DIY Block Print Tutorial at Home
"In traditional Indian culture, family roots and relationships run deep. Such is the case with this block print workshop, where two siblings create some of the most exquisite block printed home goods and textiles we’ve seen to date".
Are you thinking about getting into block printing but looking for a little inspiration? You’re in the right spot. I know I spend a lot more time talking about the actual “making” part of block printing as opposed to the actual application of it, so I thought it would be fun to show you some ways you could actually use your projects.
Block printing is an amazing and versatile medium that is great for beginners and experienced artists alike.
If you’re worried about your art skills and are convinced that you can’t draw yourself out of a cardboard box, then block printing is the medium for you!!
I want this post to serve as a major source of inspiration for your upcoming block printing projects. There are a million and one different projects you can block print, and I want you to explore all of your options.
As a matter of fact I thought I would try to pass on the one home activity that I can, just to share, in the hopes that maybe it gives some of the families out there some fun activities to do together! And to me at least, what could be more fun (if impossibly difficult to replicate), than the master artisans of India and their amazing block print work that they do in creating my sustainable clothing line.
LETS GET STARTED-
Ideally, you will require an old piece of fabric or cloth cotton better, lying around you'd like to use. If not, you could use a pillowcase, or anything cloth basically, that you would like to make a design of, and hopefully want to keep. The more fabric there is, the more important it is to stretch it fully to make it tight before you paint. Then stretching the fabric across the table and applying clamps at each end. Be sure to cover the area under the fabric with newspaper or similar. I suggest drawing a box with a pencil and ruler first to paint inside.
Any kind of paint will do. I typically work only with all-natural dyes - which come from the most amazing array of plants and vegetables. Whilst these can be bought in packets, obviously, that is a little trickier now, and the more natural the dye the harder they usually are to work with and require more care and preparation.
In fact using a simple acrylic paint or similar is fine and will do the job. Basically any paint your child would have in their craft cubby would be fine to use. The more colors you have, the more options you can make and mix together. Mix them into the sponge, one sponge per tray, for each color you want to create. The sponge is used to retain the paint and make it easier to stamp and spread across the fabric.
The art of application and spreading across the stamp is indeed almost as important as the stamping itself as practiced by the true masters but in our examples its just a fun way to hold the paint!
“Each print is made using blocks carved out of closely grained wood. For every new design, we create a custom block.”
The blocks are typically lovingly created and cared for, For our purposes - if you have any ancient or traditional stamps lying around like this - great. Otherwise, almost anything that can be found lying around the house can be used to create fun and unique stamps. A bottle cap, a bottle, a container, half a lemon or orange - basically anything that provides a shape that you like and can create a pattern for you to work with. This part of the exercise is only limited by your imagination!
Anyone who follows any kind of artisanal brand or indeed maybe even a mainstream clothing company these days would have surely seen video footage of artisans in India hammering big wooden blocks onto screens as part of the screen or block printing. To watch them practice and repeat this step spreading a uniform pattern and ink is truly amazing to behold. For us, however, the practice will be a little more fun and probably a little less uniform. I usually suggest starting at the outside to make the border, and then working your way in - but the truth is there is really no limit here. Mix and match as many patterns and shapes as you can and like to create whatever amazing and fun design you have in mind.
Once done, the fabric or item you used should be dried in the sun (if you have access to any) or just left to sit until it dries. Depending on the paint and fabric this can take up to a few hours, but touch it and you will know when it has dried enough. If you are wanting a more permanent use of what you have painted, and depending on the paint you have used, you can wash it to clean it - but again this can lead to bleeding and a big mess depending on what type of paint you have used and on what kind of surface.
I hope you were able to follow along and enjoy, and you can always take a look here at my day with Future Dreamers where I taught the local girls this skill, and would love the chance to go back there and teach them something so fun an enjoyable one day soon.
With Love,
THE VEDA
