ŚILPIKARMAN

ŚILPIKARMAN

शिल्पिकर्म
न ्
शिल्पिकर्मन ्

BLOCK MAKING CRAFT

IN PETHAPUR
 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
For the successful completion of our Craft & Cluster
Documentation on the topic: BLOCK MAKING
CRAFT, we would like to express our gratitude to all
our mentors and peers that have guided and supported
us.
We are also very grateful to our mentors, Ms. Amisha
Mehta and Ms. Kalpana Kabra & for guiding us
throughout the duration and helping out shape our ideas
with her insights.
We would like to convey my immense gratitude and
indebtedness towards the Artisans of “PETHAPUR’’
Mr Ghanshyam Gajjar and Mr. Mukesh Prajapati
for their time, selfless help and support & their urge to
make us learn & understand everything properly & for
helping us to complete document successfully.
TEACH A COURSE 2
 ABOUT DC
HANDICRAFT

Office of the Development Commissioner (Handicrafts) This office is headed by the

Development Commissioner (Handicrafts) and its main functions is promotion & export of
handicrafts. The Office assists the State Government in planning and execution of
development schemes in handicrafts sector. It has six regional offices at Mumbai, Kolkata,
Lucknow, Chennai, Guwahati and New Delhi. The All-India Handicrafts Board is an advisory
body under the Chairmanship of Minister of Textiles with the Development Commissioner
(Handicrafts) as Member Secretary. It gives its advice to the Government on matters
pertaining to the development of the Handicrafts sector

TEACH A COURSE 3
 COURSE OUTLINE

Lesson 1. Introduction
Lesson 2. Artisans Profile
Lesson 3. Raw Materials and Tools
Lesson 4. Process
Lesson 5. New Additions
Lesson 6. Observations and Suggestion
Lesson 7. Conclusion

TEACH A COURSE 4
 INTRODUCTION
• Pethapur is one of India's leading centres of the production of
wooden blocks used in textile printing.
• In Pethapur, a village near Gandhinagar, Gujarat, we can find a
hub of wooden block carvers. Pethapur has been a center for
woodcarving for over 300 years.
• Pethapur is known for producing and exporting wooden blocks,
with exquisite designs.
• While in the past there used to be 300 workshops in Pethapur,
now only four or five are left, as they have to compete with
faster and cheaper production methods.
• The main wood type used for carving is teak (Sagwan), which is
a strong wood that does not absorb water or change in shape or
size

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 ARTISANS PROFILE
Mr Ghanshyam Gajjar Mr. Mukesh Prajapati

TEACH A COURSE 6
 RAW MATERIALS:
• Saagwan: Teak is a tropical hardwood of high quality
and is usually purchased from Dharampur Village. They
purchased saagnwan during the winter month as low
temperatures prevents it from cracking. They stored
wood for six or seven month because it gives block more
strength.

• Tracing Paper/butter paper: the original design is

transferred on the tracing paper and is used to transfer the
design on the wooden block.

• White poster color: It is used to coat the wood blocks

and helps in increasing the visibility of the design.

• Sand paper: used to remove material from wooden

block surface and to make them smoother.
• Randha : is also used to make surface smooth and gives
specific shape to the wood
TEACH A COURSE 7
 TOOLS:
• Chorsi/polada: It is a chisel and is a carpentry tool used in
carving wood.
• Thasya chorsi: It is flat shaped chisel.
• Butha chorsi: It is a blunt chisel where soft pressure needs
to applied.
• Patli chorsi: It is thin chisel used for delicate and intricate
chiseling work
• Kamthi: It is a drill used to create air vents in the wooden
blocks for trapped air to escape.
• Thapi: A heavy weighted hammer that is made from a long
rectangular piece of wood.
• Saw: A carpentry tool used to cut the saagwan wood into
appropriate sized blocks.
• Kakada: It is millstone used to polish and shape the
surface of the wood block.
• Mekhana: These are metals pins used to attach the tracing
paper holding the design to the wood block.
• Thapdi: It is small wooden hammer which is used when
TEACH A COURSE 8
moderate pressure needs to applied.
 PROCESS
The smoothened surface is coated
Kaplo with a layer of glue & white chalk.

TEACH A COURSE 9
 PROCESS
Essential markings and measurements Impressions are made on wooden
are made on wooden blocks. blocks using stencil and chisel.

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 PROCESS
Coloring is done to show the difference between Outline of the design is cautiously chiseled. And
positive and negative space of the design The core work of wooden blocks is done using
customized tools like chausi, gol kutiya and tasa

Wood is scraped out of the circular designs using a customized bow drill tool.

