Drawing your inspiration from nature, create a simple motif or design for a T-shirt. Images may be realistic or abstracted. The projects must include work with tjanting tool, paintbrush, and at least three dyebaths.

Grade Levels

9–12

Lesson Objective

• To learn the processes involved in traditional batik and in color layering with dye.

Procedure

1. Plan out your design. Sketch your design out on paper. Decide what color goes where and figure out how you can layer the color from lightest to the darkest. Remember that the color underneath will affect the next color that you dye. For example: if your first color is yellow and then you dye your shirt blue, you will get green.
2. Cover the piece of cardboard with some plastic sheeting and put it inside of the shirt.
3. Sketch out your design with an auto fade pen or lightly with pencil onto the fabric. Melt the wax. Make sure that the wax is hot enough to penetrate the fabric, but not so hot that it is smoking.
4. If there are any areas to be left white, you will want to wax those areas first. Use the tjanting tool for drawing lines and the paintbrush to wax in any shapes. If you do not want any areas white, you can dye the shirt in your first color. Hints for the tjanting tool and painting: Let the tool heat up in the hot wax for a little bit. If the tool is warm the wax will not cool too fast. Hold a folded piece of fabric under the tool or brush as you carry it from the wax pot to your piece to catch any drips.
5. First dyebath. Following the directions on the Procion MX bottle for tub dyeing, use cold water for your first color. It is helpful to dissolve the soda ash in a little hot water on the side before adding it to the dyebath. Rinse well with cool water and Synthrapol. Hang to dry.
6. After the T-shirt has dried, apply wax in areas that you want to stay this color. If you have any white areas you may want to touch up the wax.
7. Repeat this dyeing and waxing process for the next colors building up your image and layering color.
8. After you have completed the last dyebath, and the fabric has been rinsed and dried, it is time to melt out the wax.
9. Protect the surface you are ironing on with lots of layers of newsprint. Lay a few layers of newsprint on top and underneath the waxed areas. Use a dry iron and iron over the newsprint. The wax will melt and be absorbed into the newsprint. Replace the layers of newsprint as they become saturated. Continue to iron until you get the wax out. After you have gotten as much wax as you can out of the fabric, you can take it to a dry cleaner to remove the rest if you desire.

National Standards

Content Standard #1 — Understanding and applying media, techniques and processes

5-8 Students intentionally take advantage of the qualities and characteristics of art media, techniques and processes to enhance communication of their experience and ideas.

9-12 Students apply media, techniques and processes with sufficient skill, confidence and sensitivity that their intentions are carried out in their artworks.

Content Standard #2 — Using knowledge of structures and functions.

5-8 Students select and use the qualities of structures and functions of art to improve communication of their ideas.

9-12 Students create artworks that use organizational principles and functions to solve specific visual arts problems.

(enlarge)

(enlarge)

(enlarge)