Batik Tutorial

Here is a step by step process of my batik. To start you will need a square of muslin or 100% cotton.  If you have pinking sheers cut along the edges so that they won't fray. You will also need a white piece of paper to draw designs and a concoction to substitute wax.  Mix 1 cup flour, 1 cup water, and 1 tsp alum (it's used to make pickles) and put it in a bottle with a skinny top so the kids can draw with it. *Note this won't work without the alum.

Step 1: Trace fabric onto paper so you know how big to draw your design.  Once you draw your design in pencil go over it in sharpie. 

Step 2: Put fabric over the drawing and trace it with the flour concoction, let dry.

Step 3: Once the flour paste is dry paint with tempura.  *It has to be permanent Tempura

*Note only the first layer of paint will stay in the end.  Make sure you use the initial color you put down is the one you want to show in the end.

It will probably bleed through the fabric a little so make sure you are doing it on a piece of paper.

Step 4: Finish painting and let dry completely

Step 5: Once your fabric is completely dry (not cold) you can start peeling of the flour paste.

Step 6: Once you have all the paste off wash out all the excess paint

Lay it out to dry and you are finished!  Notice that the colors in the bottom right hand corner changed.  This is because I started painting it yellow first and then changed it to a reddish brown.  I discovered that whatever color you put down first is what soaks into the fabric and everything else gets washed away. As you can see, anywhere the flour paste was is now the color of the fabric.  The flour paste acts as a resist to the paint. 

I included this photo at the bottom just to show you the difference between before and after you wash it and the color change that occurred in mine.

Overall I am happy with the result.  Most people do a pattern design, but I had a lot of fun doing a landscape.  I paint giraffes in my personal work and wanted to continue the theme here.

You can find another tutorial example at  http://theartofkids.blogspot.com/