Making a Batik

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Materials

  • A frying pan to heat wax in
  • paraffin wax
  • bee's wax (optional for less crinkles)
  • white cloth (an old sheet or t-shirt)
  • a box to pin the batik to while waxing
  • paint brushes of all different sizes
  • pins
  • dye
  • bucket or large bowl for mixing dye
  • an iron
  • newspapers and paper bags

 
Sea Anemone
By Alex
 
 Steps in making a batik
  1. Adult supervision is always needed.
  2. Never leave the wax alone or let it get too hot. It can easily catch on fire!
  3. Make a simple drawing and trace it lightly on a piece of cloth.
  4. Heat the paraffin wax in the frying pan.
  5. Add some bee's wax, if you wish, to lessen the crinkle lines in your batik.
  6. Pin the cloth to the open side of a box.
  7. Decide what you want to keep white and paint melted wax on just that part.
  8. Mix a light colored dye in a bucket or large bowl
  9. Put the cloth in the light colored dye.
  10. Let it dry.
  11. Decide what you want to remain that light color.
  12. Wax just the part you want to remain the light color.
  13. Dye it a second color that is darker than the first color.
  14. Again let it dry.
  15. If you want a third color, wax what you want to remain the medium color.
  16. Dye it a dark color and let it dry.
  17. Then wax all of the cloth.
  18. Put a paper bag smoothly under your work and over your work.
  19. Put newspaper under and over everything.
  20. Iron it until all of the wax is out of the batik.
  21. Exchange the paper for new sheets, if needed.
  22. Enjoy.

 
Ochre Star
By Robert

 
Octopus
By Graham

 
Crab
By Brian

 
Bat Star
By Vanessa and Briana