02. THE MATERIAL


Prompt 2.

The exact origin of batik is not known, but it is widely common on the island of Java, Indonesia. It is believed, when the art of batik was first practiced in Java, it only belonged to royal families and wealthy people. The Europeans were the first to learn this art. 

MATERIAL: BATIK

  • Batiks origins can be traced back to Asia, India and Africa. Some say the word is of Malay roots and translates “to write” or “to dot“.
  • Batik is an art medium and methodology for creating design, usually on cloth, by applying wax to portions of the material and then dyeing it, then removing the wax. This can be done to make vibrant colors and incredible designs.
  • Batik is said to be an ancient art that has been handed down for thousands of years. It is said to be wide spread as the Middle East, Africa, Indonesia, Malaysia, China, Thailand, Philippines, India and more!

THE PROCESS WAS DEFINITELY WORTH IT. We went from sketching, tracing, waxing, colouring dying and ironing. 

The procedure is as follows: (Tools: pencil, marker, rulers, tape, sketch pad, fabric, iron, newspapers)
Sketching out my design and having it printed But upon sketching on the sketch pad, I use the printed version then trace the sketch on the fabric. Regarding fabric, I was able to research what type of fabric I needed to use, and this being inspiration from prompt 1. After the design is on the fabric, I must ensure that I have all of the correct colors and that they work well with my material.

I cut small strips of cotton fabric to test the dye color and see if they matched or if more water or color was needed. Some of the dyes were mixed, for example, (black and red = dark brown), (blue and yellow = green), and (yellow and green = limeish). Let’s just say that this prompt required a lot of color experimentation and added substances.

GALLERY EVIDENCE:

colour tests

After the sketching process, I have to make sure I had all the right colours and made sure they worked well with my material. I cut small strips of the cotton fabric to test out the dye colour and see if they match or if the needed more water or colour. A few of the dyes were mixed e.g. (black and red = dark brownish) (blue and yellow = green) & (yellow and green =limeish). Let’s just say that this prompt had a lot of exploring with colour and cooking up the right colours. 

As much as I hate wasting paper, but a lot of newspaper was used during this process. Newspapers were used during waxing, covering floor, and ironing out wax. 

TESTING AND FAILS: Before creating my final composition, I did a few testers to get myself familiar with batik making. A few mistakes I made note off :

  1. LAYOUT OUT THE COLOURS IN ILLUSTRATOR
  2. BEFORE WAXING, 
  3. TEST OUT COLOURS ON FABRIC AND MAKING SURE THE COLOUR MEET YOUR EXPECTATIONS
  4. BEEWAX ALWAYS ON LOW HEAT ( 2 brushes burnt during the waxing process)

Working on the final composition was definitely days work because(replace word) there was a system in place:

  • Wax
  • Dye
  • Wash 

I got to dye 2 a days to make sure I was getting every right. The waxing process starting with using a light dye coming to the darkest shade that maybe on your palette. My final composition have 5 different dye colours:

  1. Lime green dye – head wrap
  2. Yellow/gold – earrings
  3. Dust brown – background
  4. Red – head-wrap and lips
  5. Body – dark brown

VIDEO EVIDENCE:

WAXING PROCESS: This was my first time using beeswax and I learnt to always have it at low heat because it will burn your brushes. (RIP TO MY PAINT BRUSHES)REMOVING THE WAX BY IRONING OFF: a lot of newspaper was used during this process. Watching the bees melt through the newspaper was oddly satisfying. THE FINAL COMPOSITION. THE RAW MATERIAL STILL SHOWING OILS OF THE WAX AND I LIKE THE ARTISTIC RAW MATERIAL LOOK.

RELECTION

Would I do this prompt again? YES! DEFINITELY! I think this would be a great present and a meaningful one at that. This prompt taught me to be patient and time-management.