Resist Printing

Program

A style of printing that blends intuition, repetition and chance while still retaining rigid and precise structure. The uncanny ability to balance the two approaches can be experienced when mud/wax as a form of resist play between depth and surface.

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One-day Resist Printing

‘Mendh ki Chapai’ (Wax Printing) is now a bygone phrase amongst the artisans of hand block printing. A craft practice lost in unstable and constant flux. We, happened to be part of the swan song, quietly reserved a small piece of its history with us. Jacked up on optimism and defiance, we nurtured that part at our studio over the past few years.

We now present this ‘old’ crafting technique with tiny and subtle intervention.

7000 INR
Individual Cost
5000 INR
Group Cost per Person (≥8)
Per request
Date
6 hours per day
Time
Bagru, Online
Offered at
Resist Printing
Programs Included
Bagru ka TourTraditional Textiles
Optional Excursions

Use hot wax to draw and express. Move away from the rigidity of wooden blocks and repeat patterns. Explore with us the fluidity of design with wax resist (no paraffin used), Create your own designs or use existing blocks on cotton using hot wax method, Dye your scarf with flowers, barks, roots, insect dyes.

Two-day Resist Printing

Resist. Because it is - the process of undoing, one is separated into two. Mud or wax, when manifested on cloth, creates spaces - positive and negative. Meandering between the opposites, we sought to reclaim the synthesis of the (seemingly) two into one holistic gesture of doing - inside and outside.

14000 INR
Individual Cost
10000 INR
Group Cost per Person (≥8)
Per request
Date
6 hours per day
Time
Bagru, Online
Offered at
Resist Printing
Programs Included
Bagru ka TourTraditional Textiles
Optional Excursions

Get hand-on to make the mud and wax resist pastes. Understand the pros and cons of the resist printing techniques and why one is more practiced than the other. Print patterns on cotton cloth with wood block. Use brush and tjanting tools to create fluid designs. Dye with flowers, barks, roots, insect dyes. Over-dye to create multiple color shades.

Six-day Workshop

So much of what propels our pursuit of beauty stems from the invisible connection between nature and labor, realized only with time. Experience of working in the crafts for six consecutive days will reveal new insights into the alchemy of multiple pre-industrial processes; aided by organic and plant produce.

We are delighted to host enthusiasts seeking to create a color palette of their own with direct and compound dyes.

54000 INR
Individual Cost
37000 INR
Group Cost per Person (≥8)
Per request
Date
6 hours per day
Time
Bagru, Online
Offered at
Bagru ka TourTraditional Textiles
Optional Excursions

More number of days means more colors. Prepare dye extracts from real dye-stuffs, understand the effects of water quality, pH and decode traditional scouring methods. Use flowers, barks, roots, insect dyes to dye protein and cellulose fibres. Set up a natural Indigo fermentation vat and make printing inks and mud resist paste. Learn woodblock making techniques and traditional, modern dyeing methods with one-to-one mentoring.

Eight-day Workshop

Dissolving assumed and conventional separations between notions offer a new way of retaining and expanding sensitivity to multiple inherited traditions. Be humbled by the incredible degree of diversity and regional specialisation when the boundaries amongst four ancient crafts are blurred.

We let your method and approach overtake the dominant aesthetic.

82000 INR
Individual Cost
70000 INR
Group Cost per Person (≥8)
Per request
Date
6 hours per day
Time
Bagru, Jaipur
Offered at
Traditional Textiles
Optional Excursions

Spend a day with master block carvers, carve your own designs, and learn the craft’s nuances. Print on cotton with self-carved block designs or draw with brush, tjanting. Use traditional inks, hot wax-resist, mud-resist, shibori, tie-dye, and various natural dyes and pastes to create your collection and swatches. Insights into the nature of cellulose, protein fibers, the role of minerals, plant based mordants. Set up a natural indigo fermentation vat and learn the science of extracting indigo plant to pigment.

