Textile Design, Colour Theory and Traditional Indian Textiles
What the exam tests
This domain covers design elements and principles, colour relationships, and the ability to identify Indian traditional textiles by state, technique and motif.
Design basics
Design uses line, shape, colour, texture and space, organised by balance, rhythm, proportion, emphasis and harmony. Motifs are arranged in repeats - straight, half-drop, brick, mirror or all-over. Dobby and jacquard mechanisms allow figured weaves; jacquard can control individual warp ends for large, complex designs.
Colour theory
Pigment primaries are red, yellow and blue; additive light primaries are red, green and blue. Secondary colours are orange, green and violet; tertiary colours lie between. Complementary colours sit opposite on the wheel and create contrast; analogous colours sit side by side and create harmony. A tint adds white, a shade adds black, a tone adds grey. A practical proportion is 60–30–10 for dominant, secondary and accent colours.
Traditional Indian textiles
- Paithani (Maharashtra): silk with zari, peacock and lotus motifs, tapestry-woven borders.
- Banarasi (Uttar Pradesh): brocade with gold and silver zari.
- Kanjeevaram (Tamil Nadu): heavy mulberry silk, contrast border, temple motifs.
- Chanderi (Madhya Pradesh): sheer, lightweight silk-cotton.
- Bandhani (Gujarat, Rajasthan): tie-resist dyeing producing dotted patterns.
- Patola (Patan, Gujarat): double ikat, dyed before weaving.
- Kalamkari (Andhra Pradesh): hand-painted or block-printed cotton with natural dyes.
- Phulkari (Punjab): darn-stitch embroidery; Kantha (Bengal): running-stitch quilting; Muga (Assam): golden silk; Pashmina (Kashmir): fine cashmere.
Worked example
A Paithani-inspired stole needs a traditional yet modern palette. Choose magenta as dominant (60%), gold zari as secondary (30%) and peacock green as accent (10%). Magenta and green are near-complementary, so the small green area sharpens the magenta without overwhelming it; gold carries the weave tradition.
Traps that cost marks
Bandhani is tie-resist, not ikat; Patola is double ikat. Kalamkari is a painted or printed textile, not a weave. A tint is not made with black. Do not attribute Kanjeevaram to Maharashtra.