Watching it come to life..
Our CAD design lecturer in University once described illustrator as ‘Sexy’.. and with that quote I was instantly turned me off.... I could not take a class seriously with a lady who actually used those words. Little did I know then that Illustrator would become my best friend..Don’t get me wrong.. it’s class, but sexy? Not so much
The glamorous life of a design assistant. So an essential part of my role within my first year and a half in retail was illustrator. CADs CADs CADs. From day one I was re-colouring ranges, placing prints in to garments, drawing new shapes, creating tech packs. Then finally as the demand for prints increased, I began designing more and more prints..
Unfortunately for me, my ignorant student self didn’t pay attention in those illustrator classes so everything I have learnt on illustrator I had taught myself on the job. I am no graphic designer by any extent but I know a thing or two on ai. Little did I know that on my first day in India I would be witnessing the physical printing of a print that I had helped to create.
This print technically was a toughie for the mill to create. This print was a dip dye / ombre floral print being printed on 30s rayon (100% viscose) It had ombre effect meaning that the bottom part of the print was light and gradually become market running up the print. However this print wasn't being created by the dip dye process.. it is being printed using rotary rolls. Printing this type of print on rotary is difficult to achieve as it needs to give this dip dye ombre effect - while being printed flat.
As you can see the fabric goes on to the bed white, it is pulled along the length of the bed where it meets the rotary rolls. Each roll has a layer of the design etched in to it, and each roll prints one colour. This print was made of two rolls. The navy roll was had only the top half of the roll etched. This meant that the ink would pass through the top half of the roll. So when printing the fabric the top half of the fabric would be printed in navy but the bottom would remain white.
In the NCR region the maximum rolls per print is 12 rolls (12 colours) So for a print to be printable on rotary it should contain a maximum of 12 colours.
Video to follow..
