BATIK is a method of printing, using wax to permeate part of fabric in order to prevent the dye to penetrate all over, and therefore create patterns.
There are different techniques of how to use the wax and dye. Some printers will use a little reservoir tracing the wax design as a pencil, some will use a block which will be done in such a way that repeating its print, the fabric will be covered all over. The art of the trade is to make a design were the repeat is difficult to trace.
Depending of the origin of where the batik is made, the block will be made of tin, copper or wood.
A wood block will make a very blur design, were the copper one will be the finest.
Once block with hot wax is printed, the fabric will be rolled or folded and dipped in a dye bath, then the rolls will be thrown in boiling water to remove the wax and therefore reveal the design.
This process, will make a simple 2 colours effect. Adding more wax and dipping the fabric in some colour again will give a more complex design/colours, but this can lead to saturation of colours (too many different colours added).
At Arizali, we choose to use block print, using 1 process, but playing with colour effects while the wax is still on. This gives stunning effect and leave a very wide range of choice for colours and patterns.
