Batik Workshop:5/27

Batik Workshop:  This Workshop will be taught by World Renowned Ugandan artist Nuwa Wamala Nnyanzi and will be held on Sunday, May 27, 2012 from 5:00pm to 9:00pm at Gems of Africa Gallery, 630 N. Highland Ave. NE, Atlanta, GA 30306,  404-876-8200.


You MUST Pre-Register 

About the Workshop
Participants will learn the history and process of Batik making.   All materials and supplies will be included and participants will leave with a finished Batik that they will have created during the class.

Note: This is a 4+ hour class
Cost: $65 : All materials and supplies are included.

• Irons and Hot Wax will be used, so Adults Only.  
• Please wear comfortable clothes that you won't mind getting stained with dyes.
• The Workshop will begin at 5:00pm Sharp, so Please arrive by 4:45pm.

You must pay for the workshop on or before 5/24/2012 in order for your place to be held.   If your payment is not received by 5/24/2012, than you may lose your spot and may not be able to attend the workshop.   

Batik

The technique is thought to be more than a thousand years old, and historical evidence demonstrates that cloth decorated by means of this resist technique was in use in the early centuries AD in Africa, the Middle East, and in several places in Asia. Although there is no sure explanation as to where batik first was "invented", many observers believe that travellers brought it to Asia from the Indian subcontinent. 

Melted wax is applied to cloth before this is being dipped into dye.  Wherever the wax has seeped through the fabric, the dye will not penetrate.   Sometimes several colors are used, with severl steps of dyeing, drying, and waxing.  Thin wax lines are made with a tjanting (canting, pronounced chahn-ting) needle, a wooden-handled tool with a tiny metal cup with a tiny spout, out of which the wax seeps. Other methods of applying the wax to the fabric include pouring the liquid wax, painting the wax on with a brush, and applying the hot wax to a pre-carved wooden or metal wire block and stamping the fabric. One indication of the level of craftsmanship in a piece of batik cloth is whether the pattern is equally visible on both sides of the cloth. This indicates the application of wax on both sides, either with the canting or with mirror-image design blocks.

The finished fabric is hung up to dry. Then it is dipped into a solvent to dissolve the wax, or it is ironed between paper towels or newspapers to absorb the wax and reveal the deep rich colors and the fine crinkle lines that give batik its character.