Make a statement with our pocket-sized sketchbooks covered in vintage newsprint and raw silk. The drawing sheets are handmade from white recycled cotton. Chlorine, acid and lignin free. Available in a variety of sizes at our stores in Mumbai and Delhi.
For the love of writing. Fresh new colours in our banana fiber journals. Hand stitched using 100% recycled paper sourced from rural recycling units. The joy of writing on textured and uneven paper is an experience in itself, come try our papers at our store in Kala Ghoda and experience its versatility.
Don’t miss the little birdie in the corner of the picture!
Paper was my first love; the very first business that I started over seventeen years ago. A lot of my work was raw and natural with torn edges and exposed fibres. Back then, the word eco-friendly wasn’t something that everyone was aware of. I bought my first sheet at the Gramudyog Bhawan in Connaught Place, Delhi and since then I have literally gone deep into its fibres, making, selling and their distribution. I have built relations with paper artists over the years and worked closely in creating a variety of them using techniques developed in-house and by experimenting with a lot of natural fibres, dyes and raw material. I have had a loyal set of followers who have appreciated and bought most of our work with paper. A time came when greeting cards lost their charm, the sales went downward and I had to innovate and survive. I may have done a lot of work in metal but I never forgot paper. Till today we have a steady stream of stationery and paper products coming out of our studios.
Here are a few papers that I have saved from the past. These were limited editions that I procured from artisans across the world. I have decided to exhaust the remaining sheets to launch a new range of stationery, journals and other pieces of art from our upcoming flagship store at Kala Ghoda, Mumbai.
Link to an older post on recycled and handmade paper, its making and process.
At Anand Prakash embossing and gilding is still done the old fashioned way. The impression is first embossed on paper and then brushed with # gold powder, it is then left to dry for a few days. Once dry, the extra gold powder is brushed away leaving a gilded impression.
To celebrate an occasion, I took my Delhi office team for lunch and later came to Full Circle at Khan Market for coffee. It was nostalgic coming back to the place where it all began in 1999. One greeting card at a time, I built my organisation and business from scratch. I met the manager Jolly after many years, she is one person who has seen me grow all along. She said a customer who earlier bought a lot of our handmade cards from Full Circle was back in Delhi and was asking for more.
I told her that we stopped making them over 5-6 years ago due to the dwindling demand and the move towards digitalisation. We are just exhausting the ones we have from our earlier stock. A lot of the older designs now adore the wall of our studio.
How it began:
I started by making each card and envelope by hand, I would make each envelope symmetrically perfect by using measurements and kept repeating this for all of them. It did get monotonous at times but I had Indian Ocean for company. Initially I managed to make a few but this number further progressed to thousands which were made by craftsmen that I had trained. I then started exporting to a few countries. Many were featured in trend shows and international exhibitions. I thought of the card as my canvas and all my creativity would go in creating newer ones. At one time I had over a 1000 designs but now only a few of them remain.
You can see a few of the earlier designs below:
Dictionary meaning of Thank you: used to tell someone that you are grateful because they have given you something or done something for you.
While thinking of a positive note to start this post on our new range of note cards, I realised that in todays world we often forget to say thank you for little things that matter, our fast paced lives are fraught with such situations where we brush past them without a backward glance. I am no saint and I too have my thank you’s to say.
So lets say the magical words to people who have really helped us, been with us, inspired us, loved us un-conditionally, helped us through difficult times, etc. etc. You don’t need our thank you cards to say them
The inspiration to design this range of boxed notecards was my love fo
r stationery, I thought to myself, “Why not say it with style.” The joy of eliciting a smile is the greatest. Before I design most of my products I try and imagine if I would love to use them.
The papers that I have used are all Italian (Sorry! for the deviation from handmade). I think designers need to explore all mediums and not limit themselves to just a few. People do not have the wherewithal to do it hence it is our duty to design for everyone. Actually a lot of my clients have been asking for 
stationery with clean lines, embossing, etc. I have also experimented with bright colours instead of the white, ivory, gold and beige. Notes should be lively and cheerful. I have been doing a lot of personalised stationery for some very special people encompassing the above techniques and materials.(more on personalised stationery later)
Every person that purchases a product from our online store receives a thank you and feedback note. Just like my work, I also want my customers online experience to be impeccable.
Meaning of Scriptum (Latin) : something drawn, a space enclosed by lines. Continuing my work with Hindi(Devnagari), Scriptum is a range of fine stationery inspired from Hindi letters & language. I find Hindi very stylish, fashionable and something that’s close to my roots. The range consists of handmade cards, journals, metal bookmarks, wrapping papers, etc. The papers as usual are handmade, wood-free and recycled.
