Marching Elephants
First, I waxed all the elephants. Then I dyed the cloth with the inner bark of a black oak tree. Ugh, I had to get all the wax off. Next, I waxed the background and the tusks. I used Bilberry power for the first time. I like the bluish grey that it produced. I really is too much work to remove all that wax.
Comments and faves
bitterbethany (59 months ago | reply)
It looks so great and organic. I love elephants.
I can see the wax removal issue though.. I think we used an iron and paper towels when I did it in highschool (in days of yore!) And it was always oddly stiff.
Sara Homan (59 months ago | reply)
Often you can ask a dry cleaner to run your stuff at the end of their workday to get the wax out. (They do it at the end of the day so they don't get wax in anything else.)
I love the elephants, they are quite charming.
Green Kitchen added this photo to their favorites. (59 months ago)
Green Kitchen (59 months ago | reply)
OK. So you inspired me to do batik. Tonight was my first attempt. We'll see what I get. Wish me luck. Did you do the boiling water with soap thing, leaving it submerged in the water till it cools and the wax congeals on top?
Hermit Hollow (59 months ago | reply)
I was a bit unsure with my natural dyes because I couldn't heat them up with the wax to dye. Therefore, I boiled without the soap and I got some wax out not all and then I noticed that the colors weren't as strong. Therefore, I stopped and started with the iron.
antonella.mannini&gianni.borghi added this photo to their favorites. (51 months ago)