Glue Batik

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Batik is a wax-resist fabric dyeing technique that
originated in Indonesia. To make batik-making more
child-friendly, wax can be replaced with white
glue or blue gel glue to make arious exciting
batik crafts and pro!ects.
"afety Tips
#atch out for this sign .
It means adult help is
needed for the particular step.
$aterials
%anas or cotton fabric
&abric paint or acrylic paint
#ashable white glue or 'lmer(s washable blue
gel glue
)aint brushes
)lastic wrap or plastic placemat
"teps
*.
)repare your fabric
%ut canas or cotton fabric into the desired si+e. ,ou
can go with a small piece and later make it into a
framed artwork or you can work on a larger fabric
sheet that you can subsequently sew into bandanas,
bags, banners, flags, pillowcases, table cloths, and
other pro!ects.
-on(t forget that you can also do glue batik directly
onto plain and light-colored shirts, canas bags,
aprons, pillow cases, summer dresses, etc.
..
"ketch a design /0ptional1
If you are planning on making a detailed picture, you
can lightly sketch your design onto the fabric.
2nother option you can do is to cut out a picture or
template and trace around its outline onto the fabric.
3.
$ake a batik design with glue
)lace plastic wrap or a plastic placemat under your
fabric in case the glue seeps through. "quee+e white
glue or blue gel glue to make lines and designs on
your fabric. ,ou can make simple designs like flowers
or geometric shapes, or do a complete picture. ,oung
kids will surely en!oy squee+ing on random lines and
shapes.
If you made a sketch, you simply hae to apply glue
along the lines of your drawing.
4.
2llow the glue to dry
0nce you are satisfied with your design, allow the
glue to dry. This will take around 5 hours or more,
depending on the weight of your fabric and the
thickness of the glue lines. #hen completely dry, the
glue lines will turn transparent.
6.
)repare your paint
)repare the colors of fabric paint or acrylic paint on
your palette. #atering the down the paint can create a
nice watercolor-like wash. 2lthough be careful with
adding too much water because your batik might look
old and too washed-out.
0n the other hand, adding !ust a little bit of water
can gie beautiful deep hues but thick acrylic paint
sometimes chips off from the fabric. The best way to
find the right balance is to try it out for yourself
on a spare swatch of fabric.
5.
)aint the fabric
%lassic batik usually makes use of * or . colors -
this puts the emphasis more on the lines rather than
the colors, although multiple colors are not uncommon.
#hen using . or more colors, you can paint random
splotches of color or paint an ordered pattern /e.g.
stripes1.
2 ariation you can do is to use the glue lines as the
borders for the colors, quite similar to painting any
picture.
7.
2llow the paint to dry
#hen you hae coered the entire fabric with colors,
let the paint dry completely.
8To find out if the glue has effectiely resisted the
paint, check the flip side of your fabric. The areas
with glue should not absorb any of the colors.
9.
:emoe the glue
"oak the fabric in warm water for *6 to 3; minutes.
,ou can do this in a basin or directly inside a sink
or bathtub. The glue will soften as it soaks longer.
,ou can speed up the process by rubbing on the areas
with glue. 2fter all the glue has been remoed, hang
the fabric to dry.
2nother method I(e tried that does not inole
soaking in water is to peel off the dry glue lines
directly from the fabric. This does not work for
certain types of fabric. It worked well on my canas
batik but didn(t on my cotton tank top.
<.
&inishing touches
0nce your batik has dried, iron it and it(s ready to
be framed or displayed as an artwork or perhaps you
can hem the edges to turn it into a placemat, napkin
or bandana. If you worked on a large piece of batik,
you can sew and transform it into a bag, pillowcase,
tablecloth, and other pro!ects.
$ore Ideas
$ake batik banners and flags. Glue has been applied into
star shapes and large stripes to make this batik
2merican flag - 2 great craft idea for the 4th of =uly.
8#hen applying glue to large sections such as the
stripes on this flag, squee+e the glue within the
intended area and use a paint brush to spread it more
eenly.