What is Batik ?
Batik is a method of decorating fabric using hot wax and dye. The hot
wax is drawn or painted on to the fabric on the areas which are required
to resist any further dye being absorbed. The fabric can be further
embellished whilst the waxed areas will remain untouched. The word
'Batik' originates from Indonesia and is closely linked with the Malay
word 'titik' which means to dot or point and the word 'amba' which, in
Javanese, means to write. This method of fabric decoration has been
found in many areas of the world but it's origins are believed to be in
India, Sri Lank, China, Southeast Asia, West Africa, Japan and
Turkestan.
"Batik" is Javanese for "wax writing". To batik, one starts with white
or light colored natural fabric (cotton, rayon, silk), roughs in the
design one wants then paints it on with hot wax. Once the wax dries, the
fabric is dipped in or painted with cold-water dye. The waxed areas
repel the dye; thus the term "resist process." After the cloth is dyed,
the wax is removed and voila, the batik pattern appears on both sides of
the fabric, with crackly lines running through the design,
characteristic of batik, where the dye has leaked through the wax. The
fabric can be crunched up after the wax has been applied but before
dyeing, to ensure that this crackling effect is achieved.
The art of batik may have originated in Asia and then spread through
Asia and the Near East. Whatever its origin, it was a highly
accomplished art form in Java and Bali by the thirteenth century,
producing fabrics that only the royal family and aristocracy were
allowed to wear.
Today most batik, including that imported from the Far East, is done by
machine. Our batik is hand crafted, so no two pieces are exactly alike.
Occasionally you may see little flecks or mottling of the dye on the
fabric. These are not flaws, but are a function of the hand-waxing and
dying process and the way cold-water dyes release on different
materials. They are part of what makes our batik distinct.
Batik Design Tools
Although the art form of batik is very intricate, the tools that are
used are still very simple. The canting, believed to be a purely
Javanese invention, is a small thin wall spouted copper container
(sometimes called a wax pen) that is connected to a short bamboo handle.
Normally it is approximately 11 cm. in length. The copper container is
filled with melted wax and the artisan then uses the canting to draw the
design on the cloth.
Canting have different sizes of spouts (numbered to correspond to the
size) to achieve varied design effects. The spout can vary from 1 mm in
diameter for very fine detailed work to wider spouts used to fill in
large design areas. Dots and parallel lines may be drawn with canting
that have up to 9 spouts. Sometimes a wad of cotton is fastened over the
mouth of the canting or attached to a stick that acts as a brush to
fill in very large areas.
Wajan
Wajan is used to melt the waxThe wajan is the container that holds the
melted wax. It looks like a small wok. Normally it is made of iron or
earthenware. The wajan is placed on a small brick charcoal stove or a
spirit burner called an 'anglo'. The wax is kept in a melted state while
the artisan is applying the wax to the cloth.
Wax
Different kinds and qualities of wax are used in batik. Common waxes
used for batik consist of a mixture of beeswax, used for its
malleability, and paraffin, used for its friability. Resins can be added
to increase adhesiveness and animal fats create greater liquidity.
The best waxes are from the Indonesian islands of Timor, Sumbawa and
Sumatra; three types of petroleum-based paraffin (white, yellow and
black) are used. The amounts mixed are measured in grams and vary
according to the design. Wax recipes can be very closely guarded
secrets. Varying colors of wax make it possible to disguise different
parts of the pattern through the various dying stages. Larger areas of
the pattern are filled in with wax that is cheaper quality and the
higher quality wax is used on the more intricately detailed sections of
the design.
The wax must be kept at the proper temperature. A wax that is too cool
will clog the spout of the canting. A wax that is too hot will flow too
quickly and be uncontrollable. The artisan will often blow into the
spout of the canting before applying wax to the cloth in order to clear
the canting of any obstructions.
Cap
Creating batik is a very time consuming craft. To meet growing demands
and make the fabric more affordable to the masses, in the mid-19th
century the . cap. (copper stamp - pronounced chop) was developed. This
invention enabled a higher volume of batik production compared to the
traditional method which entailed the tedious application of wax by hand
with a canting.
Each cap is a copper block that makes up a design unit. Cap are made of
1.5 cm wide copper stripes that are bent into the shape of the design.
