The Armour Archive

I just bought some “resist” so I can try my hand at batik. The plan is to create something that looks block printed, but will last longer under very rough use.

I know I’m not the first one to try this. Can anyone offer some tips they’ve found through trial and error?

-Halbrust

Batik is a messy process if you're using wax as your resist, what with the boiling and the washtub. Gets all over.

Batik's effect is also more impressionistic. Cloudy outlines, wrinkles of the dark overdye coming through on the lighter areas, distinctive to batik and not a block-print kind of thing.

What have you got against dyeing? D'you think we should just wear fibres in their natural colours?

I wish I could help but I've never done batik before.

I'm using a non wax resist, so it should be a littel less messy.

I had never heard of batik, but found it searching on the Rit dye website. I was looking for info about block printing, or stamping, with fabric dye. The videos they showed made batik it look real easy, and similar to the look of block printing.

Hope it works that way when I try!

Fun I'm sure. But I don't think it's going to look anything like block printing.

I have found that for fighting applications, dyeing is a lot of hassle for little return. My preferred method is to use stencil brushes and screenprinting inks. For resists, I use anything from masking tape to adhesive shelf liner, to plain paper stencils. Using the stencil brushes really grinds the pigments into the fabric, and I don't have much problem with the garment outlasting its decorative treatment.

I have found that fabric paints do not hold up as well as screenprinting inks.

Batik is a process I've found to be a PITA. But then, I call it yuzen...