Inside the Art of Indian Wood Block Printing
By Bidisha Samantaray, LAL Design Studio
If you ever visit our studio in Pondicherry, you are likely to find me standing at a long print table. The light usually falls in soft stripes across the room. The color trays are still wet. The wooden blocks are resting where we left them after the last print run. Someone will lift one block, press it gently into color, and place it on cloth with the kind of care that only comes from years of doing this work. A fresh repeat appears. The moment is quiet and patient and steady.
This slow rhythm is the heart of LAL Design Studio. It is also the foundation of the craft I have spent my life around, which is Indian wood block printing.
If you want to explore the garments created from this quiet process, you can browse our LAL Design Studio Collection. These are the pieces shaped by the rhythm of Bidisha’s table and printed with the same care you see described here.
What Wood Block Printing Means to Me
Hand block printing is one of the oldest ways to bring pattern to fabric. The process has remained largely unchanged for centuries. Designs are carved into wooden blocks, colors are mixed by hand, and every single impression is placed one at a time. Each color has its own block. Every layer needs alignment, pressure, and presence.
In India this craft has deep roots in places like Bagru, Sanganer, Kutch, and many regions in central and southern India. Each place has a visual language shaped by its water, climate, and community. I have always loved that connection between geography and pattern.
Even today, when faster methods exist, block printing remains a beautiful and deeply traditional way of bringing color to fabric. It is slower than digital printing, but it has a life and warmth that only human hands can give.
The Story of LAL Design Studio
LAL Design Studio is something my mother and I grew into slowly over many years. I grew up wearing handloom garments, watching people make things, and learning to create with what we had. We made our own gifts for friends. We stitched, painted, and printed. Those early experiences shaped everything that came after.
After I finished my studies in design in 2010, my mother and I traveled across India, met craftspeople, collected pieces we loved, and shared them in our space in Pondicherry. Those trips inspired us to begin Living Arts Lifestyle, our retail outlet that brought together many designers and creators who we had met along our journey. But after a couple of years of this, we realized we wanted to do more than curate. We wanted to be part of the making.
Everything shifted when we had the chance to take over a small block printing unit. My mother had grown up in Gujarat surrounded by block printed textiles. It felt natural to bring this craft into our work. We moved the equipment, set up the tables, gathered blocks, and began printing our own fabric.
What started as an experiment slowly became LAL Design Studio. We moved from running a store to building a space where ideas, fabric, color, and craft came together.
Today we remain small by choice. Our team includes our master printer, our studio assistant, my mother, and me. Our tailoring is done by a women led unit in the city. We sit together, talk through each design, test colors, and work in a way that keeps us connected to the process.
This is not a factory. It is a studio, and that matters to me.
Many of the fabrics created in this studio become the shirts and kurtas in our LAL Design Studio Collection. Each garment carries the marks of every step described here, from the drawing to the carved block to the final stitch.
How Block Printing Works at our Table
People often imagine block printing as a simple act of stamping fabric, but the process is much more layered. Each stage has its own rhythm and timing. This is what the work looks like inside our studio from the moment an idea appears to the moment the finished cloth leaves the table.
From idea to carved block
Everything begins long before color touches fabric. I start with drawings shaped by the small details that surround me in Pondicherry and from my experiences across India. Lines in the streets, shadows on buildings, the geometry of windows, and the soft curves of coastal life all influence the motifs I sketch. These early drawings go through many rounds of refining until the shapes feel balanced enough to be carved into wood.
Once the design is ready, we send it to our block carvers in Rajasthan, Gujarat, or West Bengal. These artisans work with seasoned wood and carve each element by hand. They understand how deep each line should be and how the grain of the wood will hold color. Every layer of color needs its own block, so a single print sometimes requires several carvings. The blocks return to us carrying the touch of the carver’s hand and the character of the region they come from.
Preparing blocks, mixing color, and setting the table
When the blocks arrive in our studio they need to rest before they can be used. We soak them in mustard oil for several weeks so the wood stays strong and does not crack during printing. While that happens, we begin preparing color. We mix our dyes in house using GOTS-certified pigments, which give us stability and depth while remaining gentle on the environment.
As the printing day begins, we set up the table. The fabric is stretched smoothly along padded boards that run the length of the room. Light guidelines mark where each impression should fall. Every tool is placed where the printer can reach it without breaking the rhythm. The table becomes its own landscape with blocks, trays, cloth, and color arranged for steady movement.
Printing the fabric by hand
Printing is where everything comes together. The block is dipped into color, tapped lightly to release the excess, and aligned with the guideline before it meets the cloth. The sound is soft and steady and becomes part of the rhythm of the room. The printer moves along the length of the fabric one impression at a time. The process is patient and precise. It asks for focus without hurry.
Small variations appear because every impression is placed by a person. A shift in pressure or a slower moment often leaves a subtle mark that cannot be repeated. These are not flaws. They are reminders of the hands behind the work.
Once the full length is printed the cloth dries naturally. Afterward it is heat set so the color binds to the fibers. Some fabrics receive a second or third layer of print which must be aligned carefully with the first pattern. Each pass adds depth and texture to the fabric.