Smaller pieces of wire are used for the dots. When complete, the pattern
of copper strips is attached to the handle.
The cap must be precisely made. This is especially true if the pattern
is to be stamped on both sides of the fabric. It is imperative that both
sides of the cap are identical so that pattern will be consistent.
Sometimes cap are welded between two grids like pieces of copper that
will make a base for the top and the Applying wax with cap bottom. The
block is cut in half at the center so the pattern on each half is
identical. Cap vary in size and shape depending on the pattern they are
needed for. It is seldom that a cap will exceed 24 cm in diameter, as
this would make the handling too difficult.
Men usually handle the application of wax using cap. A piece of cloth
that involves a complicated design could require as many as ten sets of
cap. The usage of cap, as opposed to canting, to apply the wax has
reduced the amount of time to make a cloth.
Today, batik quality is defined by cap or tulis, the second meaning
hand-drawn designs which use a canting, or kombinasi, a combination of
the two techniques.
Traditional colors for Central Javanese batik were made from natural
ingredients and consisted primarily of beige, blue, brown and black.
The oldest color that was used in traditional batik making was blue. The
color was made from the leaves of the Indigo plant. The leaves were
mixed with molasses sugar and lime and left to stand overnight.
Sometimes sap from the Tinggi tree was added to act as a fixing agent.
Lighter blue was achieved by leaving the cloth in the dye bath for short
periods of time. For darker colors, the cloth would be left in the dye
bath for days and may have been submerged up to 8 - 10 times a day.
In traditional batik, the second color applied was a brown color called
soga. The color could range from light yellow to a dark brown. The dye
came from the bark of the Soga tree. Another color that was
traditionally used was a dark red color called mengkuda. This dye was
created from the leaves of the Morinda Citrifolia.
The final hue depended on how long the cloth was soaked in the dye bath
and how often it was dipped. Skilled artisans can create many variations
of these traditional colors. Aside from blue, green would be achieved
by mixing blue with yellow; purple was obtained by mixing blue and red.
The soga brown color mixed with indigo would produce a dark blue-black
color.
Javanese Batik
Batik is one of Java's famous and highly developed art traditions,
together with wayang (shadow puppets), gamelan (Javanese orchestra) and
keris (the dagger - heirloom).
Anywhere, batik designed materials are clearly seen as women traditional
dresses, shirts, uniforms, sarongs, bags, hats, table-cloths, napkins,
painting and decorative items, etc, with traditional color of brown,
indigo and blue or more colorful ones.
Nowadays, batik is an important industry in many production centers in
Java. It is a proof that the people of Java do love the products, long
time ago created by their ancestors.
Batik Yogyakarta
Yogyakarta Batik is part of the historical development in Central Java
batik which has undergone a mix several shades of other regions.
Travel "Yogya Batik" can not escape from the agreement Giyanti 1755.
Once Mataram split in two, and Kraton Ngayogyakarta stands, clothing
transported from Surakarta Mataram to the Sri Susuhunan Ngayogyakarta
Pakubuwono II designing new clothing and custom clothing with a fashion
different from Surakarta Kraton Yogyakarta.
All heritage and palace objects are also divided by two. Clothing
Mataraman taken to Yogyakarta, because Kangjeng Prince Mangkubumi who
wishes to preserve it. Therefore, under the rule of Sri Paduka Surakarta
Susuhunan PB III designing new fashion and managed to make Traditional
Clothing Surakarta royal palace as we see today.
Characteristic of batik style of
Yogyakarta, there are two kinds of
background or base color fabric. White and Black. While color can be
white batik (cloth color), dark blue-black and brown Soga. Sered or
suburban fabric, white, sought not to break so conceded soga, both black
and white fabric background. The first decoration was geometric: slash
lerek or slopes, the lines cross or fried and kawung, as well as matting
and limaran.Decoration that is both non-geometric cement, lung-lungan
and boketan.
Symbolic ornamentation that is closely associated with Hindu philosophy -
Java (Mrs.Nian S Jumena), among others: Sawat Symbolize or ruler high
crown, symbolizing the mountain Meru or ground (earth), the Dragon
symbolizes water, the bird symbolizes the wind or the world above, the
flame symbolizes the flame or geni. Dilarangan batik motifs: Parang
damaged (damaged barong machetes, machetes damaged gendreh)
