Kalamkari

Kalamkari is a type of hand-painted or block-printed cotton textile, produced in parts of India. The word is derived from the Persian word ; Kalam (pen) and Kari (craftsmanship), meaning drawing with a pen.

THE PEN OR KALAM :

The Kalam is a bamboo reed taken and a woolen rag is rolled on the tip of the bamboo and is made fixed by entwining of cotton thread. The tip of the pen should be thin and sharp. When the pen is dipped in to the dye solution, the woolen ball absorbs the dye. The pen is kept in a upright position by the artist gently presses the woolen ball and drags it on the cloth. The dye, which comes out of the woolen ball, passing through the bamboo point, reaches the cloth.

TYPES OF KALAMKARI :

Machalipatnam Style: Machalipatnam style uses block-printing procedures. This type of kalamkari  was influenced by Persian motifs and design and later Dutch  influence was seen when there was an increase in demand from Europe.

Srikalahasti Style :  The kalam is used to hand paint the motifs. The Kalahasto tradition developed in the temple region mostly concentrated on themes from Hindi Simplification of colours.

Karrupur Style :  Karrupur style of kalamkari can be identified with the embellishment to the gold brocade work in the woven fabric.  Fabrics in source of sari and dhoti were mostly used by the Royal families during the period of Raja Sarfoji and later Raja Shivaji. 

SOURCE OF COLOURS :

Usually vegetable dyes are used but now a days the use of pigment dyes has also started. The dyes are obtained by extracting colours from different parts of the plants like roots, leaves etc and the colours Red, Yellow, Blue, Green and Black are dominant. Red colour is obtained from Indian madder, Yellow is made from myrobalan flower, Blue is made form from Indigo plant and Black from Iron fillings and sugar molasses.  

USE OF MOTIFS AND COLOUR PATTERNS : 

Specialty of Kalamkari art is the colour pattern followed in different themes.