Finishing the story through stitching
When the printed fabric is ready it goes to our tailoring partners who cut and stitch each piece. Their work gives shape to the designs and completes the story that began at the print table. The finished garment carries every stage within it. It holds the drawing that inspired the block, the marks left by the carver, the choices made when mixing color, and each careful impression placed by hand.
When I look at a completed piece, I can often see where we paused, where we adjusted a color mix, or where someone placed a block with an extra moment of attention. These small traces of the process are what make block printing meaningful and every garment unique. They show that the cloth was made slowly and thoughtfully, one impression at a time.
If you are curious about other natural processes within our craft community, you can also read our guide to Eri silk which explains why this gentle and peaceful textile holds a special place in slow fashion.
Why We Stay Intentionally Small
People often ask why we have not expanded our operations. There are a couple of reasons. First and foremost, I really enjoy the tactile part of our work. I like sitting with our master printer and exploring ideas. I like adjusting the mix of a color or refining a print. I like that each project can be shaped to a particular space or client rather than being made for a broad and impersonal market.
Growth is tempting but it brings distance. More systems, more layers, less touch. I am not ready to trade that intimacy for speed.
I am also aware of the areas where I am still learning. Marketing and online visibility do not come naturally to me. This is why partnerships help. They allow me to stay close to the craft while learning from people who understand different parts of the work.
This choice reflects the same mellow philosophy that guides all mellow co, a belief that process, pace, and intention matter as much as the final piece. You can learn more about this outlook in our philosophy.
LAL Design Studio and all mellow co.
Partnering with all mellow co. feels natural because we share the same respect for process and people. Both of us place value on how something is made and on the quiet decisions that shape meaningful work. This shared understanding creates a partnership that feels steady and aligned.
Here are the things that guide us.
Natural fabrics
A large part of our work begins with the materials we choose. We print mainly on organic cotton woven in West Bengal, which you can learn more about here. We also work with bamboo-based fabrics that feel soft and breathable and that respond gently to our slow printing process. These fibers hold color well and carry the easy drape that suits warm coastal places.
Responsible color
Color is another area where our values meet. We use GOTS certified dyes that are safe for our team and our customers and our environment. These dyes allow us to work with confidence while staying true to our commitment to small batch production and careful resource use.
Local livelihoods
Our studio depends on the people who bring each stage of the work to life. Printing takes place in Auroville and tailoring is carried out by trusted partners who bring high quality skills to the garments. Working with a small and reliable network helps us stay close to the craft and to the individuals who shape it. Every piece passes through hands we know.
Design inspired by home
The mood of Pondicherry influences the way we design. Our garments reflect the calm coastal feeling of this place. The lines are simple and the forms are quiet rather than loud or trend driven. We want each piece to feel grounded and easy to live in.
Together with all mellow co. we have curated a selection of shirts and kurtas and pants that feel at home in Goa. These pieces suit warm weather and relaxed living. Explore LAL Design Studio collection.
Why Block Printed Clothing Continues to Matter
Even with faster technology available I believe that hand block printing still holds an important place in the world. The craft carries a depth and a human presence that machines cannot replicate. When a piece of cloth is printed by hand it holds a story that begins long before the garment is worn and continues long after.
Block printing keeps knowledge alive. The techniques and recipes and movements are passed from one person to another and they remain vibrant only because someone chooses to practice them and share them. This is living knowledge and it grows through the hands that keep the craft in motion.
The work also slows everything down. Printing asks for focus and steady movement and that pace becomes part of the fabric itself. When you hold a block printed garment you can sense the calm rhythm that shaped it at the table.
Each piece carries natural variation because every impression is placed by a person and not a machine. Small differences appear in the layout and in the pressure and in the way the color settles into the fibers. These variations give the garment warmth and character, and they remind you that a maker was present.
Understanding how a piece is made encourages thoughtful buying. When you know that someone took time to draw the motif and carve the block and place each impression you naturally care for the garment differently. You tend to wear it longer. You value it more. You see the patience and skill held within it.
This is why the craft continues to matter and why I choose it every day.
FAQs
What is Indian wood block printing
It is a traditional textile process where designs carved into wooden blocks are dipped in dye and stamped onto fabric by hand. Each color uses its own block.
How long does block printing take
A single panel can take several hours to print and the full process including carving, mixing color, printing, drying, and tailoring usually takes several days.
What fabrics do we print on
We print mainly on organic cotton and bamboo-based blends although block printing can be done on silk and linen as well.
Are block prints environmentally friendly
They can be. It depends on the dyes and water used. We use GOTS certified dyes and small batch methods that reduce waste.
Why do block printed clothes look slightly irregular
Every impression is placed by hand. These variations show the presence of the maker.
How do you care for block printed clothing
Wash in cold water with mild detergent. Dry in shade. Iron on the reverse side. With simple care your garment will soften beautifully over time.
If you enjoyed this story, you might also like listening to our conversation with Bidisha on the Mellow Matters podcast. It offers a deeper look at the values, choices, and moments that shape her work.