THE POSSIBILITIES OF BATIK
At this time of industrial and artistic development Batik dyeing comes to
offer a new field for the Arts and Crafts worker.
Today the woman of leisure, as well as the artist, wishes her
individuality to be shown in both the furnishings of her home and in her
own personal belongings. Batik work helps to supply both these needs. In
the first wave of enthusiasm over this work, it seemed as though the need
of beautiful form as well as beautiful color was lost sight of. Beautiful
color can hardly be avoided with good dyes. The fascination of the color
and the dye is such that the need of beautiful shapes was somewhat
forgotten at first, and there was a tendency to splash on a design
without much regard to beauty of shape or of line and to depend upon the
color to make it attractive.
The wonderful possibilities inherent in the process were the only things
that saved it in this stage from the fate of stenciling, etc. Batik
will rank with the art processes that are always beautiful and in use
if the requirements mentioned above are adhered to. One of the chief
requirements for success in this craft is a willingness to take time for
careful and exact work. A successful piece of Batik must be carefully
executed to be of any permanent value. Good craftsmanship is as essential
in this as it is in making a good piece of embroidery or painting.
The present American method of Batik dyeing has varied somewhat from the
old Javanese. It has become simpler and more direct. Time is of very
little value in Java; therefore, the native artists worked without regard
for the time spent.
Specimens of Batik work were carried to Holland during the seventeenth
century by the Dutch East India Company as one of the interesting
products of Java. The work was neither understood nor appreciated at that
time, and the lack of appreciation discouraged any further importation.
Somewhat later the Dutch artists, Chris Lebeau, Eachet and Dysselhof,
appreciating the beauties of this craft, studied it themselves. By their
exquisite work they aroused an interest among artists. From Holland the
craft spread to France, and to the alert artists of these countries we
owe the increased appreciation. The work done in Europe has been applied
to interior decorations rather than to costumes. This side has been left
to the American designer and artist. The costumes illustrated in this
volume are beautiful examples of costume designing in its broadest sense.
Both in Europe and in America considerable experimenting has been done
with different kinds of tools. Various European modifications of the
tjanting have been tried, but none have been received with much favor.
They are, as a rule, heavy and awkward to use in comparison with the
Javanese instrument. Some of the leading workers of America and Holland
consider the Javanese tjanting the most desirable means of outlining,
dotting, etc.
[Illustration: _A Dress of velvet Batik by Ethel Wallace_]
[Illustration: _A Batik Silk Scarf, designed and executed by Helen R.
Reed, Van Dyck Studios, New York_]
[Illustration: _An interesting Batik Blouse, designed by Anna Tyrell, Art
Department, Art Institute of Chicago_]
[Illustration: _A simple, but beautiful Batik Blouse in two tones, by
Noank Studio, New York_]
[Illustration: _Two Batik Blouses, by Florence E. Schell, Lima, Ohio_]
[Illustration: _Batik Garment showing interesting treatment of tjanting
and brush combined, by Helen R. Reed, Van Dyck Studios, New York_]
[Illustration: _“An American Batik,” by Mary Tannahill, shown at the
exhibition of American textiles and costumes, held at the American Museum
of Natural History in New York. “The decoration on this graceful gown is
in the spirit of South Sea Island Art.”_]
[Illustration: _A Batik Robe, by the Noank Studio, New York_]
[Illustration: _One end of a Javanese Sarong. Property of A. B. Lewis_]
The brush is in much more general use than the tjanting and is preferred
by many who have experimented with both. A small red sable, No. 4, is
good for outlining. If it seems to carry too much wax or does not point
well, let the wax harden and trim off the projecting hairs. A No. 6 to a
No. 12 brush will fill in flat surfaces rapidly. With practice, beautiful
line work can be done with a small brush. In the beginning, it is safe
to wipe off a little of the wax on the side of the cup instead of trying
to carry to the cloth all the wax the brush will hold. It is so easy to
drop a bit of wax from an overloaded brush and so troublesome to get it
off that considerable caution pays. If a brush overloaded with hot wax
is set on the cloth, the wax will spread in a drop or blur at the point
where the brush touches the cloth, which will make the line irregular.
Of course, to have an even flow of wax from the brush, the temperature
of the wax must be kept the same. If the worker dips first into wax that
is hot and which sinks into the cloth easily and then into wax that is
so cool that it stays on top of the cloth and refuses to penetrate the
fiber, the finished work will be ragged and uneven about the edges.
While applying the wax the cloth may be held up, free from the table,
with the left hand. With small articles this is quite easy. A larger
piece can be managed in the same way, but this is not recommended as
the very best way. Instead, a wooden frame, adjustable in size at the
corners and faced with cloth, to which the material can be either basted
or pinned, is advised. With a Batik frame such as described the cloth
is held smoothly and firmly in place, making it easy to get good edges
and long smooth lines with either a tjanting or brush. If no frame is
used great care must be exercised to avoid letting the wax penetrate the
cloth and touch anything behind, as it will stick. In lifting it away
the wax covering will be torn from the back of the threads. If this is
not noticed before dyeing the dye will have a chance to penetrate these
fibers and so spoil the clearness of the pattern.
If, in applying, the wax spreads too far over the pattern, it is probably
too hot. To remove the overflow, it will probably be necessary to take
off a larger space than is exactly needed. This will leave ragged edges,
which will need re-waxing. If a drop is spilled in the wrong place while
carrying the brush or tjanting, it must be completely removed or the
finished product will be marred. This cannot be over-emphasized, as it
is usually incompletely done. To remove the wax from a spot or part of a
design, lay the spot over an absorbent pad of some kind, such as a soft
towel folded. Wet the spot with gasoline, benzine or carbona. Continue
wetting and very light rubbing until the wax is completely dissolved and
is either absorbed by the cloth with which you have been patting, or the
pad below.
