Batik and Tattoos

Batik and Tattoos

Batik is an art form that started in Indonesia that uses wax-resist dying on cloth. The two tools you use to apply the wax is a spouted tool called canting or a stamping tool called a cap. It then allows the artist to apply dyes around the wax selectively. Something similar to this is tattoos. A much older art form uses needles to pierce the skin which leaves ink behind which permanently leaves a design on your skin. Batik henna is used in a similar fashion where the wax is applied to the skin and leaves a dye behind when the wax falls off. Batik is not permanent and eventually goes away.   Both are different art forms that leave a certain design on the skin and tattoos can be much more detailed. Batik can use different dye colors on the cloth but not on the Batik henna tattoos whereas tattoos can have different colors and can look almost like a drawing/painting. Batik isn’t nearly as detailed or painful so if you want to make your parents happy, stick to henna tattoos. In conclusion these two types of art forms are ways for people to express themselves in different ways other than on paper or canvas. Batik and tattoos create a more dynamic way for people to carry their artwork along with their cultures around with them.