"BATIK POPPIES" acrylic faux batik poppies on rice paper by Carol Nelson

Batik Poppies

This is a demo I did for my Denver art class of the process of faux batik.  I've always been fascinated with the batik process using fabric and dye with wax providing a resist to successive dye layers.  This modification of the batik process is done with acrylic paint on rice paper.

It consists of seven steps:  paint the subject on rice paper, brush melted wax over the painting, crumble the painting to create cracks in the wax, glaze on another layer of contrasting color, iron the paper between sheets of newsprint to melt off the wax, paint on a layer of gloss medium, correct/define details.

Of course, I love the unpredictability of where the cracks in the wax will allow the glaze layer to show.  If you do it right, you will have a fine webbing of color coming through the cracks.

Click on the image to see the batik webbing better.  For more information, click here to go to my website.