Techniques of Producing Batik Design by 'Chanting'

One of many techniques in producing making Batik design is by using a tool called 'CHANTING'.  By incorporating natural resources, such designs are produced more creatively.  In this regard, local youths are encouraged to identify potential opportunities in Brunei Darussalam to develop the demand for Batik as a high-value and world-known product in the future.

The Embassy of Republic of Indonesia in collaboration with the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sport had organized ' The Batik Workshop With Natural Dyes ' held here for the first time. According to the embassy's Counsellor, the workshop was well received by the participants and he hoped that it will provide more ideas as well as expanding Brunei's economy through creative field. Deny Tri Basuki added, the nation has great potential in further developing its economy especially in terms of blending natural colours for textile materials.

Deny Tri Basuki also observed that Brunei Darussalam have vast areas of rain forests with its rich flora, hence they believed economic potential in this field can be achieved. This was evident with their recent discovery of yellow-coloured sap found inside a small tree branch which can be used as  a natural Batik dye, all in once proved that Brunei's natural resources are indeed possess the said potential for natural dyes in textile manufacturing industry. He further explained that the workshop explores the idea of integrating natural dyes in Batik textiles without using chemical colours is made possible.

The two-day programme was conducted by a professional expert from Indonesia to guide the participants on how to learn to produce a good Batik design as a valuable product by using only natural colours extracted from plants found abundantly in the country. Workshop instructor and researcher, Venny Afwany Alamsyah provided an insight on producing great Batik designs using Chanting technique which is actually one of the tools used in creating Indonesian Batik. She went on to say that participants got the chance to know and learn all about the whole process of making Batik as well as explored possible ways to make good use of the nation's natural resources for natural dyes.

It is hoped that the sharing of information to make good quality batik as reflected in this workshop, local community and youths will be able to give new input in expanding creative arts in Brunei Darussalam.

source :

http://www.rtbnews.rtb.gov.bn/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=13732%3Atechniques-of-producing-batik-design-by-chanting&Itemid=80

Here's The User Guide and Tool Kit; Go Get Started Batik Chanting

BELOW is how to making batik in five steps:

Step one:

i) A piece of natural fiber cloth (100 per cent cotton or silk recommended).

ii) Paraffin wax (You can melt down candles).

iii) Cold water dyes, kind of a specialty, ask at your fabric store, (I use Dylon Cold Water, the stuff you use for tie dyes).

iv) A pot that can get messy, and a can or jar in which to melt down the wax.

v) An Idea of what you want to sketch on paper.

Step two:

i) Figure out what colours you want and where, this is elaborate, you probably want to start with something simple, just a few colours.

ii) Stretch out your fabric on a frame, you can just cut up a piece of cardboard and duct tape it together.

iii) If you like you can sketch lightly in pencil directly on the fabric your idea, (careful, don't make it too dark, especially if you use light colours, you can see the sketch through the dyes).

iv) Put your jar or can full of wax into a pot of water and boil the water, the wax will melt, be careful to keep the water topped up outside of the jar.

Step three:

i) Assuming you have white in your batik, this will be where you wax first, using a paint brush, brush wax only in the area you want to keep white.

ii) Once the first layer of wax is applied, soak the whole piece of fabric in your lightest colour, (yellow, pink, orange,) until it is as dark as you want it, then hang it to dry.

iii)You do not have to soak your fabric, you may choose to brush or pour the dye on it, but soaking let the cloth absorb colour well.

iv) If you have no white, you will want to dye (or brush) your cloth first in the lightest colour(s) you will ultimately want to see.

This image is poor, but if you look closely, you'll see waxed over white spots in the yellow, (the dye will not set in the cloth where the wax is).

v) Wait for it to dry completely, this art entails a lot of patience.

Step four:

i) Now we just layer on colours, begin with the lightest shades. If your first colour was yellow, you wax over the places where you wish the yellow to remain.

ii) Once waxed, apply the next colour, be it orange, pink, alight green. You will find that some colours mix with previous ones and some cover them up quite well, it's all trial and error really. Also note, the length of time you allow the fabric to dye will darken the colour.

iii) You may wish to brush colours on with a paintbrush. Note in the example, It is dabbed different colours in different places on the cloth, this allows more variety.

Once the dye has dried, wax over the part which you want to remain that colour and continue layering with darker colours.

Note: once you make it dark, you can't make it lighter again, so be sure to go through from all the lighter colours to darker ones.

Very important: Always dry the fabric completely before adding the next layer of wax, if the fabric does not dry completely, the wax will not set and the next dyes will bleed in under the wax. 

If you like the crumpling bled look (picture on top right) crumple the fabric as you dunk it in the dye, this will create random seams in the wax where dye may seep in. If you don't like it, Don't fold or crumple your fabric at all and be very careful that your wax seeps into the fabric completely.

Step five: When you finish the design with waxing and dyeing, and all the dye is dried well (this take a few days), boil a container of water and soak the cloth in it to remove the wax. To remove wax further, place the Batik between sheets of newspaper and iron the newspaper.

The wax will seep out of the batik and into the paper. Change the paper frequently and try to get all of the wax out.

source :
http://www.bt.com.bn/features/2009/08/07/heres_the_user_guide_and_tool_kit_go_get_started