Batik Technique: Batik Ikat, Wrap & Dye

As batik is defined as a technique to decorate cloth using resist methods, we shall introduce another form of batik, called batik ikat. Ikat means to tie in the Malay and Indonesian languages. Batik ikat is not always considered as batik by some of the people in the industry as it is not the usual batik associated with the canting or cap methods traditionally developed by the peoples of the Malay-Indonesian regions.

Batik ikat, like batik tulis, often differs from piece to piece. We owe this to the way this kind of batik is produced. Naturally though, this feature enhances its appeal as each piece is unique. Instead of using wax as a resist for colouring cloths, the resist here used is the natural tying of the cloth. Strategically planned knots at different areas of the cloth are dipped into dyes of varying colours. These can produce various designs in wrap & dye batik such as polka dots, stars, various strips and shape contortions which are sometimes symmetrical in forms.

Often though, they are made mostly for the tourism industry these days, especially in tropical destinations. That having said, the ingenuity of batik ikat makes the creations unique in terms of design and craftmanship, and has its standing among the fashion-conscious and those who go for a different look in their fabrics.

Batik Technique: Tulis, Hand drawn

Sometimes, to appreciate batik better, let us look at how these cloths are being created. There are 3 main techniques in batik creation, namely tulis, cap or ikat. Today, we shall be exploring the tulis method which is considered the most refined, labour intensive and thus priciest and treasured form of batik.

Tulis means “to write” in the Malay and Indonesian language. In the context of batik, it refers to the art of creating batik by hand drawing (or “writing”) the outlines of the motifs onto a piece of cloth.

Canting

This is achieved by using a pen-like tool called the canting or tjanting. (Please refer to the image above). The canting is normally made of wood/bamboo at one end, while the “head” or spout is made of copper (a good heat conductor). It has an opening at the top where molten wax (or a similar base) is filled into the canting, while the end of the spout is a tiny hole, out of which the molten wax shall flow from the canting to the cloth. It functions very much like a pen, where the artisan draws using an ink of molten wax. And like an artist’s set of drawing tools, this comes in different sizes – for drawing motifs of varying degress of fineness (for the common up to very small details).

As previously mentioned in my Introductory article, batik is created using a resist method, where in batik tulis (handdrawn batik), wax is used to cover the area so that the dyes will not penetrate the desired area. Let’s say the artisan is drawing a rose amidst a purple background. To create this effect, the artisan first draws with a pencil the outlines of the rose, and perhaps the repeating patterns on the background. He then “covers” the area of the bouquet with wax. When the wax is dried off, it is then sent to a purple dye bath (or alternatively painted upon with purple dye). Thus only the background is purple, the rose remains under the cover of wax. Then it is left to dry. This process of waxing, drying the wax, dyeing, and drying the dyes gets repeated for every choice of colour and hues used.

Of course, besides the intention of producing a multi coloured effect, the wax can also be used to cover areas which will eventually not be dyed, and hence the original colour of the cloth which is mostly white will remain and can be a pattern or outline of the motifs themselves, e.g. the veins on a leaf or the repetitive lines on a background.

The tulis method is often regarded as the highest form of batik because of the level of skill, effort, time and heart placed when creating batik. That explains why tulis pieces are pricier than cap pieces.

In the coming series, we will explore the cap, and ikat techniques, so stay tuned!