aahl tree.

 Bagru block printing traditionally uses

 Motifs of flowers and birds: These are

 These are motifs of flowers

 These are mainly the ‘Jaal’ intricate

 These are animal, bird and human

 These are geometrical in shapes, e.g.

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