A SHORT NOTE ON KALAMKARI

– December 18, 2011Posted in: BASIC TEXTILES, NEW
Kalamkari is the art work done with the hand and pen. Kalam means pen and kari mean hand.

SOURCE OF COLOURS

Usually vegetable dyes are used but now a days the use of pigment dyes have also started. The dyes are obtained by extracting colours From different parts of the plants like roots, leaves. Minerals are also used as mordants mineral salts of iron, tin, copper, alum, etc.   The colours Red, Yellow, Blue, Green and Black are dominant. ¢  Red colour is obtained from Indian madder, ¢   Yellow is made from myrobalan flower, ¢   Blueis made form from Indigo plant, ¢  Black from Iron fillings and sugar molasses.  

THE PEN OR KALAM

The Kalam is a bamboo reed taken and a woollen 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 uded to hand paint the motifs.The Kalahasto tradition developed in the temple region mostly concentrated on themes form Hindi Simplification of colours, shading is eliminated   ¢  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  

USE OF MOTIFS AND COLOUR PATTERNS

Specialty of Kalamkari art is the colour pattern followed in different themes. ¢  Gods in blue,   ¢ Demons in red and green. ¢  The backgrounds are generally red with motifs of lotus or floral motifs.. ¢  Women figures are filled with yellow.   ¢  Religious, Mythological stories and epics like the Mahabarata  are the most widely depicted theme in kalamkari art.   ¢  The tree of life is also a common motif used.  No posts at the moment. Check back again later!