Texture

Texture

Texture

Texture

Texture

Texture:
Texture; what things are made of and how they feel. Texture can be described as rough, smooth, hard, soft, liquid, solid, lumpy, gritty etc. The word texture is used many different things.
We often talk about the texture of surface. The earth's surface may have sand, stones, soil, silt etc. These all feel different to touch. The texture of the plants varies: some grasses are rough to touch, others are smooth.
Some textures which we can easy to create by using some things:

• Blow method
  
• Marbling
• Spray and stencil
  
• Impression of vegetables
  
• Paper fold
• Pressing paper
  
• Random application of paint
• Paint wash out
  

Elements of Design

Most important designing features:

* Elements of design-

- Line
- Shape
- Form
- Space
- Color
- Value
- Texture

* Principles of design-

- Balance
- Movement
- Repetition
- Emphasis/Contrast
- Unity

* These features can be called the language of art and design.
* The designing is defined as relating and visually arranging components or elements to create effects.

Tie & Dye

Block Printing

Batik Printing

Textile Printing

Color designs are developed on fabric by printing with dyes and pigments in paste form with specially designed machines. Printing is used to apply coloring localized areas only. Printed fabrics usually have clear- cut edges in the printed portion on the face of the fabric. Printing allows for great design flexibility and relatively inexpensive patterned fabrics.

• Block Printing
  
• Screen Printing
• Tie& dye
• Heat transfer printing

Hand Screen-Printing

Types of dyeing

Classification of dyes:

• Vat dyes
• Acid dyes
• Basic dyes
  
• Direct dyes
  
• Reactive dyes
• Disperse dyes
• Azoic dyes/ Naphthol dyes
  
• Sulfur dyes

Vat dyes: Vat dyes are insoluble dye and widely used for cellulose fibers can be used for protein and nylon fibers.This dyes produce good color rang but large amount of dyes are required for deep shade. Vat dyes have excellent fastness to washing and very good fastness to crocking.

Acid dyes: Dyes of organic acid that are attract and attached the color to the fiber. This dyes are available in the form of salt, water soluble and are applied in acid medium. Mainly used for wool and silk; acrylic, nylon and spandex.Bright colors tend to bleed; some colors have good fastness to sunlight, dry clean and crocking but some colors have poor fastness to washing.

Basic dyes: Basic dyes are water soluble and mainly used for acrylic/ mod acrylic. This can be effective for wool and silk but poor fastness properties; also being used for nylon, polyester and cotton. Basic dyes produce complete range of bright colors and good color fastness light, washing perspiration and crocking for acrylic and mod acrylic but very poor fastness to washing and light on cotton,wool and silk.

Direct dyes: Direct dyes are water soluble and least expansive. This dyes used only for cellulose fibers. This dyes have good color fastness to perspiration/ dry clean but poor fastness to washing and crocking.

Reactive dyes: This is water soluble anionic dyes. Primarily used for cotton and other cellulose fibers; wool, silk. This dyes are available in complete range of colors including very bright colors and very good fastness to washing and light; good fastness to dry clean, perspiration and crocking but poor fastness to chlorine bleaching.

Disperse dyes: This dyes are ex trimly low soluble in water. Dyeing is carried out high temperature/pressure and can be used in heat transfer printing. Disperse dyes can be used for nylon/ acrylic and other synthetic fibers. This dyes have good- excellent fastness to perspiration, crocking and dry cleaning and good fastness to light and washing.

Azoic dyes/ Naphthol dyes:This is insoluble in water; primarily used for cellulose fibers but some times also used of polyester to produce black shades. Azoic dyes lack green and bright blue colors. This dyes have good fastness to washing and dry cleaning but poor fastness to light. Dark colors have poor fastness to crocking . dyeing process is complexity and time consuming.

Sulfur dyes: Sulfur dyes are water soluble and widely used for celluloses. This dye produces a complete range of colors in dull shades but poor light fastness in pastel shades. Sulfur dyes have good fastness to light, washing, dry cleaning and perspiration but poor fastness to chlorine bleaching.

Elements of design

Most important designing features:

• Elements of design-

- Line
- Shape
- Form
- Space
- Color
- Value
- Texture

• Principles of design-

- Balance
- Movement
- Repetition
- Emphasis/Contrast
- Unity

• These features can be called the language of art and design.
• The designing is defined as relating and visually arranging components or elements to create effects.
  

