Batik Workshop Part 1

On the second day of UM iCamp 2019, the participants learned about how to make batik. Bu Ike Ratnawati, a teacher from the Department of Art & Design, Faculty of Letters, Universitas Negeri Malang, and her student, Refriza Masriya Putri, will be the tutors to teach the participants to make batik tulis. Held on 17 August 2019, the participants made batik canting tulis at the garden beside the Office of International Affairs UM. The participants will learn 2 types of Batik techniques in UM iCamp 2019, that are canting tulis and jumputan. For today, they only learned about batik tulis and will learn the batik jumputan later on in the Batik Workshop Part 2.

There were already set some materials and tools to make batik at the venue: pencil, cotton fabric, canting (a tool to apply hot liquid wax to thicken the line of the drawing), and hot liquid wax. While Bu Ike and one of the LO were explaining about what batik is and the steps to make batik, the other LOs and committees were giving a cotton fabric and pencil for each participant to draw anything on the fabric. Assisted by the LOs (Liaison Officer)s and other committees, the participants followed the steps of making batik.

The first step of making batik is drawing on the fabric. They can draw pattern, flowers animals, or anything. The participants started to draw. Each participant drew different thing from each other on the fabric. There were participants who wrote their name and country, drew a sketch of their face, animals, flowers, patterns, map of their country, scenery, characters, UM iCamp 2019, and many others. When they made batik, music was played to make them enjoy.

After they finished drawing, they apply the hot liquid wax over the penciled-outline of their drawing by using canting filled with hot liquid wax. The wax functions to keep the line of the drawing. Next, they painted their drawing with fabric dye to make the batik more beautiful. After that, they were asked to dry the wet fabric by hanging it on the clothesline. After the fabric dye was dry, the participants were guided to put water-glass on the whole painted-side fabric to keep the colour when in the process of lorot (removing the wax from the fabric). They let their water-glassed fabric dry after by hanging it on the clothesline again.

After the water-glassed fabric dry, the next step of making batik is lorot. When we do lorot, we do removing the wax from the fabric in a boiling water. Bu Ike and some LOs helped all the participants to do lorot. Some participants also helped each other. After being soaked in the boiling water, the participants washed the fabric in a cold water to clean the residue. They hang it again after to make it dry as the last step of making batik.

Finally, their batik were ready. The Documentation Team of UM iCamp 2019 took their pictures all together after. Learning how to make batik means learning something new. Batik is the culture of Indonesia. The participants learned about new culture of Indonesia.