BATIK

Batik is a very old form of dyeing technique.Its a wax resist dyeing technique on fabric.i learnt this art from chellam aunty.This picture above was my very first work.And the one below was the second. Both are very old ... say , may be 12-15 yrs old :) .I did couple of more works which i gifted it to friends.Actually my dad sent me these two recently through one of my relatives.They may look faded because we did not give it a proper framing then.. Some times when we know the technique and start make more ...we feel ..what a big deal and neglect our first work,That's the same mistake which i did to lot of my works..for which i regret now.Anyway atleast i have something to show my kids :D .

Here is the procedure:

1)First the out line is drawn with melted paraffin wax(sometime mixture of paraffin and bee wax)using a needle (it was called batik needle, don't know if they have any other name)sort of instrument.(where ever the wax is applied the dye will not penetrate)

2)Then dip it in the dye(Apply light colours first)Then if we need that colour on the picture we cover it with wax and then continue dipping other colour.

3)After completing dyeing, the fabric is let to dry. Then it is dipped in a wax solvent[sorry i dont remember the name right noe :( ]to dissolve the wax. and then washed in water and then dried.

Note: not only needle ,but we also sometimes use brushes and stamps(carved wooden ) to draw designs.We use paraffin when we want to give crack effect to our work and otherwise just bee wax as it sticks to the fabric well.