Somewhere between 100 and 300 years ago—opinions differ—the art of natural dyeing migrated from the northwest to Sanganer, Rajasthan. Drawn by the presence of the river and the promise of industry, artisans began creating textiles in red and black. The secrets of these colors were passed down through generations in a primarily oral tradition. Craftspeople in this region today still work in close alignment with their historic roots. They know how much dye to add, not by weighing raw material on a scale but rather by holding the dye and feeling the temperature of the water. This intuitive way of making comes from the skill gained by growing up steeped in a craft.
Today the river that once pulled artists to Sanganer is heavily polluted due to the use of chemical colors. Families that exclusively worked in textile printing have traded the profession for more lucrative careers. Those who still work in natural dyes note that colors that once took days to prepare are now done in hours.1 While there are still tribes of natural dyers who practice the craft on a small, personal scale, there is also the presence of a large handicraft industry. This network takes craft to a new level. Artists work in place of machines, producing meters upon meters of cloth. Traditional dyeing and printing families—referred to as the Chippa families—now have staff, and depending on the size of the business, these employees get paid daily, monthly, and by meter of fabric or complexity of design. Recently there has been a shift as companies bring in new talent. Day laborers outside of the family lineage have started to train in these crafting methods.
This leaves one to wonder about the future of natural color. Where do small-scale natural dyers fit in such a large industry? Those who have chosen to uphold the craft stress that it is possible for natural-dye traditions to continue. However, for it to remain sustainable, production must remain small, hence the final product is often made for a wealthy customer who can pay for the time and expense of natural-dye processes.
The “natural” in natural colors is both a selling point and an issue with production. Variables such as growing time and harvesting time all impact the final color. Natural dyes are extremely sensitive to water, and in India water quality is almost impossible to control, making it difficult to keep colors consistent. Those who work with natural dyes state that buyer expectation for colors to match exactly is one of the biggest problems in the industry.
A buyer will reject cloth if it does not meet their expectations. This has both environmental and economic repercussions. The craftspeople lose out on profit and the textiles go to waste, although savvy printers have started using the power of social media to sell their factory seconds.2 Sunita Shaner, a designer working in craft since 1994, remarks that “the day we stop matching colors is the day we restore the environment.”3 If there were less emphasis on color matching, then less natural material, water, and dye would be consumed. We need to be aware that when we choose to use natural dyes, we are choosing to accept the inherent imperfections that come with the craft.
Natural dyes are often thought of as eco-friendly, however, this is not exactly true. Sunita Shaner asks, “How can you say natural colors are eco-friendly when it is requiring so much water? How do you sustain it?”4 This is an important point to consider given the growing pollution and shrinking ground water supply in both Bagru and Sanganer. She questions the use of these materials and stresses that we should have a good reason for choosing to use natural color.
In the west, natural dyes have long captured the attention of hand papermakers and was my main motivation for traveling to India. The process creates colors and shades in a unique palette with conceptual and commercial potential. I came to India on a research fellowship intending to make a series of recipes to produce the most consistent shade of naturally dyed handmade paper pulp using traditional natural-dyeing practices. However, it became apparent I would be spending a lot of time fighting inconsistent water quality. Due to institutional and systemic constraints I did not have access to the quantity of filtered water needed to control the variable. Large organizations could have the resources to create a large-scale filtration system, however it would likely not be feasible for traditional local artists. After speaking with artisans, business owners, and experimenting on my own, it became clear that recipes were not possible with the fickle nature of natural dye. Instead, I created a series of guidelines on making naturally dyed sheets of handmade paper.