Zardosi Embroidery of Uttar Pradesh and Surat

Surat in Gujarat and Varansi and Lucknow in Uttar Pradesh are the main centers for gold and silver embroidery; popularly known as Zardosi work a persian tream for gold embroidery.In the 19th century two distinct types of gold embroidery predominated:

1. Zardosi - heavy laid work upon velvet, satin or heavy silk.
2. Kamdani - light and delicated work in gold and silver plated threads and spangles upon very fine muslin or silk, with the help of aari hook ( tambour ) creating a delicated chain like effect.Material used in olden days were real gold and silver flatted strips and thread plated with the precious metals, pearls, reals and semiprecious stones, beetles wing eases, leather etc. Now to make it affordable immigration material is being used. Sequins, glass beads, bullion or salma a very thin metal wire tubularly twisted, gold cords and silk floss is used. Fabric used are silk, velvet, Georgette, chiffon, muslin, organza, net and some polyester blends. Designs and motifs are mostly floral and birds and animals, like parrot, peacock, elephant and camels are seen sometimes. Stitches are Stem, Satin, Long and short, Beading, Couching and a chain like stitch with different spacing, done with the aari hook.

This is the most popular embroidery used by the top most designers for embellishing fineries for special occasions.

Embroidery of Chinai

There was a community of Chinese embroiderers living in Surat. South of Gujarat, who produced work that was completely Chinese in both designs and technique, specially for the Parsee market. Their embroidery was known as ' China work'. Embroidery was done using fine floss silk and tightly spun two ply silk, imported from China specially for 'Gara work'. Now four strands of silk thread, twisted together or rayon thread is used.

Motifs of flowers and birds, inter connecting, predominantly in off white, against a dark background were most common in this form.

Stitches used in Chinai work are Satin, Long and short, Chinese knot, Pekinese, Stem, Double stem and Zardosi work embroiderers in Surat, Kolkatta and Mumbai are embellishing many priced outfits.

Chikankari of Lucknow

Chikan work is similar to the white work of the Western countries. This embroidery seems to be a gift of the Mughals to India, also there are several other myths as for the origin of this dainty art. Originally this embroidery was done using white untwisted cotton or silk thread on very fine white fabric like muslin or silk. Now voile, organdy and terry voile are also used and twisted cotton or raron thread is used for embroidery. Now Chikan work has become very popular in India. So many artifacts like table linen, hankerchifs, saris, salwar kameez, dupatta, gents Indian ethnic wear, shirts etc. are embroidered by the woven of Awadh.

Designs are mainly of scrolling floral or leafy patterns, when embroidered, creating a shadoo- like effect on larger flower motifs and raised effect when smaller motifs are worked.

Stitches used are six basic stitches, which are used in combination with a series of some other stitches, to create a fascinating and delicated effects. Shadow work- Herringbone stitch or Appiqu'e done on the wrong side to give a shadow effect. Buttonhole, very fine satin stitch called murri work is very typical of Chikan work; Cretan, Stem stitch and Pullwork and Khatao or Darazdar- an appliqu'e technique is worked upon to complete the repertoire. Some other stitches used are Chain, Couching, Whip running and Roumanian.

Kashida of Kashmir

Jammu and Kashmir lies in the foot hills of the Himalayas. The beautiful vally of Kashmir is famous, largely, through the exquisitely embroidered Showls because of its unmatched workmanship on intricate traditional patterns.

The beautiful( local costume) , Salwar Kameez, Saris, Men's ethnic wear, Ponchoes, Coats, Wall hangings, Carpets and Bed linen are also embroidered using several embroidery techniques. Fabrics used for different articles are pashina, ruffle ( ordinary wool fabric) , silk, leather, some polyester blends and hand loom cloth.

Embroidery thread used on pashmina Shawl is very finely spun pashmina and locally spun untwisted silk. For most of the other things, staple yarn is used but for crewel embroidery on curtains, bed linen and carpets, slightly thicker but soft, wool yarn is used.

Designs are mainly used floral, of sprawling creepers. common motifs are China leave (maple) , Aamli ( mango) , Badam ( almond) , plum and cherries and flower motifs of rose, Irish, tulip, apple, blossom and cherries blossom. Sometime birds and animals motifs are also used.

