BATIK
Batik is a technique of hand-painting fabric using wax as a resist. The maker applies hot wax to the areas that are to stay undyed, then the cloth is dipped in dye, and the wax keeps out the colour; by repeating this with different colours, a multi-layered pattern is built. The word comes from Javanese (Java, Indonesia), where the technique became one of the most sophisticated, while wax-resist dyeing was known since antiquity in other cultures too (Egypt, China, India), but today batik is an international art. Its signature trait is the fine 'marbled' cracks that appear where the wax breaks. Batik is used to paint scarves, dresses, panels and accessories. It is a slow, almost meditative technique in which every piece is unique and carries the maker's hand.
Compare “Batik” with another term
Meaning, origins and distinction — side by side.
Distinction
Both techniques are resist dyeing, where part of the cloth is shielded from the dye, but the resist differs. Batik uses hot wax: it is applied in a pattern, the fabric is dipped in dye, and the wax is later melted out, leaving pale lines with characteristic crackle veins. Shibori resists the cloth mechanically, folding, twisting, stitching or clamping it before immersion, so the pattern is born from the creases. Batik draws with wax, while shibori shapes its motifs through compression.
