Union’s Grade 5s recently had the opportunity to discover the beauty and possibilities of Batik art.Mrs Hanli Rose-Innes took the learners through the Batik process from beginning to end and although it involved a lot of work, the learners were thrilled with the results.
Step 1 required them to draw a picture on a piece of paper using wax crayons. Their theme was ‘Things that fly’, therefore each learner created their own version of a ‘wacky bird’. As the paper had to be waterproofed with the wax crayons, the drawing had to consist of solid colours with no paper showing through.
Step 2 saw the learners wad their beautiful creations into a tight ball. This makes the batik-like cracks.
Step 3 involved the learners flattening out the paper and painting it with a mixture of black paint and ink, which settled into the cracks.
During Step 4 the learners had to – very carefully – wash the excess paint away with water.
In Step 5 the drawing was placed upside down on newspaper  to blot up any paint or water remaining.
Step 6 had the learners patiently waiting for their creations to dry.
While they were doing this, they attempted Step 7 – trying to get the ink and paint off their hands!
The final step, Step 8, was to admire their beautiful work of art.
The learners found the art making process of Batik fascinating and engaging and overall a very unique, enjoyable experience from beginning to end.