Printing methods:
Direct (Blotch) Printing/Overprinting/Discharge Printing/Resist Printing/Block Printing/Roller Printing
Screen Printing
HAND PAINTED TEXTILES
www.turkishculture.org/textile-arts/hand-painted-textiles-109.htm'Yazma' is the name given to the application of designs to
textiles either directly with a brush called “kalem”, or using a wooden mold
carved in relief. The major centers for this art in the Ottoman period were
Amasra, Bartin, Diyarbakir, Gaziantep, Hatay, Istanbul, Kastamonu, Tokat,
Yozgat and Zile. The specimens from Istanbul rose to prominence with its
hand-painted 'Kandilli' textiles, highly prized for their artistry, in the
17th, 18th and 19th centuries.
Production of such hand-printed textiles commences with the
application of designs previously drawn on paper to a piece of cloth stretched
over a frame. The outlines are first traced using only a brush, and the areas
to be colored are then filled in, exactly as if making a painting. Prints of
this type are also known as 'hand-prints'. In the combined technique, the
outlines are first printed on the cloth with a wooden mold, and the colors then
filled in with a brush. In block-printing both the black outlines and the
colored areas are applied to the cloth using appropriate molds.
application of designs previously drawn on paper to a piece of cloth stretched
over a frame. The outlines are first traced using only a brush, and the areas
to be colored are then filled in, exactly as if making a painting. Prints of
this type are also known as 'hand-prints'. In the combined technique, the
outlines are first printed on the cloth with a wooden mold, and the colors then
filled in with a brush. In block-printing both the black outlines and the
colored areas are applied to the cloth using appropriate molds.
The predominance of nature manifests itself in the motifs
used as in all branches of Turkish art. Motifs such as stylized tulips,
carnations, cherries, and pomegranate trees are frequently encountered
alongside the occasional stag, horse, cock, sparrow and peacock motif. Istanbul
prints exhibit a refinement of taste and feeling and all the beauties of nature
in a multiplicity of colors. The primarily symmetrical floral compositions on
hand-printed textiles are either dyed separately or in groups. Black, brown and
dark red tones predominate on the prints of Tokat. The most salient
characteristic of 'karakalem' and 'elvan' prints which employ the
block-printing method is that the design covers the entire surface of the
cloth. Apple and cherry designs are the most common on Tokat prints. While the
predominance of black is conspicuous on Kastamonu prints with their circular
compositions, colorful flowers printed on a black field are a style peculiar to
Bartin. Prints from the Gaziantep region meanwhile distinguish themselves by
both materials used and techniques employed: the design is applied on silk
using the techniques of printing and tie-dyeing.
Hand-printed textiles such as head scarves, quilt covers,used as in all branches of Turkish art. Motifs such as stylized tulips,
carnations, cherries, and pomegranate trees are frequently encountered
alongside the occasional stag, horse, cock, sparrow and peacock motif. Istanbul
prints exhibit a refinement of taste and feeling and all the beauties of nature
in a multiplicity of colors. The primarily symmetrical floral compositions on
hand-printed textiles are either dyed separately or in groups. Black, brown and
dark red tones predominate on the prints of Tokat. The most salient
characteristic of 'karakalem' and 'elvan' prints which employ the
block-printing method is that the design covers the entire surface of the
cloth. Apple and cherry designs are the most common on Tokat prints. While the
predominance of black is conspicuous on Kastamonu prints with their circular
compositions, colorful flowers printed on a black field are a style peculiar to
Bartin. Prints from the Gaziantep region meanwhile distinguish themselves by
both materials used and techniques employed: the design is applied on silk
using the techniques of printing and tie-dyeing.
tablecloths, prayer mats, pillowcases, handkerchiefs, couch covers, napkins,
towels, shirts and turbans were some of the highly prized items during Ottoman
times. Among them, those still used widely today are the 'yemeni' or head
scarves, whose names vary from region to region. Elaborately crocheted borders,
three-dimensional like lace, are characteristic of such head scarves. As in the
art of hand-printing, the most common motifs used for these border decorations
are the stylized forms inspired by nature. The use on the crocheted borders of
the same floral shapes printed on the cloth is a beautiful example of the way
these two handicrafts developed hand in hand. The art of block-printing, which
constitutes the essence of the advanced technologies later developed for the
printing of cloth, is slowly vanishing today. The traditional art of
hand-printing cloth, once practiced so intensively in several regions of
Anatolia, survives today on a limited scale in Tokat and Kastamonu.
Reference: SKYLIFE/Dr.IDIL AKBOSTANCI and NUSRET NURDAN EREN
You can visit the TCF's online database “Who's Who in
Turkish Culture and Art” to see block printing artists' profiles.
