Sometimes I have tried a different approach to a batik and I have started working with the black fabric and gone through many stages of bleaching out and re-dyeing color in. This first photo shows a picture of the wax on the black fabric in the beginning of my batik, Caught in the Thunderstorm. The strange thing…
People ask me all the time, “How do you do batik?” I used to try to write summaries, but now I can just say go to my website! Last Friday, Maria Wulf of Bedlam Farm came and took video of me doing batik. She wrote some beautiful blog posts about each part of the tutorial…
People ask how to start batik without making a big investment in supplies. I will have to recommend getting some old sheets, some RIT dye or ready-mixed dye at your local craft store, along with paraffin wax and cheap brushes. (DharmaTrading.com has extensive supplies and that is where I purchased my tjanting tool.) Buy the…
Starting with black fabric is an interesting change from how I usually begin with white fabric. It can be a bit difficult seeing where the wax has been applied when you are working with black fabric, but by shining the light a certain way, you do create a reflection that you can build on. Here…
Sunburst was finished last week. I have worked on it for over a year.It went through many waxing and dyeing stages. It also has been bleached out and re-dyed twice. As I came to the final dye bath, I set the dye and dried the batik. I wanted to add some deep red and red…
My fans are always asking me how I make my batik art. I thought I would make a poster to show them how it’s done! This is a simplified explanation of all the steps that are involved, but I thought I should share it with you here on my blog as well.
Welcome to the section of my website for blog posts and tutorials! Below you will see them all in chronological order as I wrote them, with the most recent at the top. If you are interested in tutorials, here they are in order of the process: 1. Video Tutorials by Maria Wulf of the entire…
When the Batik has gone through all the waxing, dyeing and rinsing stages desired it is time to remove the wax. See my photos of batik before the wax is removed. You can see quite a build up of wax.There are several ways to remove wax. First, many scrape the loose wax from the fabric…
I hope you have read my description of batik separately before reading this (can be after). As batik is traditionally done on fabric we need to start here. Natural fibers with no sizing or synthetic fibers are best. I usually work with fine cotton in creating my hangings and framed pieces. Silk is also an…
The air has been crisp, and the sky bright many of these October days as I begin my day high up on the hill behind my house practicing Tai Chi. The hills have had their phase of mad wild color celebrating the end of harvest season. The mountains a multidude of color accented dramatically by…