Batik

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In the small town of Cherating there's a batik shop and art center on the main street. Since I've never tried to make a batik before, but have always liked looking at them, I decided to give it a try.

The woman who runs/owns the shop is just the sweetest thing. She's kind, helpful, and has plenty of patience. Which is a lucky thing for me!

I started out by tracing an elephant picture onto white cloth. Of course, I didn't realize at the time that I hadn't centered it. But that's one thing that you need to do, or else it throws off the border when you're painting, and later framing. She tried to assure me it wasn't a big deal, but I assured her that with my OCD it was a huge problem. If it wasn't centered ... it just wouldn't be okay. So she measured it out so I can cut it down later and have the elephant centered.

I used a thing that looks like a mini oil lamp from Aladdin to outline my design. When you paint, the wax will repel the paint, leaving the contrasting white lines that define the picture. You can be sure if you're put enough wax on by holding the fabric up and looking on the other side. Both sides should show the same picture.

Then comes the fun part. Well, my favorite part; it's all fun. Painting.

It's a bit like painting with water colors. Just touch the paint to the fabric and watch it bleed across the space. When it hits the wax line, it stops. A tiny drop can fill an entire space. You can control the intensity of the color by using more paint or adding water first to the area.

The next day I returned to pick up my masterpiece. The wax has been washed off and the colors are a little less bright, but it's still beautiful. We took a few photos and I went on my way.

Now I just need to figure out where to hang it!

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Photos

First, you draw your picture
Or in my case, trace

Then put hot wax over the lines
Be careful to not spill it on yourself. Really. Like when you step back to admire your work and forget you're holding the wax still.

Now your entire drawing is outlined
I can't lie, I think this looks pretty cool.

I'm so proud of myself.
Anyone who knows me knows I'm not particularly good at art. So this is pretty awesome.

Painted!
You can tell where some paint has dried already because of the difference between shades.

Tada!
Finished product

Me and my teacher
She's just the nicest woman

Comments

[Dad]

Cool
Will go nicely with your grandpa's and the ones you previously bought.

[Shelley]

Love it!
Truly beautiful!

[sunketing]

Thanks!
I had a great time! And had a lot of fun taking all the photos (these are only a fraction of them).

[Elyse]

Beautiful
I remember seeing Batik all over Bali and loved it. That is a cool class that you took. Love the finished product. Our home is decorated in our art that we purchased along our travels and it brings back such great memories.