Imparts Basic Skills and Techniques in Batik Making

The beauty of Batik products that is exclusive to the region, in particular those produced by Malaysia and Indonesia, attracts Batik lovers from all over the world.  The fame of traditional Batik craft or art also attracted the interest of some parties in Brunei Darussalam to explore and join the Batik industry.

Although the batik making industry is relatively new in the Brunei Darussalam, various efforts have been taken by several parties to increase batik production.  Among them was the Batik Making Workshop organised by the Youth Development Centre.  During the workshop, participants were taught the basic skills and technique of making Batik, starting from sketching the designs up to the colouring process.

It's not easy to produce the fine and perfect Batik designs.  It takes a lot of time, patience and diligence.  The existence of Batik provides its lovers access to designs or patterns that encompass beauty, quality and exclusiveness.  Batik is produced in varying motifs, including in patterns depicting flora and fauna. These are chosen based on their uniqueness. The conductor of the Batik Workshop, Hajah Che Yam binti Che Ibrahim said making Batik required time and creativity.  It includes life-learning process, and for Brunei Darussalam, local ideas, ways and creativity are important, in order to come out with the art in Brunei, Brunei Batik.

Batik is not only synonym with Malaysia or Indonesia, but also has a universal character. It's the patterns that differentiate them.  In Malaysia, the products of this handicraft or art are a national heritage that Malaysian communities are proud of, because of the creativity and skills involved. Normally when one speaks of Batik Lukis or drawn or sketched Batik, it reminds of one Batik Kelantan or Terengganu. Meanwhile, among the most popular cultures of the Javanese of Indonesia is the craft of written Batik that contributes to their economy. This has motivated sections of the Javanese community to take measures to preserve and protect the traditional heritage.  In Brunei Darussalam, parties involved in the local Batik industry should diversify it and explore new trends if they want to continue developing and strengthening. They should also be sensitive to the needs and demands of the global markets.

source :

http://www.rtbnews.rtb.gov.bn/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=16106%3Aimparts-basic-skills-and-techniques-in-batik-making&Itemid=80

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

Learning to Make Batik From Zainal Abidin Hj Ibrahim Master Craftsman

A TOTAL of 32 Year 11 students from Pehin Datu Seri Maharaja Secondary School, accompanied by their teachers, made an educational visit to Desamas Batik factory yesterday, where they were given an opportunity to produce their own Batik.

At Desamas Batik, they met local batik master craftsman, Brunei's batik designer, Haji Zainal Abidin bin Hj Ibrahim who taught the students how to utilise heated candles to wax their drawings, using a toolset called “canting”. Before “chanting”, the students designed their “motif” (artistic drawings) on the four-metre long fabric using pencil.

The group also learnt about Haji Zainal Abidin Hj Ibrahim’s research on using natural ingredients such as local plants as opposed to synthetic ingredients for the batik.

According to one of the teachers, Rose, the practical trip was very relevant for their Art as well as English classes. Concerning their Art classes, the trip gave the students a chance to practice and experience the making of batik as well as meeting the master craftsman.

It also provided an opportunity for their English classes where the school’s English Department had recorded an interview with Hj Zainal Abidin Hj Ibrahim for their English listening practices.

“I like to do this kind of things with the students, because it gives them something that is more real and practical. It also gives them confidence in what they can do and the batik they produced will be valued.”

Rose added that the students have already started doing their batik design at school, thus their trip to Batik Desamas was a valuable experience. She stressed that it is important for the students to explore what is happening in Brunei rather than relying mostly on stocked recordings at the school.

In an interview, Hj Zainal Abidin Hj Ibrahim was delighted to host the workshop for the students at Batik Desamas. He believed that the batik making will not only enhance the creativity of the students but can also teach valuable lessons such as teamwork and coordination.

Brunei Students waxing Batik’s motive at Batik Desamas

Although the programme with students yesterday involved the usage of synthetic ingredients, Hj Zainal Abidin Hj Ibrahim believed that with the introduction of natural colours in the making of batik, more people will be attracted to purchase batik for its natural appeal.

He also emphasised that batik is a good medium to promote local identities through its motif or pattern designs.

Hj Zainal Abidin Hj Ibrahim is also providing a workshop on how to use natural resources for making batik at the Indonesian Embassy in Brunei Darussalam today (August 28) and tomorrow. He hoped that through the workshop, more people will be aware of the beauty of batik’s natural colours.

According to Rose, the top three students will be invited to attend the workshop. The students were selected by the school’s Art Department, based on their mid-year examination results and also how far they have progressed in preparing for their respective portfolios on batik.

