Batik!

Last week we explored Batik in all four of the older homeschool co-op classes (Third grade through High School). I worked up a project that helped us to understand the process.

Batik is a wax and dye resist art form that is thought to have originated in China, and has been found in Egyptian tombs. The people of Java in Indonesia perfected the process, and it has been used throughout the world.

My students had a little trouble understanding the Batik process, so this was a good project to broaden our artistic horizions. In real Batik, the masking agent would be melted wax. For this we substituted rubber cement. Instead of fabric/material we used watercolor paper, and instead of a dye bath, we used watercolor washes (Lots of water and a little pigment washed over the paper with a larger brush. )

Here is the process:

1. Paint the rubber cement onto the paper in the design you wish. Large simple designs are best. (Say, a flower, sun or heart.) Anything that is under the rubber cement at this stage will be white in the finished project. Let dry. Most rubber cement has a brush that comes with the jar, inside the lid. You can use other brushes, but be ready to throw them when done. (Observe rubber cement warnings during use. See side of bottle.)

2. Brush a color wash over the entire paper. You will see the rubber cement resist the wash. (See third picture.) Let dry.

3. Brush on more rubber cement to add details to your picture. Anything you cover this time will be the color of your first wash in the finished project. You are covering new paper now, not going over old areas of rubber cement. You can add dots, stripes, leaves, anything to the background with this layer. Let dry.

4. Mix a new color or darken the color of your original wash and wash over the entire paper again. You may want to try using primary colors for the two color choices. This will give you a secondary color after the second wash. Or, darkening the first wash with more pigment for the second wash will give you a nice monochromatic look. Let dry well. (Feel the back of the paper to see if it is cool. Any coolness means it is still wet. A blow dryer or fanning the paper gently can speed up drying time.)

5. After paper is good and dry, gently rub the rubber cement off with your flat pointer finger. Lay your whole pointer finger flat on the paper to rub, not just the tip. Gentle rubbing will get the best results.

Since in this process you are keeping pigment off to make the design, instead of putting pigment down to make a design, it is "backwards" to us. It takes a little planning ahead to get the color results you want.