Kalamkari Print Fabric

Kalamkari is an art form of hand printing or block printing normally done on cotton fabrics using only vegetable dyes or natural colours. Apart from printing, weaving and painting are also main component of Kalamkari Art. Andhra Pradesh in South India is the originator of this exquisite artwork that got flourished under the patronage of the Mughals and the Golconda Nizams. Also known as Qalamkari- means artwork with pen, the word gets its meaning from the Persian word kalam -pen and kari -workmanship.
People all over the world have understood the harmful effects of dangerous chemical dyes and developing the taste for naturally dyed fabrics. Kalamkari painting is the best specimen of natural colour artwork. The artists use natural colours extracted from bark, flower and roots of plants. No chemical dyes are used for Kalamkari colours. It is quite amazing to know that the red colour is obtained by using the Indian madder root, yellow from the pomegranate seed or even mango bark, and black from myrobalam fruit. There is a certain kind of hypnotism effect of this art on every onlooker.