Greeting card printed by vignette silk-screen. Five colours are placed on the silk-screen and pulled together by hand thus mixing and merging to form the print on handmade paper. Every two impressions the colours need to be wiped and re-applied. Very few printers can manage this feat. What I love most is the variation in the colour and the surprising part is that it’s done by hand!
The English dictionary meaning for observation- an act or instance of noticing or perceiving.
I believe in the power of observation as I have seen results. This word started to make real sense while I was visiting Milou Ket, a trend forecaster based in Amsterdam. While taking us around the city to various stores, places of interest, design galleries, etc. I noticed how keenly she went through the items/products on display. She would look at each product and explain minute details about them. Observation is key to new development and growth. The mind needs constant churning to produce results.
One of the best examples that I can give you is of the picture on the left. This paper weave is inspired from the old chairs that were there at home while I was very young; a legacy of my grandfather. I was always intrigued with the patterns. The art is in being able to calculate how many strands to leave while you weave. Obviously now these chairs are history along with the artisans who did them. If you try and weave it with your hand, you will not be able to because there is a technique to do it…maybe I divulge it in one of my workshops! or should I keep it a trade secret?
As I have no training in design, the only way for me to learn techniques is to observe from what is already there. Every Sunday I visit some mall in the vicinity looking for the latest trends and styles; with my hectic weekly schedule this seems to be the only time and way to do it.
For example: These days I see a lot of studs/rivets/brass fittings on products at stores like Diesel, The Collective, etc. I see it as a trend but the problem is that I have already been using these since the last 3-4 years, should I do more? I don’t think so because this idea in particular is already done to death. I also notice Zippers being used in a variety of products, from bags to shirts, I don’t like the idea at the moment; lesson: think for yourself and do not always follow trends.
I have been toying with the idea of designing jewelry, I have invested in all the tools and relevant materials but I think the time is not right, so I will let the idea hibernate till I have a sure-shot saleable design in mind. You have to nurture an idea, water it like a plant and wait for it to bear fruit. Patience is the last thing I have, but I see myself changing; I spend an enormous amount of time and money in research and development, for example: while designing a new journal, I decided to test the strength of its binding, I opened and closed the journal more than a thousand times to test it – It did pass; many a times it does not. While speaking about jewelry, I try and observe the different kind of hooks that are being used in earrings, the different kinds of closures in necklaces, I need to get these right because the design can always come later, but the basics are far more important, if I get that wrong then I am starting on the wrong foot.
I wish I could travel more, there is so much to learn and absorb.
While travelling on a cycle rickshaw a few days back in chandni chowk, I noticed the wires overhead, they were unruly and haphazard, an idea struck me – everyone will see this idea take a shape and form very soon. The 
mind needs to be trained to question the normal, if we don’t let our minds wander and explore, then we will have to be content with the normal and the mundane. One of the reasons why I have reached this far is because I had no formal training in design, therefore I learnt nothing and my mind was not trained to follow the norm. Every idea, material and technique that I see is always worth a try because you never know what may come of it. An example is a new material that I am using for my new range of journals. Nobody had used it therefore all were skeptical if it would work. I too could have let it go but I thought of giving it a try and the picture on the right is what’s coming soon.
A few unusual things that I have designed:
Time Piece
This piece of art epitomizes the experimental part of me. The inspiration for this “timepiece” runs back to the time when I was a young boy and the wooden scale with its rudimentary appeal was a constant source of fascination; it was a multipurpose tool and also a toy. This timepiece is sold by invitation.
A very old design that still outsells newer ones- Spice card.
While watching an english movie I noticed the design and style of a photo frame, the idea struck me and I adapted it to my range of stationery.
While going through a book I keenly look at the cover, binding, stitching, pockets, etc. The structure intrigues me more than the subject. Have you noticed covers of fiction bestsellers? many a times we buy the book for its cover, imagining the picture as the real story. Many books sell well because of the technique used on the cover, like embossing, foil print, de-bossing, etc.
Lots of times when I discuss an observation that I have made about a place, a thing or a person, my friends and family find it rather amusing or even absurd! what would you call that?
While I speak so much about observation; I must also emphasize the power of listening to other people. Sometimes the best ideas come from people who are unrelated to your work – they offer you a fresh perspective and that my friends turns out to be a million-dollar idea. It is dangerous to tell or show me something; because you never know what I would do with it.
Nature has so much to give us, if we only had time to stare! this reminds me of an old poem from school by William Henry Davies:
So here’s wishing everyone a year of happy observation!
Anand Prakash Blog 