Working With Wax
Wax Batiking was a skill I initially picked up while I was learning how to paint on silk. I must admit, when I first started using wax I absolutely hated it. It definitely requires a lot of patience and is sometimes hard to control. As an artist, my designs are often very intricate and have a lot of detailed stippling, so as you can imagine working with a medium that easily spreads was a nightmare.
It was something I easily avoided using while I was studying at FIT, but a few of years after graduation I began to pick this skill back up. During the pandemic, I found myself drawn to this medium, spending hours in front of my electric skillet (yes- I bought a kitchen skillet just for wax) drawing on fabric, t-shirts, and even bandanas. I began to love the spontaneity of my designs while using wax. I focused less on perfection and more on the ‘mistakes’ that transformed my designs as I began to solve to the areas in which I ‘messed up.’
Wax acts as a resist, meaning the areas that are covered with wax will not absorb color while dyeing fabric or remove color while bleaching. For instance, in my designs I often start with black fabric and draw with the wax. After I finish my design and bleach the fabric, the areas in which I drew with wax will remain black.
Starting out you will want to purchase both beeswax and paraffin wax. For drawing with the wax, I use tjanting tools (as pictured) and paint brushes. However, you can definitely get creative here and use stamps or even left over packaging materials that could give an interesting texture. The tjanting tool has a circular hole on the top of the tool that allows the wax to seep in and slowly poor out of the tip. If you want finer details make sure to get a tjanting tool that has a smaller hole at the tip where the wax comes out. You are also going to want to get something to melt the wax in, in my case I use an electric kitchen skillet. Please note, you will probably never be able to fully remove the wax off of the surface so keep your skillet designated for wax only!
To begin working with the wax, take pieces of both your paraffin and beeswax and add it to the skillet at around 275 degrees Fahrenheit. Be careful not to raise the temperature too high, or else your entire living space will be covered in smoke (speaking from experience here!) The more paraffin wax you use, the more easily it will spread on the surface. The paraffin wax is also what gives you that crackling effect. For less crackling, add more beeswax. This is something I play around with depending on the type of design I am creating.
Once the wax is fully melted you can begin to create your masterpiece! I recommend holding a piece of paper towel against the tip of the tjanting tool so the wax does not spill out in unwanted areas. You will want to pay attention to how the wax is sitting on the surface of the fabric. Sometimes I go over certain areas if I am not sure if the bleach or dye will get underneath the wax. If your temperature is too low this will sometimes happen. However, I have noticed at a higher temperature the wax spreads more easily and details are harder to achieve.
Once you are finished with your design, let the wax cool and harden completely. Then you can move on to either bleaching or dyeing your design. For my latest collection, I focused solely on bleaching. After you finish bleaching or dyeing, once the fabric is dry you can always go back and repeat the process of dyeing or bleaching to get more dimensional designs.
To remove the wax, I use two options. You can either boil the wax out of the design or use an iron. Boiling can sometimes be a bit tricky as you want your design to stay at the bottom of the pot but it has a tendency to want to float to the surface. I add water to a pot and let my design sink to the bottom with something weighing it down. I then turn on the burner of my stove and begin to boil the wax out of the fabric. As the water starts to boil, you will notice the wax start to rise to the surface. I usually let it boil for about 30 minutes to an hour sometimes to be safe. After it has boiled allow the water and wax to cool completely. Once it is cooled, you will be able to remove the sheet of wax from the top of the pot. Side note, you can reuse this wax for future projects :)
The second option is removing the wax with an iron. I sandwich my design in between two sheets of newsprint paper. I then iron on top of the newsprint. You will notice the wax start to melt off and seep into the paper. You will need multiple sheets of newsprint paper depending how much wax you used in your design. I continue this process until I no longer notice any wax on the newsprint. Often times I combine both methods of removing the wax. I have noticed that by using the first method I will still have wax residue in some areas.
Please note, wax is super hot so handle with care! Also work in a well ventilated space the fumes can be overwhelming and could potentially be toxic. Designs created with wax will have a stiffer hand feel than the fabric initially had. Washing helps but it will most likely always feel a little stiffer.
