What is Batik

Batik is a wax resist dyeing technique in fabric. It is an ancient art form whose origin is mostly from around Indonesia and Malaysia.


Mostly batik is used to make clothing fabric, with the use of repetitive patterns.

The procedure : melted wax is applied to cloth before being dipped in dye. It is common for people to use a mixture of beeswax and paraffin wax. The beeswax 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 colours are used, with a series of dyeing, drying and waxing steps.


Also see my blog post :  http://wax-and-dye.blogspot.com/2010/11/to-explain-batik.html

In the traditional Javanese technique, wax lines are applied using a canting, a wooden handled tool with a tiny metal cup with a tiny spout, out of which the wax seeps.


For larger scaled productions, copper blocks are used to 'print' hot wax onto the cloth.


A good reference for traditional batik : http://batikindonesia.com/