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Design Resource
Kalamkari Painting
The Art of Fabric Painting using Natural Links
by
Initial Drawing & Outlining
The initial sketching is done on the processed cloth using charcoal which is obtained by burning tamarind branches. The thin detailing parts are drawn using pencil. Now Kalam-the bamboo pen is dipped in the kasim kaaram- Iron black solution to absorb the dye liquid. This solution is prepared by mixing cane jaggery, palm jaggery, rusted iron filings with water. The sketching is done based on the traced design with the help of Kalam using kasim kaaram. The dye color contacts the cloth when the artisan squeezes the cotton ball of Kalam slightly. This black color turns darker when it reacts with Myrobalan treated cloth. The excess outline color is removed using a soft cloth by pressing it gently on the design.