There are three main techniques and some have evolved recently-

Sozni and Rezkari: It is mainly done on Shawls using single strand and sometime double strand of silk or fine pashmina floss. The stitches are open chain, open stem, couching, fly, buttonhole and herringbone stitch locally known as Kashmiri stitch.

Aari hook embroidery: It is also known as crewel work, is done using a thick aari hook applying wool or staple yarn.

Zardoshi or Couching : It is done mainly on Shawls and ethnic out fits.

Panjabi Phulkari

Pulkari is flower work, mainly done on Shawls, worn with a tight fitting choli( blouse) andghaghara( long skirt). This was the traditional costume of the rural women of the this region.

Fabric used for this embroidery art is thick hand woven cotton(Khaddar) ; usually in rich earth red or indigo blue. Thread used in this embroidery is thick untwisted flass silk, mainly in yellow, orrange and white, with small accent in green or other colors.

Stitch used is simple and akin to the Damask stitch.

The motifs are embroidered from the reverse side of a thread outline, particularly in the case of chape or Bagh designs. Only one thread is taken up with each pick of the needle, leaving a long stitch below to from the pattern on the right side, each stitch being not more than 1/4th" long.

In addition stitches, double running or chain stitch is used from the outline of figures of birds animals and human, which are then filled in with darning or satin stitch. Satin and stem stitch is used on Phulkari borders and blanket or buttonhole stitch for finishing the edges.

Motifs of Phulkari and Bagh are mostly made up of horizontal, vertical and diagonal stitches producing geometrical floral patterns as the name itself implies.

Kasuti, Embroidery of Karnatka

Kasuti embroidery belongs to the Karnatka district of Mysore state situated on the Western southern part of India. It is a highly developed embroidery, representing the art and culture of the Karnatka. Embroidery is done using cotton and silk thread, in colors which harmonize with the background cloth. In this embroidery, precision and neatness is must in Kashida.

Motifs used are Parrots, Peacocks, Deers, Elephants, Nandi( sacred bull), Squirrel and some house hold outfits like Cradle, Rattle, Flower pot and Tulsi vrindavan( basil potted in a decorative pot). One will rarely see horse, lines or tiger. The lotus theme is dominant.

There are four different names for the stitches used in Kasuti-

Gavant: Double running stitch which is worked in horizontal, vertical and diagonal direction.

Muri: Zig- zag running stitch which appears likes steps of ladder.

Nagi: It also known as Darning or weaving stitch, because it has an overall effect of a woven design. This stitch is used for longer designs. In this style wrong side is different.

Menthi: It is ordinary cross stitch. Generally it has a heavy appearance, hence is not so popular.

Gujarati and Rajsthani embroidery

Gujarat and the princely state of Rajasthan on the western side of India and sindh in Pkistan, are the richest source of folk embroidery. A community of cobblers called Mochi embroidered different articles for export as well as local market. Mochi embroidery was done using aari hook(Tambour). This embroidery is very popular now, specially for leather articles, wall hangings and cusion covers etc. Bright color threats of cotton or twisted and untwisted rayon is used. The colors are red, parrot green, sun yellow, blue, shocking pink, mergenta, black and white on white, marroon or black background.
In a particular style gold or silver plated thread is also used. Other materials used are mirrors, glass beads, metal plates, buttons and shells. Designs are mythological, specially depicting Krishna's stories, perrots, paecocks, birds, elephants, camels. Stitches used are open chain, herring bone, cretan, back running, variations of feather and fly, satin, sisha and some other native stitches.

Kantha embroidery

Old undivided Bengal on the Eastern side of India has an ancient textile tradition. Kantha quilts of Bengal are world famous and is a folk art executed by the women of this region for use as a winter covering or for ceremonial use. Kantha are done in two round. First the layered cloth is worked using very small running stitch creating a ripple like effect, using the same colored threads as the fabric. In the second round motifs are transferred on the quilted surface and working with colored threads varied designs are embroidered. This technique is called Nakshi Kantha. Threads used now, are mainly unbleached cotton yarn and Anchor skeins.

Designs and motifs, originally embroidered were several petal lotus creepers, mythological figures and stories, articles used for day to day need, animals like elephant, deer, snake, fish, peacock, parrot etc. Now best of the designers are creating many modern and new designs wring the same technique, colors - like red, yellow, green and blue are being replaced by contemporary color schemes.