BEGINNER'S EQUIPMENT


The equipment you need to begin batik is fairly simple, and most of it can be found around the house.

Some old white sheets.

Old, torn white cotton sheets have the advantage of being already free from chemical finishes (which would otherwise prevent the dye from penetrating).

Note: all new fabrics must be boiled to remove the finishing.

Candles, at least one containing beeswax.

Double boiler for melting wax.

Good quality artist's paintbrush.

Cold water dye and fixative.

Charcoal, or pencil, for making preliminary sketch.

Old picture frame. (Batik is normally worked on a special frame on which the cloth is tacked to keep it taut, but for beginners an old picture frame will serve just as well.)

You will also need a double boiler or a boiling ring or chafing dish (such as a fondue dish with candles beneath) to melt the wax, and you will need access to a sink or bowl for dyeing.

Making the basic sketch. With a dark pencil or charcoal, begin to sketch your design on the cloth. It does not have to be elaborate-just a few guidelines.You can draw the first subject that comes to mind, or try the simple tree sketch in figure 1 below, which will give you some idea of the freedom of batik yet provide a basic guideline at the same time.

The tree motif illustrates another useful principle in batik-that it is often a good idea to work the surrounding spaces with wax rather than the object which is being depicted. So, in the case of the tree, it is the sky or the space around the tree that matters. This can be a whole new way of looking at things.