How to make Batik and where we could get the course

Yogyakarta is a beautiful town; you not only just buy and enjoy the great batik artwork, but get opportunity to learn the batik production. This package includes the interesting tourism traveling with short duration and low cost, surely its very comfort.

At that place you can learn how to make batik pattern such as hand-made batik, printed batik, and painted batik. Of course all place offering own specification about Batik which we are learned. For a day it’s divided into 2 sessions and the trainee teach to make batik from motif making, coloring, wax dying, and drying.

The batik pattern process will be begun when all material is ready. Pattern process will be done with wax as the main material, of course we need cloth looks like a canvas as media to make a pattern. If you want to make hand–made batik, we could use wax pen is called canting to make it, but if we want to make print batik it will be using copper print which has been design as our plan.

All unique patterns could be made according to the trainee such as ceplok pattern, cecek sawut, and semen pattern. All of that are pattern of ancient building in Indonesia. Ceplok pattern is Borobudur temple’s, cecek sawut is a bronze accessories pattern from bronze era, and semen pattern could be found in the Kalinyamat funeral.

Pattern process already finishes and continued to the coloring. The patterned cloth dips into the coloring bucket. Looks like this process is very simple but it’s difficult enough, moreover if we want to make Batik more than two color. Many Batik artisans still using natural coloring but some of them use synthetics.

If the coloring process already finish, batik process will be continued to dying the wax, or removing the wax attaching to the cloth. It is done by preparing boiling water mixed with soda ash and finally the cloth is dipped to remove the entire wax. If there is still wax attached, it must be cleaned after the dying process.

Final step in batik process is washing, if the artisans use natural coloring not suggest using detergent caused it will be removed the color. After washing process continues with the drying, the cloth placed in the windy area, it is proposed to avoid coloring damage. Batik with the synthetics coloring will be delight than the natural.

Batik course place in Yogyakarta prepare professional trainer so the trainee could be an expert in a short time. For information, some trainers could be speaking English well and it will be easier the foreigner to do communication.

Some of the batik Course in Yogya is Sanggar Kalpika in Kampung Taman, Batik course place in Kusumanegara Street, etc... The course place offering various costs to learn batik it is 250.000 rupiahs to 1.500.000.

Edited by Arief from

Naskah: Yunanto Wiji Utomo
Artistik: Agung Sulistiono Mabruron
Copyright © 2007 YogYES.COM

Batik as the heritage of Indonesia

After Wayang and Keris as the pioneers, “batik” successful be a heritage of Indonesia. United nation Education Social and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) define it as one of the specific cultural heritage of Indonesia and be a Representative List of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in the world. Why batik could become the heritage of Indonesia? Caused batik is the Icon of Indonesia.

Batik is very popular in Indonesia and develops it as the traditional clothes in Java Island since hundreds years ago. Because of the popularity, Batik spread to Malaysia brought by the migration of Indonesian to that Country. However as long as we love using Indonesian product, I am sure we always are best man and our product never been claim by another.

Now, the question is “Do we still have the character? I do not think so. Why? Just asking to your self as the Indonesian!

Batik Truth the Indonesia, not Malaysia!

Batik in two years last has become controversial. As long as this, we only know if Batik coming from Indonesia but how Malaysia could claim it (read paragraph three). Let me tell you the truth history about Batik in Indonesia. Batik spread and made of by Javanese ethnic in 17th, 18th and 19th Century in Java Island, Indonesia. In fact at the first time batik only uses by the Nobleman or the Kingdom family but because of the change cultural civilization batik could used by everyone. For the example, Batik in Yogyakarta has known since the Mataram Monarchy led by Panembahan Senopati and then distribute to their servant and soldier. Their batik using “Sidomukti” and “Sidoluruh” pattern and it is so beautiful.

In the colonialism era, well known as Diponegoro battle against the Netherlands, make batik spread as long as Indonesia area because of that new variant of Batik appears. It is happened in 18th century. The Batik sample are combination Solo batik and Yogya Batik, Mojokerto batik, Tulungagung batik, Gresik, Surabaya, and Madura batik in eastern of Java, and Western Java Batik are well known in Banyumas, Pekalongan, Tegal and Cirebon.

Now maybe the reader will be asking how Malaysia claims it. Malaysian claims if Batik come from their country caused they are not realize if Indonesian brings batik first time come to their country. Indonesian brings batik to Malaysia to be sold there and some of them become the Malaysian citizen that is why there is Batik in Malaysia. So we could conclude that Indonesian bring influence so big to this country especially in clothes and cultural. If Malaysian said that is wrong, I could give evidence. What is the evidence? The evidence is the ex of Prime Minister of Malaysia " Abdullah Ahmad Badawi" in fact is Indonesian caused his grandpa from Indonesia. Don’t you believe it? Just ask him.