Art - Batik
Batik is the art of creating patterns on fabric using wax and dye. Lines and shapes are marked out on the fabric with malleable, melted wax and the fabric is then immersed in a bath of dye. The waxed areas resist the dye and the colour of the fabric is preserved. For each successive colour, more wax and dye is applied. When the design is finally finished, all the wax is removed in hot water, leaving the fabric soft and smooth.
A feature of batik is the crackle, which is the fine marbled effect which develops through the design as the wax cracks during the dying process, allowing tiny amounts of dye to penetrate. This can be controlled by using different waxes e.g. beeswax.
Batiks can be dyed numerous times, and many colours can be created when two separately dyed colours overlap.