Nigerian Starch-Resist (by hand)[1]ArtClothMarie-Therese Wisniowski

Preamble
For your convenience I have listed below other posts in this series:
Diversity of African Textiles
African Textiles: West Africa
Stripweaves (West Africa) - Part I
Stripweaves (West Africa) - Part II
Stripweaves (West Africa) - Part III
Stripweaves (West Africa) - Part IV
Djerma Weaving of Niger and Burkina-Faso
Woolen Stripweaves of the Niger Bend
Nigerian Horizontal - Loom Weaving
Yoruba Lace Weave
Nigerian Women's Vertical Looms
The Supplementary Weft Cloths of Ijebu-Ode and Akwete
African Tie and Dye
Tie and Dye of the Dida, Ivory Coast
African Stitch Resist
Yoruba Stitch Resist
Yoruba: Machine-Stitched Resist Indigo-Dyed Cloth
Yoruba and Baulé Warp Ikat [1]
Nigerian Starch-Resist (by hand)

Nigerian Starch-Resist (by hand).
In towns of Yorubaland, Nigeria - Ibadan, Ilorin, Owo, Oshogbo - there was a fashion amongst women for making adire eleko (starch-resist) cloths. They were worn in pairs by Yoruba women. These cloths had a cassava starch-resist applied to them before they were dyed in indigo. Unlike the stencilled cloths of Abeokuta, they had patterns drawn by hand, featuring birds, lizards and well-known landmarks, such as the Ibadan town hall.

After 1929, production went into steep decline. It was only revived in the 1960s and 1970s, partly to cater for a large expatriate market attracted by Nigeria's burgeoning oil wealth. Since then, the starch-resist method has again suffered, as Nigeria has spiralled downwards in a cycle of corruption, inter-ethnic rivalry and ensuing poverty. The expatriate market has disappeared and there is now very little local demand.

Using this technique, a woman dips a sharpened quill of a large bird into a paste of cassava flour mixed with copper sulfate and water, known as lafun. She draws on one side of the cloth only. First, she folds the new mill cloth so that, upon opening it out, it forms a square grid. (A typical adire eleco of the 1960s consisted of a central section of twenty squares surrounded by thirty-two smaller rectangles.) Second, she outlines the grid in lafun and then proceeds to fill the squares with bold designs. The motifs within each square (such as birds or the sun) have a proverbial meaning. Moreover, the whole cloth is given a name that is recognized in the marketplace, such as "I am getting myself together." Within the overall design, the squares are repeated, at least twice.

The cloth is dip-dyed in an indigo bath as many times as is necessary to achieve the deep blue-black so prized by the Yoruba. In between dippings, the cloth is laid out on racks to dry. Great care is taken not to crack the lafun paste, which is only applied to one side of the cloth. As the starch does not resist the dye completely, the cloth takes on a light-blue pattern against a dark-blue background, when the dried paste is removed. The adire worker often adds her maker's mark.

A starched, but undyed, Yoruba adire eleko. The resist paste of cassava flour will be scraped or flaked off after dyeing.

Indigo-dyed starch-resist adire eleko cloth from 1960s in Ibadan Dun pattern.

Indigo-dyed starch-resist adire eleko cloth from 1960s in the olukun or Sea-Goddess pattern.

Adire eleko from Nigeria with pattern created by applying a resist-paste of cassava flour by hand. This pattern, made up of two particular motifs, conveys the message, "I'm getting myself together."

Indigo-dyed starch-resist adire eleko cloth with a pattern of banana trees and plantains. This cloth is unusual in that it is not really symmetrical.

Indigo-dyed starch-resist adire eleko cloth from the 1960s with a pattern of birds. The bird at the bottom is the maker's mark.

Hand-drawn starch resist adire imitating the stencilled King George V and Queen Mary pattern.

Reference:
[1] J. Gillow, African Textiles, Thames & Hudson Ltd, London (2003).

A Brief History of Batik [1]Art EssayMarie-Therese Wisniowski

Preamble
For your interest, I have listed below, other posts on this blogspot that centers on the use of Batik to create artworks:
Nothing Is The Same I & II (Els van Baarle, The Netherlands)
Batik ArtCloth from South-East Asia
Batiks from Kintore
Batiks From Warlpiri
Historical Israeli Batik ArtWorks
A Brief History of Batik

Introduction [1]
What is batik? It is one of the many resist techniques that is available to decorate cloth. In particular, Batik refers to the dyeing process during which certain parts of the weaving yarn or woven cloth are blocked out so that no dye can penetrate into it. Generally, in batik, hot liquid bees wax is used as a resist agent. After application the bees wax cools rapidly on the cloth and hardens. Because the liquid cannot penetrate the wax, the area that has been covered retains its original color when dipped into the dyebath. As a result, several dye processes can follow, one after the other, during which further areas are blocked out to retain their color. The fine fissures of wax is a characteristic of batik.