TEACH A COURSE 11
 PROCESS
Retaining the positive space extras are removed After removing the extras neat block designs
through chiseling. are obtained.

Intricately carved wooden block with fine detailing is

set to use.

TEACH A COURSE 12
 PROCESS

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EBUQG2G7tQc
13
 PROCESS

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EBUQG2G7tQc
TEACH A COURSE 14
 PROCESS

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EBUQG2G7tQc
15
 NEW ADDITIONS
Block made out of nails
Here block is made using metal or iron nails are placed onto the wood. The nails are placed on to the
wooden block using a hammer in the design that has to be made. This method is not very commonly
used but it gives a special and aesthetic look to the print.

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 NEW ADDITIONS
Brass Block
Block can be made using metal over the wood. The malleable metal sheets are cut into
the required length and width. After that, it is engraved on the wooden block as per the
required design. This method is used only when the customer demand or in the case of
very fine designs. This way of making block-making is expensive.

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 NEW ADDITIONS
Machines
Machines are used in the situations where the designs are not very intricate . Different kinds of machines are
being used, but not as much as they employ their hands. The carving of designs on the wooden block can be
carried out with the help of machines. Other machines are those used for smoothening the wooden surface ,
drilling the block etc.

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 TYPES OF DESIGNS

The craftsmen have a number of collection of designs where some are

traditional while others are customized specifications given by designers.
The craftsmen categories the design on the basis of their origins like
• Ajrakh
• Bagru
• Sanganer
• Saudagiri etc.
Craftsmen of Pethapur have also named some of the blocks on the basis
of their design like cartoon, Dabu, Border Patti, Taka design

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 DESIGNS ON GRAPH PAPER

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 AJRAK BLOCKS
• Ajrak is a unique form of block printing found mostly
in sindh. And can be called as the identity of sindh and
sindhi people. It is famous in Gujrat due to their
influence from indus valley civilization in sindh.
• Ajrak is mostly of red and black colour.
• The common feature seen in ajrak block print designs,
dots that adorn the spaces between two lines
• Ajrak is a symbol of pride and respect for men and
glory for women.
• Ajrak are worn on festive occasions such as weddings
and cultural events.
• Ajrak are often presented as gifts of hospitaility to
guests and presented to the person who is utterly
respectable.
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 SANGANERI BLOCKS
• These blocks had a strong persian
influence in their designs. as the fabric
are exported to persia.
• This pattern have been in existence
more then 250 years
• Feature delicate floral motif spaced
evenly across a white , pale blue or
yellow field /
• The flowers depicted in the ‘buttis’
usuall are iris, lily,rose etc.

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 BAGH
Motifs usually consist of the butt. Floral motifs are a common scenario of
Bagh prints. One common print seen is paisley and variations of that.

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 BATIK BLOCKS
It originated in Egypt and has traces of its legacy in many countries.

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 BANDHANI BLOCKS
Started by the Khatri community of Gujarat in India, the printing technique
finds mention even in historical texts like the Harshacharita. A design made up
primarily of dots of different sizes against a backdrop of bright colors marks
bandhan

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OTHER TYPES

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 OBSERVATION
➢ We observed that the artisan is really doing very
hard work to make their work perfect and also
doing it for their survival.
➢ The whole work and management are done by
their own family.
➢ We also observed that there are very few people
left who want to learn their art.
➢ They live in that place for decades and the art is
transferred from their generation to generation but
they fear that they will not handle it any longer.

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 SUGGESTION

• For safety purposes, Artisans can use gloves

while working. (like fabric gloves)
• For more income, they can sell their product
online due to which their popularity increases
(platform on which they can sell their
handcrafted printing block) Amazon, Flipkart,
Alibaba, etc.
• They can give online classes to those who really
want to learn new things.

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 CONCLUSION
• From almost 500 craftsmen who used to work in Pethapur some decades
back, today only a handful are left
• trying to preserve this craft, as well as their livelihoods and “Block
Making” is a labor-intensive, painstaking process which requires time,
teamwork and a tremendous level of skill.
• Despite competition from faster and cheaper methods of textile design,
block printing has resisted industrialization throughout the years and is
still done without any mechanization.
• It has endured in popularity because of its natural feel and its ability to
achieve a three-dimensional, artistic aura which is difficult to replicate in
machine-made and mass-produced items.

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 OUR EXPERIENCE

THANK YOU!
THANK YOU!