Batik

“ Books issued by the Dutch Government to promote the batik craft, picture Javanese women and girls seated upon fiber mats before a vertical frame upon which the material is hung for the execution of their art. Men too are at work printing and dyeing these fabrics. Housewives in staid processionals display the occupation. Princes and fine ladies disport their gorgeous costumes. Priests climbing the steps of their temples past the long rows of their sacred gods are resplendent in batik array. Their oldest gods are clothed in sculptured batik. ”

“ Batik decoration is free from limitations that restrict mechanical printing. In designing fabrics for the ordinary methods of mechanical reproduction, where great yardage is produced, the designer consults an average taste; whereas in batiks each piece is definitely designed with a particular setting or [Pg 22] individual in view. There is no necessity for much repetition of any design, nor indeed can exact copy ever be made.
The first enthusiasm of the worker in batiks is apt to find expression in a burst of color run riot, of “crackle craze,” with too little attention paid to design. ”

“ The ironing melts the wax out. If traces of the wax or pencil marks still adhere, the goods can be washed in gasoline or benzine. When the wax was removed, the result was a piece of two-tone Batik work of deep blue with a white design. For most Batik work, light colored fabrics are used, as designs can be successfully darkened, but cannot be made lighter on dark goods. But, on the whole, a delicate color is better as a foundation than white, because the white will often be a little out of harmony with the colors. ”

“ Even in that far-off land, machine imitations of Batik are flooding the country, and it is difficult today to be sure that a given piece is a genuine example of the hand process, unless the individual history of the piece is known, since the old designs are still used, and the native work is imitated in the printed cloths even to the crackle and irregularity of the designs. ”

“ The first detailed account of Batik making was by Raffles in 1817. At that time the “tjanting,” an instrument which will be explained later, was in universal use. How long it had been used and when it superseded the brush, which was doubtless used earlier, as it was in India, is not known. About 1860, a new process was introduced by means of which the wax was transferred to the cloth by a metal stamp dipped in the melted wax and then pressed on the cloth. This stamping process is known as “tjap” and is done by men, while in Batik work the designing and painting are always done by women. ”

“ With a Batik frame such as described the cloth is held smoothly and firmly in place, making it easy to get good edges and long smooth lines with either a tjanting or brush. If no frame is used great care must be exercised to avoid letting the wax penetrate the cloth and touch anything behind, as it will stick. In lifting it away the wax covering will be torn from the back of the threads. If this is not noticed before dyeing the dye will have a chance to penetrate these fibers and so spoil the clearness of the pattern. ”

“ Besides the batik done entirely by hand, the native produces a decorated material known as “tjap.” This method can best be compared to block printing, the wax being printed on to the material instead of being applied with a tjanting. Instead of the wooden block associated with block printing, the native uses a sort of die made of wood, on which the design is made by the insertion, edgewise, of thin strips of brass or red copper; in some cases the whole die is made of the red copper. ”

“ The moment we try to commercialize it, that is, to make the same design in quantities, the quality decreases; a great deal of the beauty of a batik lies in the personal touch of the artist or craftsman who makes it, and we may safely say that neither of them is able to do machine work and produce a practically unlimited quantity in a short time. ”

“ The Javanese women employ the “Batik” process largely for the decorations of textiles used in their personal costume. This costume is simple, consisting of an oblong piece of cloth about three to four and one-half yards long by forty-two inches wide, generally called a “sarong.” It is worn wrapped around the waist and tucked in the belt. This costume is worn by both men and women.
A cotton scarf, generally about three yards long by eighteen inches, is also worn, and is used by the women as a “carry-all.” Silk is occasionally used by the nobility for scarfs. ”

“ The intricacy of the design is the determining factor in the number of processes necessary for any given piece of Batik. The more colors desired, the more often will the fabric have to be immersed in the dye bath. The simplest and therefore first process for the beginner is that of dyeing the material one color with the pattern left in the original color of the cloth. ”

“ Batik work helps to supply both these needs. In the first wave of enthusiasm over this work, it seemed as though the need of beautiful form as well as beautiful color was lost sight of. Beautiful color can hardly be avoided with good dyes. The fascination of the color and the dye is such that the need of beautiful shapes was somewhat forgotten at first, and there was a tendency to splash on a design without much regard to beauty of shape or of line and to depend upon the color to make it attractive. ”

“ It not only permits the worker to produce exquisite gowns, scarfs, table covers, bags, curtains, and many other articles that will express her own individuality, and be exactly suited to the color scheme and design of their surroundings, but it also will enable the worker to produce articles of commercial value which are readily salable. As the beauty and value of “Batik” depends almost wholly upon the personal touch and artistic taste of the worker who produces it, there is little likelihood of its being commercialized or produced by mechanical processes. ”

“ Batik is not difficult, the chief requirements are care and time, and the best results are always gotten by giving time to the work and not trying to do it in a rush. As with any other art or craft, one needs to study the medium before using it and another fact that has only been too often forgotten, is, that batik has design and knowledge of colour as its foundation and I would like to advise readers who have not studied these essentials, to leave batik alone until they have acquired some understanding of them. ”

“ And this is another good thing to remember in making a multi-coloured batik which is to have white as part of the colour arrangement. It is always advisable to dye the original white of the fabric some very pale shade, either grey, light tan, pale blue or even pink. If the material is used in its original pure white state, a pleasing effect will never result, as the white [75] will always stand out as a glaring hard spot when it is next to colours that are dyed over each other and consequently blend harmoniously. ”