Photos from Us

 A man is creating wax based designs on the piece of fabric with the use of different wooden blocks, Tjanting, a pen-shaped tool. A man trying to experiment on fabric with the Tjanting, a pen shaped tool in order to get some different explorations. A women carefully observing the blue block printed mud resist dyed pattern drying in the outdoors. A women carefully trying to create a pattern using different blocks on the piece of fabric with the mud resist dye mixture. A piece of blue block printed fabric dying in the the outdoors. The process of melting the wax by placing fire right underneath it using a large tool. A woman engaged in stamping on a piece of fabric, using wooden blocks in order to complete her repeated pattern. A women very carefully experimenting with different Wooden block patterns on the piece of cloth.

Quotes from You

The process, the tempo, the structure and the way in which information was shared was excellent. I felt neither rushed nor overwhelmed over the course of the two days despite all the information I was so eager to know and learn.

The information presented with mix of theory and practical and the focus on the process was something I enjoyed the most. I really appreciate the work you have done in developing Wabisabi and your commitment to natural dyes and then to share that knowledge.

Very friendly and relaxed environment. I appreciate the deep respect you have for the craft and it’s history. I enjoyed how you let us gradually get into the groove and so much knowledge you willingly shared.

I enjoyed learning about the history and traditional processes, the flexibility of tailoring the experience to work for our unique need and the tour of Bagru. This will be our special memories I will carry away from our India trip.

I loved that we get free reign to create whatever we wanted. The space was so calm and soothing to be in, felt really at home and free to explore. Felt welcomed to ask questions.

I really enjoyed being immersed in the art of block printing and dyeing. It was an amazing experience for our entire group. I would like to come again.

Recommended Excursions

Bagru ka Tour is an experience of walking through a series of visceral nature of livelihoods connected to the crafts of hand-making in textiles.

Recommended Programs

Breathe Easy

The countryside location of our studio has been designed with natural ventilation in mind, with large windows and doors that allow the breeze to flow through.

The design prioritizes open spaces for people can move around and socialize freely without feeling confined. The pockets of privacy and community provide a sense of security and belonging. The studio embraces industrial style and leaves essential elements and services exposed, albeit neatly arranged, providing easy access for maintenance.

Bagru

A man unrolling indigo-dyed fabric on a field to dry

Bagru, a small village town in Rajasthan, is situated at a distance of 32 kms. south-west of Jaipur city. Its traditional processes of hand block printing on textiles with rich natural colors have been known for many centuries. With the attraction of foreign buyers for the traditional hand printed textiles, this village hums with much activity today, supplying exquisite printed materials for the export trade.

The hand printers, known as chhipas, came from Sawai Madhopur, Alwar, Jhunjhunu and Sikkar districts of Rajasthan to settle in Bagru and make it their home some 300 years ago. According to a legend, at the very outset, some two families of chhipas were brought by the Thakur of Bagru to settle in Bagru from Isarda, a village four miles from Jaipur and from then on migration of more families of chhipas continued from different places.

Block Printing and Dyeing of Bagru, Rajasthanby Bijoy Chandra Mohanty and Jagadish Prasad Mohanty

Online

During the global COVID lockdowns when travel and in-person gatherings were restricted, we initiated virtual adaptations of our workshops. This innovative approach to crafting has captured our attention, and we are dedicated to enhancing its sophistication. Our primary objective remains consistent in both virtual and physical versions – to maintain a personalized and engaging experience.

In the virtual workshops, upon enrollment, we dispatch a comprehensive dye-kit containing all the necessary ingredients and detailed instructions to your doorstep. To ensure you achieve the desired results and to foster a sense of inclusion, we complement this kit with daily online personal sessions led by experienced instructors. This approach allows you to fully participate and engage, even from a distance, preserving the essence of our craft workshops.
Over the years, working with Nature has helped us realise 'less is more and usually more effective'. We intend to continue working hard to make simple systems more sophisticated.