| What is batik? I can safely make this | | | | yellow flower. Finally, he paints the |
| statement that while many people know or | | | | blue background. |
| have heard about this word, especially | | | | And of course, the artist will later |
| so here in Malaysia, Singapore and | | | | have to wash the wax off the cloth, |
| Indonesia, but many people do not, or | | | | hence leaving that part which was |
| rather, have got a wrong misconception | | | | originally covered with wax back to its |
| of batik itself. | | | | original white fabric colour. Hence, the |
| In my discussions with friends and | | | | white outline for the motif. And that is |
| general public, many people have | | | | all it is to the meaning of batik. |
| mistaken batik with batik design/ batik | | | | However as mentioned earlier, a lot of |
| designs or even batik fabric. | | | | people mistake batik with batik design/ |
| History has it that batik is an old | | | | batik designs especially if they see a |
| craft that dates centuries back. Batik | | | | traditional or floral type motif, or |
| is actually a hand-drawn and | | | | patterns on a cloth that have white |
| hand-painted technique, which uses wax. | | | | outlines. These may or may not necessary |
| The wax is a form of 'resist' method, | | | | come from the 'batik' technique, as it |
| and the purpose of this method is so | | | | could come from modern day print. |
| that when colour is put on a certain | | | | In addition, just because these prints |
| spot on the fabric, it does not run to | | | | have the more traditional motifs/ |
| the other part. Let's take an example - | | | | patterns, don't mistake them to come |
| an artist is is going to draw a floral | | | | from the art form of batik. |
| motif and he wants the background blue | | | | In fact, there are modern designs, which |
| eg. the motif of a flower (a yellow | | | | actually are made from the batik |
| flower with a green stalk). | | | | technique as well. But people do not |
| Now, imagine that the artist will be | | | | know it is so because it does not have |
| drawing on a white piece of cloth. The | | | | the traditional look and feel to it. |
| artist will first draw the outline of | | | | So my suggestion to you that if you |
| the motif (ie. the flower & stalk) with | | | | appreciate art, and batik in particular, |
| wax. And later, he will start to paint, | | | | first be aware whether the fabric you |
| starting with the yellow colour of the | | | | buy really comes from the batik art. And |
| flower. What the wax does is to hold the | | | | secondly to be open minded to embrace |
| yellow in place, so that it will not run | | | | the change in modern times that batik |
| to the green stalk. And when he paints | | | | need not necessary relate just to old |
| with green next, the same thing applies, | | | | motif/ patterns. |
| that is the green will not flow to the | | | | |