batik

so i documented some of the pieces i designed + created this past semester. this junior year i've fallen in love with the very time-consuming technique of BATIK. batik is a surface resist technique where you "draw" with wax on fabric. the areas covered in wax don't get dyed, therefore keeping the color the same while the uncovered fabric is dyed. all of these consist of multiple dye baths (usually 3-4).

my friends would see me walk around the studios in station with the batik wax pot and yell out "why are you batiking again!!" - it's such a time consuming process- but i can't help but love it haha.

 the photos are seriously ROUGH quality. but i wanted to show them process-like so here they are! i plan on professionally documenting them this summer.

one of the patterns i created. for my fashioning culture class i batiked and sewed 6 tank tops in a week. i was crazy and sleep-deprived but it was worth it.

detail of the second tank- i love this effect.

dress #1 for my fashioning culture final. batiked china silk, ombre'd top bodice. personally, it turned out a bit too feminine/girly but i couldn't NOT use that batiked silk. it took too long haha. plus- i love it the print.

dress #2 for my final. i wore this during my final crit...then wore it for the rest of the day haha. i love this dress, it's a perfect length (right in the middle of my knees and ankles) and the ombre effect is so subtle. i actually ombre dyed this in a jet black dye bath- i guess the silk does not approve hahah.

the back- not ombre'd.

one of the nerve patterns i've been obsessed with. i used this one in my fashion show!




conclusion: batik will always find a way to come back into my life. every new project that came my way this past year, i always went back to batik. I learned it recently (first semester of junior year) and it has changed me as an artist- and i'm so glad. thank you chrissy day for teaching me such a beautiful process!

-mk