Creative Batik

[Quilty]

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<td class="modulecell" width="20%" valign="top" align="left">Title</td>

<td class="modulecell" colspan="2" width="80%" align="left">Creative Batik</td>
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<td class="modulecell" width="20%" valign="top" align="left">Description</td>
<td class="modulecell" colspan="2" width="80%" align="left">Illustrated workbook with an inspirational gallery</td>
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<td class="modulecell" width="5%" valign="top" align="left">Author</td>
<td colspan="2" class="modulecell" width="95%" align="left">Robinson, Rosi</td>
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<td class="modulecell" width="5%" valign="top" align="left">Media</td>
<td colspan="2" class="modulecell" width="95%" align="left">Book</td>
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<td class="modulecell" width="5%" valign="top" align="left">Technique[s]</td>
<td colspan="2" class="modulecell" width="95%" align="left">Stamps, brushes, tjantings, etching & cracking</td>
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<td class="modulecell" width="5%" valign="top" align="left">Skill level</td>

<td colspan="2" class="modulecell" width="95%" align="left">Beginners to "old hands"</td>
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<font face="tahoma,arial,helvetica,sans-serif" size="2">Robinson, Rosi. Creative Batik. Search Press Ltd, Tunbridge Wells, UK. 2001</font></p>

<font face="Tahoma" size="2">ISBN 0-85532-892-4, soft cover, 8½ x 11 inches, 96 pages.</font></p>

<font face="Tahoma" size="2">Leafing through this book one immediately concludes "Uh-oh, this author is a real artist" and from there it would be easy to give in to self doubt and catch oneself thinking "I could never do that!" However, Rosi Robinson, a high school teacher of art, would immediately respond "If I can do Batik, you can too!" Well, I started off on my journey through this book feeling more than just a little sceptical, but there was the author in all those little "how to" photographs showing the reader exactly what she did to achieve the wonderful special effects that came about. As every good teacher knows to do, the author starts out with an "easy" project, one where realism is not the deciding factor on the grade you might get, and with this confidence builder she proceeds through a series of techniques using stamps, brushes and tjantings showing how dyeing and over-dyeing is achieved to get the most amazing results, allowing the wax and the fabric "to do the work". </font></p>

<font face="Tahoma" size="2">This book covers the usual things expected of a workbook on Batik art and craft - a brief history, description of equipment, tools and materials, the methods of preparing wax, how to mix dyes, and how to remove wax from the fabric at the end of the process. From the briefest mention of the colour wheel, the author launches into the techniques themselves and it is this part accompanied with an appropriate project for each one, which forms the main body of her work. The use of photographs in this section makes a great teaching tool, and it is fascinating to follow the progress as an amazing work of art evolves. The text is well written and clear to understand, and supported by little boxes to the side with special notes and advice. But it is in the gallery at the end of the book where I am completely blown away. These works of art are stunning, spectacular, amazing and wonderful. The fact that these were produced using Batik is sure testimony to the versatility of this process and explains without the need for words why this ancient art and craft has survived around 35,000 years to the present day.</font></p>

<font face="Tahoma" size="2">This is another fascinating book on the subject and a great source of inspiration.</font></p></td>

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