Discovering Woodblock Printing in India

Art from India: Part #1

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Quick announcement!

Lilla Rogers

and I are going live TODAY for another Art Chat!

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Hi everyone!

I recently visited India for two weeks. The first half of the trip was spent visiting family, and I was a tourist for the second half. During both parts of the trip, I was so inspired by all of the art that is everywhere in India from the painted barriers along highways to ancient art in museums. And I was particularly inspired by the many art forms that India is famous for, such as woodblock printing and marble inlay.

So in addition to the regular topics I write about here, I am setting aside some space over the next few months to share about these art forms and the beautiful art that inspired me in India. Here’s the list of topics so far:

1. Woodblock Printing

2. Marble Inlay

3. Children's books featuring the art from the Gond Village of Patangarh

4. Patterns in textiles, palace architecture, and museums

5. Color palettes from Hyderabad to Jaipur

6. Travel sketchbook and work inspired by this trip

I was curious to learn more about who’s reading this newsletter, and it turns out about 5% of you are based in India—so here’s a shout out to all of you! If you’re from India or have roots or experience with the art forms I’ll be sharing, I’d love to hear your perspectives. Whether you live there now or have knowledge of these traditions from anywhere in the world, feel free to share in the comments or reach out directly. I’m also happy to link to articles, shops, or resources that highlight these art forms. Together, we can all be inspired by the breadth of knowledge across this whole community!

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Art from India: Part #1

Woodblock Printing

Woodblock printing immediately captured my interest. If you’ve been here for a while, you know that I love patterns, so that’s what drew me in first.

But what really sold me on the aesthetic of woodblock printing was the handprinted look. Each printed section had differences and charming imperfections. For example, maybe one flower was smudged a bit from extra paint, while another flower was lighter from less paint. In an age of so many mass-produced products, seeing textiles that were actually printed by hand felt so special.

And beyond appreciating the work as a consumer, I was so intrigued by the multi-step process. This art isn’t just “draw-and-done.” It has so many steps and a whole process that must be thoughtful and planned. First, the design has to be created, then carved into separate blocks—one for each color. Each block has to be inked and then aligned perfectly to create a seamless pattern. It was fascinating to learn the whole process.

We actually had the chance to visit a workshop where the entire process is shared with visitors—so here’s a look behind the scenes…

The Process of Inking and Printing the Woodblocks

Here are the four blocks used in this specific pattern.

Step 1 - A block with black outlines is printed first:

Step 2 - A new block is used to print the green stems:

Step 3 - Blue leaves are printed:

Step 4 - A final block is used to print the blue flowers and complete the design:

Step 5 - Repeat across the entire length of fabric, such as this one which measured nearly the entire length of the building:

Would you enjoy creating this type of art? Have you created it? I’m so curious to know!

Woodblock Printed Clothing

I was traveling with my husband, my two sisters, and their partners. We all really liked this style of woodblock printing, and as proof… look… most of us are wearing woodblock printed clothing that we bought in India! Look at all the patterns on the dresses and shirts— aren’t they all so beautiful?

Many of us sporting our woodblock printed clothing! From left to right: My middle sister and her husband; my youngest sister’s partner and my youngest sister; me; my husband :)

Woodblock printing with my students

I enjoyed this art form so much that I even bought these woodblock prints (below) to bring back and use during my art classes for kids. Here are the wood blocks that I purchased at a market in Delhi and some of the art from my students. I really enjoyed sharing this art form with them, and they definitely enjoyed stamping and printing various blocks!

Left: woodblock prints I bought in Delhi; Right: art my students made using the woodblocks

More resources about Woodblock Printing

Interested in reading more about woodblock printing in India? Below is the cover of a book I picked up, and here are some more books from the Anokhi Museum of Hand Printing.

Interested in buying woodblock printed items? We all loved this store: Anokhi!

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I hope you found some inspiration for your own art practice! And I welcome you to share about their own experiences with woodblock printing below.

See you all next week!

Katie

PS - Art Gym is happening TOMORROW! I’d love to see you there and practice drawing characters together.