Woodblock Printing

Fascinating and historical, #Jaipur is the capital city of India’s most decorated state, Rajasthan. The city palace (seen on top of the mountain) continues to house the former royal family.

The city was certified as a World Heritage site by UNESCO Director, General Audrey Azoulay in February 2020. To my luck, it is only about 250kms from my hometown and I often find myself in this vibrant city; and every time, it takes me by surprise!

Just like the summer of April ‘18 when I accidentally got to meet some amazing block printing artists.

Abundantly talented, these artists use hand-carved wooden blocks to bring the magic alive.

The designs are made in layers on several blocks.

These colours are also made organically to keep the end product 100% organic.

A helper fills out the colour palette for the artist working on a print.

Every wooden block is soaked in colour by the artist.

First, an outline is block printed on this textile (bottom half) and then another block is precisely used to fill the details (top Half), with careful precision.

The process of overlapping the first layer using another piece of block to fill the details.

All of their designs are multi-layered and require precision. First, the design is drawn on a paper and then it gets carved layer by layer on multiple wooden blocks. Everything is handmade - designing on paper, carving the designs on the wood, making colours and the final printing. Only the textile is sourced through various vendors.

Like I said, abundantly talented! Won’t you agree?