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[corsakti.livejournal.com]

I did alot of batik when I was in Indonesia. It is a process of dying fabric using wax to mask different areas, and the materials and process are simple enough to do anywhere, if anyone's interested.

Get some parafin wax or beeswax from a craft store or from candles, and melt it down in a coffee tin floating in boiling water. Then experiment with fabric dyes, like Rit or some other storebought brand. Mask the parts you want to sheild from specific colors by painting with, splattering or crackling the hot wax on the fabric first. In alot of traditional batik, stamps are made from wood and used to apply wax in an even pattern across the fabric.

Remove the dried wax afterwards by soaking it in boiling hot water.

My teacher Nyoman and I, starting to apply color between masked areas.

My friend Una in front of some of my batiks in various stages of completion.