The word "batik" comes from Java and means "printing in wax". This method of decorating has been practiced for centuries many Asian countries. The process involves using wax to resists the effect of fabric dye - the parts of the clothe coated in wax remain the original color.
Textile patterns are depicted on many of the stone statues carved on the walls of Javanese temples such as Borobudur and Prambanan (AD 800).
A design is drawn onto the clothe.
The Batik Process
Hot liquid wax is applied to fabric either drawn by hand or printed by hand using a pattern block. The fabric is then dipped into a dye solution – the waxed areas protect the cloth and the dye can only penetrate the unprotected areas. That’s Batik put simply but the methods used in Indonesia are more elaborate with successive waxing, dying and re-waxing to achieve highly beautiful and intricate designs.
The Canting
A canting
The Canting, Sometimes called a wax pen, is a small copper container with a small tube mounted on a bamboo handle. The copper container is filled with melted wax and the artist uses the canting to draw the wax onto the cloth. The spout can be as small as 1 mm in diameter for very fine detailed work. Larger spouts are used to fill in large areas also parallel lines and dots can be drawn with canting that have up to 9 spouts.
Applied on fabric using a canting.
The Batik Cap
The Cap (pronounced chop) is a copper stamp and first appeared the mid-19th century. It works in the same way as block printing – in this case printing areas of wax onto the cloth. They are made of 1.5 cm wide copper stripes that are bent into the shape to form a design pattern - end pieces of wire are used to form dots.
Each cap is attached to the handle and makes up a repeatable design element.
Wax is applied to white or beige fabric over a penciled-in outline with the Canting or with the cap.
Step Two - first dying
The fabric is dyed and the area of the cloth where the wax was applied will remain white.
A complex pattern might require as many as ten sets of ‘cap’.
The dye bath.
Step Three – second waxing
The colour of the second waxing is a dark brown color to help distinguish it from the first waxing. The parts covered with this wax application will protect the colour of the first dying.
The colour of the second waxing is a dark brown color to help distinguish it from the first waxing. The parts covered with this wax application will protect the colour of the first dying.
Step Four – second dying
The fabric is dyed with a second colour and areas that are not covered by wax will be dyed. At this point the fabric will have three colours – the colour of the cloth, the first and the second dye colours.
The fabric is dyed with a second colour and areas that are not covered by wax will be dyed. At this point the fabric will have three colours – the colour of the cloth, the first and the second dye colours.
Step Five – removal of the wax.
All the wax is removed by heating with hot water and scraping and sponging off.
All the wax is removed by heating with hot water and scraping and sponging off.
This what the fabric looks like after the first dying and before the wax is removed.
Removal of the wax.
Wax is again applied to areas of the fabric as in step one and three.
Step seven - The fabric is dyed again.
Step Eight - Wax is removed.
These steps can be repeated as many times as the design requires.
Batik fabrics drying
A finished Batik fabric.
Here is the result of Baju Batik.
