How to do Batik

I have always appreciated Batik for its exuberance and abstract forms the colorful dyes take. I feel batik is very expressive in itself and it was while researching a little on Batik Art to be able to write down my hub on Batik; I was appealed to try this beautiful art form. I asked a friend who has been in textiles and she gave me few tips, after which I am writing the following activity. The picture you see on the right is also one of her oldest works and I thought batik to be complex but she made it so easy. I did it for fun and an idea came over to use my experience of doing batik as an ' How to ' hub. It is easy because we are not using any high-end materials like paraffin wax or chemical solutions (used in creating proper batik products) and we can consider this activity being kids-friendly though an adult should be around to encourage and assist as and when required. We are also not using any boiling hot water to wash off, instead can have the fabric pieces dry-cleaned. It is up to you though if you want to do the manual hand washing!!

Unfortunately, I don't have any pictures because the ones I clicked got 'over-written' (a computer term!!) by mistake and the piece I did is already taken away by another friend who came to visit me. I will probably do some more batik myself and will put on pictures then. Meanwhile I hope you enjoy the art of batik and discover something new yourself!

In simple words, we can define Batik as a way of putting colored designs on a piece of cloth with different colour dyes using a special technique by which specific parts of the fabric remain unaffected by the dye. If you are interested you can read more about Batik in my other hub called Batik Art (for which you have to just click the blue text part called Batik Art!! ;)..now!! )

You will see that all the material required is easy to get and if you just want to try and not buy anything specific, there are substitutes for the same. So, get ready to have some wonderful batik creations that you can also use as gift ideas!

Things you need:

1. Some white or light colored plain cotton handkerchiefs, if you want something as a gift else you can try pieces of cotton cloth cut from any plain old table cloth/bedsheets etc
2. Scissors
3. Cardboard (I used cut piece from a flattened carton box)
   
4. Pins, Cloth pegs or clutch (Anything that can hold the fabric on the cardboard)
   
5. Clear wax pencil/candle stick (without wick) or a light colored crayon
6. Color Dyes ( Ask your nearest art & craft store)
   You can also use acrylic colors but they might get washed out quicker and fade unlike the dyes. However, these paints are good if you want to frame the art work.
   

Procedure to do Batik

Once you have all the above mentioned materials with you, get ready to enjoy this form of art and make this gift for your loved ones. It can ideally be a Mother's Day Gift, now that Mother's Day is around the corner!

• First, cut the cardboard in the same size as your handkerchief.
• Use cloth pins to attach the corners of the hankie to the cardboard. Make sure that it is stretched smooth and you see no wrinkles forming.
• Draw a design on this handkerchief with a wax pencil or crayon. You can draw simple geometrical shapes like a circle, square, triangle or only lines. You can also draw any other object or shape that suits you, sun, stars, flowers, butterflies whatever element you are comfortable drawing.

• Now, let us dye the hankie (with an adult's help, if kids are participating in the activity) It is better to use a dark colour first ; example- white hankie can be dyed wit a dark blue or brown. The wax prevents the dye from coloring the design you made. So the design will stay light while the handkerchief will be blue or brown in its base color.
  
• Have them dry clean to remove the wax and add a sizing (Apply a protective coating, if you actually wish to use them as handkerchiefs)
  

Voila!! You are ready to give them as a gift set or have them framed as a great wall decor. Batik Art is what you have learnt  and there are endless experiments you can do with it!