“ For more elaborate work, where a combination of colors is desired in the design, the painting process may be used. As in the previous cases, the material is stretched on the Batik frame and the design outlined and then waxed in. If a combination of colors is to be used, it is best to have the design in colors on paper as a guide. It is very easy to become confused as to colors to be used on the various sections of the pattern, and mistakes in painting with dyes are serious, as the color can only be removed with a solution of ammonia or washing soda. ”

“ When the worker can produce a piece of Batik or tied-and-dyed with a dye that will last, there is no excuse for careless work. And a piece of the work should receive the time and care in making that its beautiful possibilities deserve.
Batik dye cannot be used hot as the wax would melt. If used very cold the wax tends to crack and the color will creep under the wax. If too hot, that is, over 128 degrees Fahrenheit, the wax melts and the design is blurred or lost. The best temperature for the dye bath is between 90 and 110 degrees Fahrenheit. ”

“ On the other hand, if the buying public knows more about the work than it does now, if they know the time and the care it takes to make a good batik, then I am sure that their desire for good batik will increase and the manufactured product soon will be where the other manufactured arts have gone. ”

“ After dipping, the material should be rinsed thoroughly in luke-warm water. Avoid the use of cold water, especially when another dyeing is to follow, as the cold will cause the wax to become brittle and crack, and unintentional crackling is a sign of poor craftsmanship. If the batik is to be in only one colour it is now ready for the removal of the wax, which is a simple business, consisting of rinsing the fabric very thoroughly in gasoline or Carbona. ”

“ It is not only waste of dye to use a strong solution, but a more durable fast color is secured by allowing the goods to remain in the dye bath until there is a thorough union between the dye and the fiber of the cloth. This union cannot be obtained in a few minutes sufficiently to stand much rough usage. “Make haste slowly” must be the motto of the dyer who wishes a permanent color. Remember the time required in the old indigo and turkey red processes.
[77]
Batik by Ilonka Karasz. Courtesy Academy Art Shop, New York
Batik by Winold Reiss. ”

“ This pillow-top, batiked by a Dutch artist, has native motives, arranged in a symmetrical design. As a batik, it is about the finest piece the writer has been able to find, as there is no flaw in the execution. The stiff geometrical pattern, however, does not give quite such a pleasing effect as the freer Javanese design. A sample of this is shown facing page 14 which is pure Javanese decoration. ”

“ It is not necessary to boil the goods in the dyes, as they work successfully in tepid water and without constant stirring. These dyes are recommended as unusually beautiful and brilliant, yet soft in tone.
Mr. Albert Buell Lewis, Assistant Curator of the Department of Anthropology in the Field Museum, Chicago, has furnished interesting historical data and supplied a number of illustrations from his private collection of “Batiks.” ”

“ Batik is the art of dyeing fabric in one piece in different dyes consecutively, through the combination of which the pattern of the design is produced. The materials used in this process are cotton and very occasionally silk, wax, wax mixed with rosin and dyes. The dyes usually [16] are vegetable although aniline is used, but rarely. ”

“ When dyeing a batik with one colour over the other, the second colour dyed will always be affected by the tone of the first dipping; for instance, suppose your material is dyed yellow the first time, and blue the second, the fabric will not come out as a true blue, but according to the strength of the blue dye, will be either light green, green blue, or if an intense blue has been used, a blue-green will result. ”

“ The cloth is now ready. The wax used is a mixture of rosin, animal fat and beeswax. The proportion of each has been worked out by long experience. A little iron pan or stone jar holds the melted wax. The tjanting, which is the characteristic tool of Batik work, is used to apply the wax. This is a little oval cup made of very thin copper with a slender curved spout projecting from the base of the cup. For a handle, a short piece of reed with a soft pith is used. Tjantings vary in the size and number of spouts. A tjanting with a fine slender spout is used for very narrow lines and small dots. ”

“ Tie-dyed work depends upon tightly wound string or yarn to resist the dye. It also has the advantage of the dye-bath. Though less versatile than batik, it has a time-honored place as a method of beautiful and charming results. The introduction of sticks over which the tying is done, such sticks as are used by the children in stick printing, has opened new problems with added variety and much interest. ”

“ THE VALUE OF A DYE RECORD A dye record is an invaluable asset to a batiker; it is very little trouble to make and the time spent on it will easily be saved when future work is to be speeded up or samples are being made. A record book will prove its value in many ways, particularly if the batiks made are liable to be re-ordered, as for instance, when gowns are decorated for the trade, or if the making of one batik leads to a demand for a second, which perhaps is wanted with the same colour effects although not the same design. ”

“ Dijesselhof considers batik a better way to express himself for his mural decorations than either oil or water colour painting. He uses the brush to a great extent and works with great freedom of execution, making the medium conform to his own particular type of work. Lebeau, on the other hand, after the manner of the Javanese, sees the tjanting as the only tool with which to produce his richly fantastic designs. Lebeau is technically the greater artist and possesses a supreme disregard of time when he is producing a magnificently ornamented textile ”

“ TEMPERATURE OF DYE-BATH A good deal of the failure of success attending the dyeing of a batik depends on the temperature of the dye-bath. Too hot water will of course melt the wax and a too cold bath will make it so brittle that it will crack in unexpected and undesired places. ”

“ It follows that a knowledge of the principles of design must underlie good batik work as well as a knowledge of dyes.
In taking up the other ways in which school children are using dyes, it is well to place emphasis upon the design elements involved. All dyeing as done by craftsmen and in the schools involves design. Even all-over dyeing is carried out with the idea of the dyed piece becoming a part of some larger whole.
The earliest use of dyes in the schools is in stick printing, and here begin the first lessons in pattern dyeing. ”