Before we dive into the process there are some key terms to know. A mordant is a chemical that is used to fix dye to a cellulous fiber. Mordants are typically broken into two categories: metallic salts, simply referred to as mordants, and tannic acids, which are typically referred to as tannins. A tannin is biological in nature, for example, gallnut or pomegranate. Common metallic salts that can be used as mordants are ferrous sulfate and potassium aluminum sulfate, commonly known as alum. Using tannic acid and metallic salt together creates a strong bond with the dye and increases the color's longevity.5
When naturally dyeing any cellulose fiber, you follow the same basic routine used in textile dyeing. First, decide how much dry raw material you will be dyeing. This is your dry weight of fiber. All your mordant, tannin, and dye ratios will be based on this dry weight of fiber. If you are working from wet pulp, you need to determine the pulp’s moisture content to then determine your weight of fiber. Next, you tannin6 your fiber and rinse. It is important to always tannin first. Then, you add mordant to your fiber and rinse. Finally, you add the damp prepared pulp to a dye bath and rinse. Paper must have a final pH between 6.5 and 7.5 to be considered stable, and it is believed that naturally dyeing handmade paper in this way increases the overall acidity of the paper. To an extent this is true; alum is a naturally acidic substance. However, I have found that if the pulp is thoroughly rinsed after each step of the dyeing process mordants and tannins have little impact on the paperʼs final pH.
In my research I have found that dye will retain and produce the same shade with mordant and tannin ratios ranging from 5% to 15% weight of fiber (WOF). To naturally dye paper pulp, you must first consider the pH of your dye. If your dye is highly acidic, it will lead to a slightly more acidic final sheet. For dyes that fall in this category, use less mordant; as little as 5% WOF can be used. Maximum color retention occurs when the pulp is prepared with a mordant ratio of 15% WOF.Next, determine the shade you require. If you would like a lighter shade, dye with 5% WOF. For medium depth of shade, use between 10% and 25% WOF. To create darker shades, dye with 50% to 100% WOF, depending on the dye. I would recommend looking at natural-dye instruction manuals to learn how to prepare a dye bath. One of my favorites is The Art and Craft of Natural Dyeing by J. N. Niles. Maiwa, a Canadian-based organization has a large network here in India and does a lot to educate their customers on natural dyes. Their guide can be found on naturaldyes.ca.
Once you have these details figured out, you are ready to dye your pulp!
key steps in naturally dyeing paper pulp
1. Determine how much pulp you are going to dye.
2. Add tannin to water. Bring tannin bath to 70 degrees Celsius, hold at this temperature for 30 minutes, then strain the raw material out of the bath.
3. Add the pulp to the tannin solution. You want enough water to cover your wet pulp. Cook for 30 minutes at 70 degrees Celsius.
4. Rinse until the pulp runs clear.
5. Dissolve mordant in water and bring to 70 degrees Celsius. Add the pulp and cook for 30 minutes.
6. Rinse until all excess mordant is out of the pulp.
7. Prepare the dye bath according to instructions. You will need enough water to cover your wet pulp. Remember to strain your dye after preparing your dye bath! Optional: Some natural dyes are pH sensitive; by shifting the pH you can shift the color or shade. To shift the shade of your dye, you can use a mordant as a modifier. Add the modifier to the dye bath before adding the pulp. Traditionally a textile is post-mordanted to change its color. If you attempt to post-mordant the pulp, the colors will run from the sheet.
8. Dye the pulp according to your chosen natural-dye manual.
9. Rinse the pulp until the water runs clear.
Paper made from pulp naturally dyed in this method should be close to neutral in pH, and the color should not bleed.
Experimenting with natural dyes during the hand-papermaking process can be rewarding whether the goal is a sheet of colored paper or a work of art. If there is anything I have learned from working with artisans who have grown up practicing a natural-dyeing tradition, it is that these processes are unpredictable and ever-changing, and that chaos is the beauty of the process. My exposure to traditional textile-dyeing methods in India has been inspiring and I hope that the recommendations I have offered here prove helpful.
NOTES
- Seduram Chippa, interview by author, Bagru India, January 27, 2023.
- Ibid.
- Sunita Shaner, interviewed by author, New Delhi, December 22, 2022.
- Ibid.
- Gülsah Gümrükçü and Mahmure Üstün Özgür, “Effect of Tannic Acid and Metal Salts on Dyeing of Woolen Fabrics with Red Onion (Alliumcepa L.),” Asian Journal of Chemistry vol. 23, no. 4 (2011): 1464, https://asianjournalofchemistry.co.in/User/ViewFreeArticle.aspx?ArticleID=23_4_12 (accessed February 15, 2023).
- Although “tannin” is a noun, the author uses it as a verb in a shorthand for “mordant with tannin.”
