Resists have always fascinated me. A resist is a substance or a mechanism used to prevent dye or colorant from acting upon a surface. My very first experiments with resist were done in high school art class. My teacher was more interested in discussing politics, so I taught myself how to do batik using paraffin. Although batik was a favorite, I found removing the wax to be a tedious and expensive process when a dry cleaner was used. This post shows samples of other resists: dextrin, potato starch, cassava, and Japanese Tsutsugaki with rice paste, as well as discharge.
Batik on silk, samplesBatik (beeswax and paraffin) on silk by Astrid Hilger BennettCassava resist on cotton, fiber reactive dyes“Presist” resist or cassava resist on rayon, Procion MX dyes, by Astrid Hilger BennettTsutsugaki sample using rice paste resist on cotton and Japanese dyes, from a Tsutsugaki workshop at the Surface Design Conference in Seattle, 1991. Tsutsugaki is a class of very ordinary Japanese textiles, often decorated with auspicious symbols, used in ordinary households. Discharge samples on rayon by Astrid Hilger Bennett. Not one of my favorite techniques due to products that are not considered nontoxic. Potato dextrin used as a resist, Procion MX dyes, workshop samples by Astrid Hilger BennettPotato dextrin resist on cottonMore potato dextrin resistPotato dextrin on silk
