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Itinerary for Mud Resist Prints & Indigo Dye workshop
Workshop Leaders: Natalie Gibson, Di Livey, Raj Kanwar
Venue: Raj Kanwar’s Ojjas printworks in Khatipura, west of the city
Introduction, 4:30 - 6pm: Welcome Tea on Diggi Palace Lawn
Day 1, 10 - 1pm: As an introduction, Raj Kanwar will give a tour of her workshop and explain the complexities of the ‘dhabu’ mud-resist process so that you can understand the technique before starting your own printing. There will be a demonstration and you may select ready-carved wood blocks, in order to start your own hands-on preliminary sampling. During the workshop, participants will be able to print small items including scarves or stoles, cushions or tablemats, as well as larger items like meter-lengths of fabric. Should you wish to buy additional fabrics or ready-made garments for printing, you can visit the local bazaars. Please liaise with your workshop leaders about this. This workshop emphasises eco-friendly methods of production as far as possible, which includes the setting up of an indigo dye vat
Day 2, 10 - 4pm: Experiment with the block print process and produce samples of different designs, under the guiding eyes of Natalie and Di and Raj Kanwar. Create patterns with stencils and woodblocks, and hand paint or print your base cloth with mud resist paste, leave to dry and commence the dyeing process. You will learn to sieve the mud and feed the printed fabric into the indigo vat and the vegetable dye containers yourselves.
Day 3 & Day 4, 10 - 4pm: You will be taught how to dye with indigo. After the indigo process, other colours may be created by over-dyeing to produce multi-layered effects. Kassis, a dye produced from iron deposits, gives shades of grey and brown.To create shades of green, the indigo-dyed cloth can be overdyed with a solution of pomegranate rind and turmeric powder. You may also use pigment dyes for under- and overprinting, and gold paste to create finishing effects on your final special pieces. There will be the opportunity to experiment with the different tie-dye resist processes and you will continue with printing, painting and dyeing on chosen garments and fabrics.
Day 5, 10 - 1pm: A chance to complete your work and finish group work ready for the exhibition with other workshops participants at Diggi Palace.
Day 6: Kite Festival Holiday
Wonderful Workshops exibition at Diggi Palace. Celebration Rajasthani lunch and kite-flying at Saba Havali in the old walled city of Jaipur.
Please note: Should you wish your items to be finished by a local tailor, this will be at your own expense. Additional shopping in the bazaar and tailoring expenses are optional and not included in your workshop fee. Participants are requested to be responsible with the amount of natural dyes used, as these are rare commodities. Whilst everything will be done to ensure your safety during the course of these workshops, you undertake to participate at your own risk.
Nathalie Gibson is an internationally recognised textile designer, who is currently Head of the Fashion Print Course at Central St Martin’s College of Art & Design. She has produced collections for major international fashion houses, and her work has been widely exhibited including with Conran, the RCA, Aram Designs and the Victoria & Albert Museum
Di Livey is an experienced textile artist and painter and is Senior Lecturer in Textiles & Applied Print at Middlesex University, and visiting lecturer at other institutions.. She has exhibited her work worldwide including at the ICA, John Moore’s, Kettle’s Yard and the Serpentine Gallery
OJJAS was founded by Raj Kanwar to work with the revival, innovation and contemporary usage of traditional techniques, designs and skills, with the aim of achieving new dimensions in the timeless appeal of hand block printed textiles. Hand block printing tells the stories of human hands behind each product; their pride, labour, skill and individuality. The craftsmen create poetry on cloth, printing a fabric with a combination of six or seven designs in four or five colours, the craftsmen handling 35 blocks, stamping 2000 times with perfect placement and precision. www.ojjas.org