Apart from making batik for local gowns, Batik Desamas is also trying to make batik for Kimono and other foreign traditional clothing. In his upcoming trip for an exhibition in Korea, Hj Zainal Abidin Hj Ibrahim will use natural colouring to demonstrate the process of making batik.

source :

http://borneobulletin.brunei-online.com.bn/?p=110722

Brunei Batik Maker Jumps Into Digital Age

FOR the past five years, local batik maker Zainal Abidin Hj Ibrahim is so far the only one in Brunei to venture into digital batik making where unlike traditional batik making, digital batik does not require hand-drawing or the molten wax process.

Zainal Abidin Hj Ibrahim admits that there has been some debate on the authenticity of digital batik as it is not hand-drawn the traditional way. 

"There is a movement away from traditional batik to digital batik, but some people debate about the orgininality of a digitally-made batik as the patterns are made through the computer, which is considered a machine," said Zainal Abidin Hj Ibrahim.

Overriding such arguments, Zainal Abidin Hj Ibrahim believes the step towards digital batik is just a revolutionary development of batik since its existence hundreds of years ago in Asia. Digital batik making has allowed Zainal's local batik business, Batik Desa Mas, to expand by being innovative using digital designs. Batik Desa Mas was formed in 2000, 12 years ago.

The Brunei Times
http://www.bt.com.bn/features/2012/05/13/batik-maker-jumps-digital-age

Zainal Abidin Hj Ibrahim A Pioneering Digital Batik Artisan

Local batik maker Zainal Abidin checking his batik designs

LOCAL batik maker Zainal Abidin Hj Ibrahim has made a name for himself when he became one of the few who pioneered into digital batik making. Unlike traditional batik making, digital batik does not require hand-drawing or the molten wax process.

"What was holding back my batik business in the past was the need for batik pattern artists and the ingredients needed to produce the patterns such as candle wax and material. With digital batik I do not need any of these," said Zainal Abidin Hj Ibrahim.

Zainal assures that digital batik making is the same as the traditional batik-making process where the only difference is the design of patterns via digital technology.

"Once the patterns get printed off, we still need to use the fixing of colours onto the material through a steaming process to ensure the patterns and colour will stay. It is a more commercial and technological process than the traditional one," said Zainal.

At 61 years old Zainal Abidin Hj Ibrahim is able to master software such as Photoshop Illustrator to come up with his digital batik designs. Zainal comes up with his own designs while he prints and produces them outside of Brunei.

"I can say digital batik has allowed me to bypass the traditional needs of batik making process. It ensured the survival of my batik business," said Zainal.

During the 12-year period in batik business Zainal has learnt that batik designs evolves according to the country where batik thrives. Zainal believes and encourages Bruneians to come up with its own unique batik designs that can be developed through instilling local motives and identities. His batik business has been aspiring to do so.

"Batik is not part of the local tradition but we can come up with our own batik designs with our own identity and values. This is what I am trying to do, offering made-in-Brunei batik," said Zainal.

Zainal realises that it is obvious Brunei would not be able to develop batik at a level which transpires into its culture and tradition such as in Indonesia where batik patterns have been noted to exist since the 12th century or even earlier depending on different sources.

"Indonesia has made batik as part of its tradition. Different patterns are given different names. They have a stock file of their own original designs. Batik is part of the Indonesian tradition which would be very hard to fade," said Zainal.

In 2009, UNESCO designated Indonesian batik as a "Masterpiece of Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity".

Zainal underlined the birth of Malaysian batik in the seventies when it was introduced as a form of art in educational institutions like the then Institute Technology Malaysia (ITM) or presently known as MARA University of Technology(UiTM).

It has been contested whether the origins of batik in Malaysia were brought and taught by Indonesia. However when it was introduced to such institutions it was emphasised the batik designs was to be developed based on more Malaysian designs to ensure more original patterns.

"Young Malaysians then were vigorous towards the aim of creating their very own batik where they instilled designs from the villages around Malaysia," said Zainal.

In terms of batik, Malaysians were more innovative in trying to create their own designs.

Zainal is confident that Brunei has the traditional designs that can be incorporated into local batik designs especially with more alternatives. The batik-making process now is more accessible to wider groups of people with the presence of digital batik making. Zainal now produces his batik design through four different processes; the melting wax process, the batik stamping process, the batik screen printing process and the batik digital making process.

The Batik Desa Mas boutique can be found at the Sumbangsih Mulia Building along Jalan Beribi.

The Brunei Times
http://www.bt.com.bn/features/2012/05/13/pioneering-digital-batik-artisan

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

Brunei Batik Maker Plans Europe Foray

THE proprietor of Batek Desamas, Zainal Abidin Hj Ibrahim, has struck a deal with a Philippine-based company to turn his designs into accessory items, such as handbags, for export to the European market.

The venture, which is still in the research and development stage, was developed during a trip arranged by the Ministry of Industry and Primary Resources two months ago to attend a fair in the Philippines.

