Finished Batik on Paper

Here are a few of the paper batiks I completed last week, after I removed all of the beeswax.  They certainly ended up being interesting pictures to say the least!

The first picture (on the left) was my attempt at drawing/painting with wax.  Now you know why I create my flower pictures by gluing flowers, rather than trying to draw or paint them!

The other two pictures are nature prints, the larger is hosta leaves, and the other picture is a print of geranium leaves on a piece of my handmade paper.  As expected, I found that I definitely need to make my handmade paper stronger in order for it to withstand the batik process, because I lost some of the surface layer while trying to remove the wax.  But, in the places where there was no damage, the effect is wonderful.

I'm really looking forward to experimenting more with batik on my paper this winter. 

Last night I went to my last Paper Batik class at at the Lemon Street Gallery in Kenosha, and this time I brought along some nature prints I made, to use as a background for my batiks.

Starting at the top left, the ginko print, and the two tall hosta leaf prints are on rice paper.  However, the bottom left geranium leaf print, and the black hosta leaf print on the lower right are on my handmade paper. 

I usually don't apply a lot of pressure to my handmade paper, so it tends to be on the soft side (applying pressure to freshly made hmp compacts the fibers, making the paper stronger), so I was curious to see if my hmp could withstand the repeated coloring and waxing involved in batik. 

When I got to class, I applied alternating layers of colors and wax to the prints. Because the pieces needed to dry thoroughly before removing the wax, that still needs to be done.  I plan on showing you the results next week, and I can't wait to see how they turn out myself!

Have a great weekend!