How is Batik Done
January 21, 2008
Melted wax is applied to cloth before being dipped in dye. It is common for people to use a mixture of bees wax and paraffin wax. The bee’s wax will hold to the fabric and the paraffin wax will allow cracking, which is a characteristic of batik. Wherever the wax has seeped through the fabric, the dye will not penetrate. Sometimes several colors are used, with a series of dyeing, drying and waxing steps.
Thin wax lines are made with a canting needle, a wooden handled tool with a tiny metal cup with a tiny spout, out of which the wax seeps. Other methods of applying the wax onto the fabric include pouring the liquid wax, painting the wax on with a brush, and applying the hot wax to precarved wooden or metal wire block and stamping the fabric.
After the last dyeing, the fabric is hung up to dry. Then it is dipped in a solvent to dissolve the wax, or ironed between paper towels or newspapers to absorb the wax and reveal the deep rich colors and the fine crinkle lines that give batik its character.
The invention of the copper block or cap developed by the Javanese in the 20th century revolutionised batik production. It became possible to make high quality designs and intricate patterns much faster than one could possibly do by hand-painting.
Indonesian batik used for clothing normally has an intricate pattern. The traditional ones carry natural colors while the contemporary ones have more variety of color. Some batik may be mystic-influenced, but very rarely used for clothing. Some may carry illustrations of animals and people.
This is the old way of Batik making. The latest designs call for a more artistic look. The latest Batik’s also uses the wax method but this time it is hand waxed to perfection. The artist would use his imagination when he uses the wax to paint his favourite pictures of flowers leaves and also pattern. This would create sort of an art piece on a cloth. Then he would colour this cloth using dyes of different colours according to his painting. Thus making each piece a one in the world piece. No two Batik’s of this nature is the same. Although you may get many variants of the same painting.
The art of Batik dying could be seen as below. For a larger photo do click on the image.
Comments
Wanna leave a comment?
You must be logged in to post a comment.
