Batik Painting in India

India is a home many forms of exquisite paintings. Form north to South, India abounds in different varieties of paintings. One such painting form that is greatly admired is the Batik painting. This art of painting the cloth in batik is being poplar over years. Its history can be traced back to as many as 2100 years today. Done usually on a cotton or a silk fabric, this form of painting, uses dyes that make the cloth much appealing. Dyers use single, double and multi colored vegetable dyes to make the exclusive batik painted fabric.

Process of Batik Painting
To make a batik painting one should seek patience. It is long process but worth while. The time you devote on making a motif on cloth and then dying it makes it more attractive. The impressive art form starts with:

a) Waxing
b) Dyeing
c) De-waxing

The dyers first wash the cotton cloth on which they wish to paint. The cloth is washed in order de starch it. When the starch is removed from the cloth, it is then dried, ironed and stretched on a wooden frame to paint. Some people make a rough sketch of charcoal to have a basic idea of the motif to be drawn and painted. The sketched design becomes explicit by and by as the coats of waxing are applied to the cloth.

Then comes the most important part which is time consuming also. The wax is applied to the cloth and used a protective agent while dyeing the fabric. This job has to be done with much care. The painter uses Tjanting pen to apply wax and the wax ink.

After this process, the dyers use colors to paint that area. Once this is done, the cloth is gently washed with a special liquid and later it is washed by lukewarm water. To get that perfect design the dyers often have to make redundancy of the procedure of waxing, dyeing and de waxing. Generally this process is carried out starting with light colors and then moving on to the darker shades.

After the dyers completes the coloring process, the cloth is washed in boiling water. To remove all the wax from the fabric this process can be repeated. If the cloth is very big, then the cloth is removed from the frame and later dipped in a dye basin.

In the final stage, the cloth is rinsed in cold water and the paintings are dipped in a solution of sulphuric acid. This process fastens the color on the fabric. This form of art is remarkable for its quality of being three dimensional giving it depth and the texture of the fabric looks very gorgeous.

Clothes in Batik Print
You will find almost every cloth in batik print. The most common of them are:
a) Saris
b) Duppattas
c) Salwar Suits
d) Wall Hangings
e) Bed Spreads
f) Cushion Covers
g) Shawls
h) Scarves
i) Center Table Covers
j) Dining Table Covers

Apart from this many things are found in batik print that add to the grace and elegance of the fabric. You can find these pieces at various handloom centers, boutiques or any art and craft exhibition in India.