Apa yang Akan Anda Lakukan di Kelas Batik?

When you want to get a batik garment as one of the Bali souvenirs that you will bring home, there are two ways to get one. Firstly, you can visit any batik or souvenir shops and buy a piece of batik fabric or a finished clothing article made from batik garment. An alternative—and often fun and interesting—way would be to make the batik yourself.

How can you make the batik yourself if you have no experience in doing so? You can join any batik class in Denpasar and other places in Bali. Some batik studios in those places also open a class for visitors who wish to practice the making bating from the earliest stage of the process until they can make a finished product. A theoretical explanation of the process will be described below, but if you want to join the fun, you should familiarize yourself not only with the theory but also with the real practice.

Preparation

Before you make your own Batik Bali, you need to do some preparatory activities first. This includes drawing the pattern using a pencil on the white muslin. You have complete freedom of what you will draw on it, so pick any patterns and include any drawing elements, such as initial or monogram, that you like the most.

Waxing

The second stage of the process is applying beeswax on the pattern to create a negative. This is done by using a hot pot to keep the wax in liquid form and an instrument called tjanting to apply the wax to the pattern.

Dyeing

After you finish waxing the fabric, you will dye it by either using a brush or by soaking the fabric in a dye solution. The area where the beeswax is applied to will remain white during the dyeing, hence the negative.

Wax removal or second waxing

Traditionally, after the dyeing stage, the second waxing procedure is required to coat the entire surface of the fabric with wax. The purpose of this second waxing procedure is to create a crackle effect on the fabric. For beginners, however, wax removal will often be done after dyeing. The removal is done using either a repeated ironing technique or hot water.

If the second waxing procedure is carried out, the removal of the wax will take more time and energy. You may need to iron the fabric multiple times using several sheets of paper to absorb the melting wax. Designing your own Batik Bali is the most satisfying way to get a unique souvenir when you are in Bali.