Introduction

A batik design is built up colour by colour, starting with the lighter tints and working through to the darkest, using a sequence of wax, dye, rinse, dry. The process is repeated over and over, building up the many colours you require. Finally, when the design is complete and the wax is removed, what remains is a piece of fabric with your design impregnated in to the fibers. The concept of starting with highlights can be confusing at first, but as you progressively wax and dye and the design comes to life, the technique of batik will become easier to comprehend.

We want you to discover how versatile and adaptable batik is. You do not have to be good at drawing or painting to produce stunning results because the wax, dyes and fabric do a lot of the work for you. We are intended to provide a starting point from which you can develop your own ideas. Once you have understood the basic principle that wax and water resist each other, then you will quickly gain confidence to develop the technique further.