[Illustration: _Design of a Javanese Sarong. Property of Fay Cooper
Cole_]
Do not pile on more wax in this case, as one may have a lump of wax on
top and the cloth still not be protected. Also the lumps often chip
off in dyeing, exposing the fiber. Take a knife or any edge and remove
the loose wax gently and re-wax. Wax that is too cool will not give a
smooth edge to the design. It is easy to tell by looking at the back of
the cloth whether the wax has penetrated. A thin silk will allow it to
penetrate so easily that the design will be just as clear and distinct on
the back as the front. Heavy cloth will need some retouching on the back,
probably where brush strokes do not quite meet. Sometimes a drop of wax
will seem to penetrate in the middle but will be loose at the edges. This
means that the wax is too cool. A little practice will make the right
temperature easy to estimate.
Some workers lay the cloth on a glass slab to which the wax will not
stick. This cools it before it really penetrates the cloth. Sometimes it
is desirable to follow the outline of the pattern with wax before filling
in the solid parts. To do this, hold the brush vertically as in drawing
any painted brush line. A No. 1 brush is good for very fine lines. In
covering a large space, it is sometimes better to begin waxing in the
center and work outward toward the edge.
[Illustration: _Examples of Batik, done by the students of the Design
Department, Art Institute of Chicago_]
Some means of keeping the wax hot must be provided. It is quite desirable
also to be able to regulate the heat, so gas or alcohol, with suitable
burners, are really best. A bowl of wax may be set in the top of a tea
kettle of boiling water and will hold a good temperature for half an
hour without reheating the water. Wax will smoke over a direct heat and
will, of course, burn. The bristles of a brush will also burn if left in
contact with the bottom of the pan over a direct fire. All bother of this
kind is overcome by having the wax in a bowl set in a pan of hot water.
Once some small girls who were starting this work allowed the water to
splash into the inner bowl. This was afterwards set over the direct
flame. There was a grand explosion and spattering of hot wax.
[Illustration: _Center panel of a Javanese Sarong. Property of A. B.
Lewis_]
Various wax mixtures have been used successfully. A suitable wax must
not scale off, must not get so hard as to crack too freely, and must not
be affected by whatever chemicals are found in the dyes or are used as
mordants. A beeswax and resin mixture, wax with mastic, paraffin with
lard, paraffin and beeswax in varying proportions have all been used
successfully. Paraffin alone is rather brittle and produces too much
“crackle” in cold weather. Beeswax alone is rather too soft to use in
warm weather and not brittle enough if any crackle is desired. Therefore,
mixtures of these various substances suggested give a wax that will
crackle somewhat but not too much. For the beginner it is safe to buy
one of the prepared mixtures on the market and experiment later with
the various possible combinations suggested, after becoming thoroughly
familiar with the result wanted.
The design must, in some way, be got on the cloth. This is a place where
careless work may spoil a beautiful design. The lines on the cloth must
be so carefully and clearly made that the brush can follow them without
the slightest hesitation. All corrections should be made before the
tracing is considered finished and the waxing started. If a mistake
is made with the pencil lines, “Carbona” or gasoline will remove the
wrong marks. A Conte pencil, No. 2, trimmed to a sharp point, is very
satisfactory, especially if the piece is to be dyed several times, as the
marks will not brush off as charcoal or chalk lines will. For a simple
one-process piece, charcoal sharpened carefully will serve satisfactorily.
If the material to be used is thin, which is desirable for first pieces,
the cloth can be pinned carefully on top of the drawing and traced as
just explained. If the cloth is too heavy for the lines of the drawing
to be seen clearly, the back of the design can be rubbed with charcoal,
the design laid carefully in place, charcoal side down. Then with a sharp
hard pencil the lines of the drawing may be traced on the right side.
When the paper is removed, the design will be on the cloth in charcoal
lines. If it is to be dyed in several colors later it will be better
to go over the pattern now with the Conte No. 2 very carefully, as the
charcoal dusts off easily. Use the pencil lightly but clearly with even
lines. The cloth must be pinned or thumb-tacked so firmly that it does
not slide over the design. It is a little harder to fasten exceedingly
thin material like georgette or voile firmly enough to get a good
tracing, so about the weight of medium china silk or thin crepe is the
easiest material to begin with.
[Illustration: _“The Sheep and the Goats.” A modern Batik Wall Hanging,
by Helen R. Reed, the Van Dyck Studios, New York_]
If a design is to be repeated several times, as would be needed for the
border of a curtain, the charcoal rubbing may be the most convenient.
The design can be pricked with a pin and powdered charcoal dusted on the
smooth upper side of the pattern. The danger in this is that too small
a number of points will be pricked to give the design clearly. A better
means of doing this is to follow the pattern with a sewing machine after
removing the thread and presser foot so that the paper can be turned
freely.
Some Batik workers make their design on thin paper which is pinned to the
back of the cloth and the latter placed on a frame set against a window
at about an angle of 45 degrees. This is somewhat on the principle of the
photographers’ retouching frame.
[Illustration: _The end of a Table Cover done in one color Batik, the
white design being done in wax, and the entire piece then dipped_]
[Illustration: _“The Sorceress.” A Batik Wall Hanging, by Arthur Crisp
and Peter Mijer_]
[Illustration: _Detail of a rare Javanese Batik in the American Museum of
Natural History, New York_]