Batik is both an art and a craft, which is becoming more popular and well known in the west as a wonderfully creative medium. The art of decorating cloth in this way, using wax and dye, has been practised for centuries. In Java, Indonesia, batik is part of an ancient tradition, and some of the finest batik cloth in the world is still made there. The word 'BATIK' originates from the Javanese 'tik' which means to dot.
To make batik, selected areas of the cloth are blocked out by brushing or drawing hot wax over them, and the cloth is then dyed. The parts covered in wax resist the dye and remain the original colour. This process of waxing and dyeing can be repeated to create more elaborate and colourful designs.
Diping cloth in dye
Canting
Using a canting
Materials needed:
- Cloth (or any other base suitable)
- Brushes that can withstand high heat
- Dyes
- Canting
- Electric Batik Wax Melting Pot
It maintains the wax at a controlled tempeature and also prevents the wax from overheating.
- Brass Bowl Style Double Spout
Used to create interesting double-lined designs
Batik making process
Sarkasi bin Said is a Singaporean batik painter of international renown. He is known for his unconventional use of wax-resisting technique for batik painting, his bold use of colours and his frequent depictions of nature.
In May 2003, he had broken the Guiness World Record of the longest Batik painting made, a painting of 103 metres.
Sarkasi Said had begun to develop a serious interest in Batik only after observing some foriegn artists which had featured batik techniques in their paintings. He taught himself how to batik as he was lacked of formal training. He had also went to other regions annd learnt from other Batik artists. He had expanded to Batik designs on clothing that had been sold locally and abroad.
Some of his works:
The range of Kinabalu
Colours of Kundasang
Terri Haugen
Terri's work is collected worldwide; her strong sense of design along with her romantic nature and painterly qualities has brought international recognition, for her Batiks. Each of Terri's Batik paintings reveals a command of materials and techniques. She is considered to be one of Americas foremost Batik Artists. She has mastered the traditional method of overdying and combines that with more modern techniques. Her work features a wide range of colours and subtlety of hues, to complicated bright colour combinations difficult to achive in Batik. Her experimental work is fun and unusual.
HER WORKS
Sunset Frankfort Pier #2
Lily Pad