Batik

1. Batik The art of using wax resist and dye to create pictures and designs on fabric.

2. Specific patterns were only allowed to be worn by nobility, such as wider stripes or wavy lines of greater width indicated high rank. This was a way people could determine the royal lineage of a person by the clothing he or she was wearing.

3. Where is Batik found? • Batik or fabrics with the traditional batik patterns are found in: • Indonesia, Malaysia, Japan, China India, Sri Lanka, Egypt, Nigeria, and Singapore • Different regions of Indonesia have unique or original patterns that usually focus on themes from everyday lives. They tie in patterns such as nature, flowers, animals and people.

4. The type of dyeing which is used in Batik is called a wax resist. This technique in fabric is an ancient art form. This type of art has been discovered to trace all the way back to Egypt in the 4th century BC. Then is was used to wrap mummies, linen was soaked in wax, and scratched using a sharp tool. The technique was also practiced in various other parts of the world as well.

6. Melted wax is applied to cloth before being dipped in dye. It is very common for artists to use a mixture of beeswax and paraffin wax. This is because the beeswax has the ability to hold to the fabric and the paraffin wax allows cracking, which is an important characteristic of batik. Wherever the wax has seeped into the fabric, the dye will not penetrate. After waxing and dyeing several times, the fabric is ironed between paper towels to absorb the wax and reveal the colors and crinkle lines that give batik its character.

7. The next 3 examples are actually from high school student at a different school

11. Here are some other examples found on the internet

22. Notice the color scheme on all of the examples, all of the colors are analogous and/or build off of each other Your batik will be the same way, so it is extremely important to plan out your colors ahead of time

23. Decoration Techniques What is Batik? Batik is an ancient technique that has been in use in Asia to create beautiful designs on fabric. The way it works is straight forward – melted wax is applied to fabric usinga brush or special tool called atjanting. When dye is applied to the fabric the wax stops the dye from coming in contact with the fabric underneath. As well as a tjanting tool, wax can be applied using various techniques e.g. a brush or a stencil. Once the wax has cooled, colour can be applied by brush or by placing in a dye bath. The wax needs to be removed to reveal the pattern, to do this, place newspaper and clean sheets of paper both on top and underneath of the fabric, and apply gentle pressure with a hot iron. The wax will be absorbed into the paper and you may need to repeat this process a few times to get rid of all the wax.

24. It’s more manageable to place your cloth into an embroidery circle just to be able to keep the fabric tight and to move the fabric around freely. Especially when using hot wax! How to: Tjanting tool Wax comes out of here in a steady flow so you have to be quick when drawing your design. Melting pot for the wax A Tjanting tool. Have a go at doing abstract patterns first as these work best if your not sure what to do. With practice you could come up with some amazing designs.

25. How to: Work quickly and carefully as the wax will cool very soon after taking it out of the melting pot. If you do have an accident in that you have a blob of wax on you design don’t worry as it will add to the finished affect. You must work carefully Draw with the wax just like if it’s a pen!! Remember the wax is hot It’s quite hard to see the wax so you have to concentrate.

26. How to: Warning If you do spill wax onto your design unfortunately you will not be able toget rid of it. Take your time. Draw your design as far as you can to the sides of the circle

27. How to: Other batik designs. The wax creates a barrier for the paint colour to remain in. On the right is what the design would look like.

28. I’ve decided to start with pink. You ‘re now painting in the spacesas the paint will not settle on the wax. If it’s your first go don’t be afraid to experiment with colours and design. How to: Add your colour using batik dyes or fabric paints. You can mix your colours on the fabric so they blend into one another or make them watery by adding water to the batik dyes.

29. How to: Enjoy adding colour to your design.

30. What do you think? . How to: Place the embroidery frame somewhere to dry. When the paint is dry remove the fabric from the frame.

31. What do you think? . How to: Place the embroidery frame somewhere to dry. When the paint is dry remove the fabric from the frame.

32. How to: Place a piece of clean paper underneath your batik fabric. Place another piece of paper on top of your batikfabric in preparation to absorb the wax. At the moment your fabric is quite stiff due to the wax.

33. How to: Iron carefully over the paper. As you go along the paper should absorb the wax and the paper will begin to look greasy. Don’t stop until you have finished ironing the whole piece of fabric. You may need to change your paper half way through You must work carefully Remember the IRON is hot The wax should be coming through the paper

34. How to: To finish you should have a piece of wax free fabric with just your design on it.

35. How to: The batik designs can developed further with machine stitching. What do you think of some of these designs? Decorative stitches added using a free hand embroidery foot on the sewing machine.