Some of the batik products of Zainal Abidin Hj Ibrahim 

Prototype pieces have already been designed, incorporating Zainal’s batik by a manufacturing company in Cebu.

‘‘Design-wise, Brunei’s batik is one of the best in the industry. Malaysian VIP’s as well as Japanese companies have shown keen interest in the batik I produce,’’ Zainal Abidin Hj Ibrahim, told The Brunei Times. 

However, due to the lack of facilities for mass production, the pioneer in Brunei’s batik scene said, he was unable to meet the criteria in order to sustain a profitable trade with global partners.

There are plans for Batik Desamas to invest in better infrastructure and facilities to meet demand once the deal with the Philippine firm goes through.

In the meantime, Zainal Abidin Hj Ibrahim,  is teaching a few students on the art of batik making.

Batik Desamas is also using batik on furniture to entice the public to purchase its creations.

‘‘Batik can be commercialised very easily... Right now, we’re injecting batik into furniture pieces (such as) standing lamps and curtains,’’ said Zainal’s student, Amir Hj Sapar, who has helped his guru seek new applications for batik designs.

‘‘Brunei needs to create the industry for batik, but our batik needs to seek its own identity. Our designs must be distinct from that of the Javanese and Malaysian batiks,’’ according to Zainal. 

At present, he said for commercial interests, his batiks are Malaysian-inspired, slightly infused with Bruneian designs such as the air muleh (traditional Brunei design) and Simpur flower. 

By educating the public on the art of batik making, Zainal is hopeful Brunei will be able to create its own distinct motif. This, he said, will make local batik more attractive in the export market.

The Brunei Times
http://www.bt.com.bn/2007/12/29/brunei_batik_maker_plans_europe_foray

Designing Nascent Brunei Batik Trade

HERE'S one business that need not worry about competition: Batik Desamas. Awg Zainal Abidin Hj Ibrahim is Brunei's sole batik producer and although he faces no local rivals, he wishes to see batik emerge from its tiny cottage industry shell into a sizeable sector.

It is, however, undeniably difficult to drive a batik industry into a recognisable at par with the lucrative batik markets of Malaysia and Indonesia when you are going it alone. 

 Zainal Abidin Hj Ibrahim started getting acquainted with batik painting in 2000, but due to his lack of knowledge in batik production he ceased his ambitious operation just a few years later. The attempt, nevertheless, showed him a sign that there was something in the venture that consumers would appreciate. During the initial period of his foray into batik production, he was invited to exhibit his art in a garment exhibition in Tokyo.

"I felt small next to the Malaysian and Indonesian businesses. But, surprisingly, a lot of Singaporeans and other foreign buyers were visiting my humble booth and some even bought my designs."

Zainal Abidin Hj Ibrahim rekindled his love for batik painting in 2005 and is now actively marketing his art to local consumers. During a trade exhibition, Pehin Kapitan Lela Diraja Awang Goh King Chin invited Zainal to set up shop at his building, the Sumbangsih Mulia Building in the Beribi industrial estate.

Batik Desamas is now the designated platform for  Zainal Abidin Hj Ibrahim to showcase his art and sell them to batik lovers. 

"Brunei needs to create the industry for batik, but our batik needs to seek its own identity. Our designs must be distinct to that of the Javanese and Malaysian batiks," Zainal said, adding that at the moment, for commercial interest, his batiks are Malaysian inspired infused slightly with Bruneian designs such as the air muleh and Simpur flower.

"I will slowly try ... to introduce my batik towards Bruneian motifs."

He has established his trademark by using a part opaque, part translucent cotton material.

Raw materials imported from China are not cheap, so he cannot afford to sell his art at a lower price. Zainal Abidin Hj Ibrahim imports cotton and silk from China because the materials available in Brunei are not suitable for batik painting.

Zainal Abidin Hj Ibrahim feels that it is his responsibility to teach the art of batik making to Bruneians and other interested groups. At the moment, he teaches tuition classes and according to him, most of his students are locals.

"I am trying to understand the Brunei market and I want to teach them the batik-making process in order to develop human resource for the batik industry."

In terms of the local market, he is confident that he is able to survive but does not have the capacity to develop bigger.

"Put simply, I can create the market and industry and I know Brunei has the potential (for batik making). However, the industry needs financial backing."

At the moment, to realise his dreams for the budding industry, Zainal is grooming a few people to the art.

The creative batik painter is able to churn out 10-15 garments a month (each garment measures two to four metres) and he caters to personal requests as well. Zainal is planning to introduce batik for interiors such as upholstery and curtains.

For a boost to Batik Desama's bottom line, Zainal looks forward to "Hari Raya (which) is usually a more profitable period for my business, much like other businesses in Brunei." 

The Brunei Times
http://www.bt.com.bn/business/2007/08/11/designing_nascent_batik_trade