| Ethnic
Fabrics - Kalamkari Prints |
| Kalamkari
literally translates into "pen craft"; with
'kalam' meaning pen and 'kari' meaning art. It is among
the most beautiful traditional Indian art forms and involves
block printing or hand printing, typically done on pieces
of cotton fabrics. The unique feature of the Kalamkari
art is that it makes use of only natural colours or vegetable
dyes. |
| There
are two distinctive styles of kalamkari art in India -
the Srikalahasti style and the Machilipatnam style. Dyes
for the cloth are obtained by extracting colors from various
roots, leaves, and mineral salts. In places where the
fabric is block printed, the kalam(pen) is used to draw
finer details and for application of some colours. |
| In
the kalamkari printing technique, the craftsman first
decides on the fabric and colours. The chosen cloth is
then bleached using either cow or goat dung. It is further
treated with a milk and myrobalan solution that helps
prevent the colour from spreading. |
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