The cloth (above) was found in an old Peruvian grave of the post classical period (800-1532) of the pre-Columbian culture. The stylized bird, fish and dog motifs on this strip of patterned cotton cloth were probably achieved using a paste resist, as there is no evidence of cracking, which is typical of a waxed batik.

A cotton batik fragment dyed with indigo, found in Fostat near Cairo. Probably from between 1230-1350 A.D. Thousands of textile remnants from the Coptic and early Islamic period have been preserved, thanks to the dry climate and sandy soil.
Note: The continuous border of this fragment points in its wave-like vine to an Indian influence. It is not certain whether such materials were batiked in India or by Indians in Cairo. The white lines broken by fine veins seem to indicate that wax was used as the resist agent.

A Brief History of Batik [1]
The origin and age of the batik technique cannot be pinpointed with absolute certainty. The lack of durability of textiles makes an exact location in time and place very difficult. Some experts believe that batik originated in Asia and spread from there to the islands to the south, to Arabia, and eventually to the western world. On the other hand, other researchers are of the opinion that it spread in the reverse direction, from the Malay archipelago to the mainland.

13th Century stone carving (East Java) displaying batik patterns.

It is of course also possible that the batik technique developed quite independently in different countries in the world, without outside influence, as has happened with other techniques. After all, very old batik fragments have been discovered in Peru, in South America, as well as in Japan. The oldest specimens extant were found in Egypt, dating from the 5th and 6th century A.D. Many pieces of woven cloth of a later date, proabably from 12th century, have been dug up near Cario. Because these show Indian motifs it is assumed that they originate from India. Even at that time batiked cloth was exported via the east coast. Old batik areas like Armenia, Georgia, Turkestan and Persia, which lay along the important caravan routes were influenced by India.

Armenian linen wax batik from about 1759. Probably made in Armenia itself, but could also come from the Coromandel coast or from north west India. Such cloths were produced there for Christian Armenians living there or abroad.
Note: The scenes depicted above are: Adam and Eve; the Annunciation, the Adoration of The Three Wise Men, the Baptism of Jesus in the Jordan, the Crucifixion, St. George and the Dragon, Abraham sacrificing Isaac, an unknown Saint, the Transfiguration and the Ascension.

In the 13th Century batik was carried out in Java as well. Future posts in this series will deal with the development of Javanese batik. In Europe, this technique was used for decoration of Easter eggs, a tradition which is retained in Eastern Europe to this day. Blue printing, which became known in Europe in the 18th century, is a variation of batik.

Batik pen of the Miao. A triangular copper or brass pen is fixed to a bamboo rod with a metal strip. Both triangular areas are bent together so that a small container is formed. With this pen, lines of 1 mm can be drawn. The pen is held in such a way that the wax container held in the hand is level with the wrist. The edge of the hand rests on the cloth.

With respect to the European process, the cloth is printed with a resist substance before being dyed in an indigo bath. Another process was printing the cloth with the desired pattern by using a discharge agent so that the blue dye disappeared there. The batik technique probably also penetrated Africa two or three hundred years later through immigration. The best-known areas lie in Senegal and Nigeria, where paste and wax are still used as resist agents. Today, the old Asian batik wax methods are only used by the Miao tribe. This tribe lives in the upper Tonking area in North Thailand and on the Chinese island of Hainen.

Beside Java, North Thailand and Hainan, the tradional method of batik is still carried out in Malaysia, Singapore and Sri Lanka.

Distribution of batik technique across Asia to Africa, including important batik centres which are shaded.

Reference:
[1] M. Spée, Traditional and Modern Batik, Kangaroo Press, Kenthurst (1982).

Street Graphics of Tokyo - Part II [1]Prints on PaperMarie-Therese Wisniowski

Preamble:
For your convenience I have listed below all the posts in this series:
Street Graphics of Tokyo - Part I
Street Graphics of Tokyo - Part II

Street Graphics of Tokyo - Part II [1]
There are a number of observations that Europeans have made when visiting Tokyo that encaptulates the feeling of the city. Donald Richie, in 'Tokyo - A Review of the City' (1999), observed that: 'Tokyo's streets do not speak in measured accents of Europe's capitals.' How true!

Who would have thought that the following poster represents the speed and care embodied in the cat logos of their country's courier services. The more you look at the poster the more sense that it makes. The transport company (the mother cat) views its cargo as precious as if it was one of her children. Who wouldn't trust this company with your household goods!

Poster for a Japanese transport company.

Another observation made in 1897 by American Reverend R.B. Perry was that, 'The Japanese are really without any sense of sin, and have no word in their language to express the idea exactly.'

I wonder if his views would have changed on sighting the poster below. I guess not!

Poster for a street comic store.

Most of the other posters below are more self-evident, even though some stretch the imagination to its limits.

Poster for a foot massage.

Poster for clean water.

Restaurant posters, highlighting plastic menu display under each.

Poster for Cake Store (Asakusa Market).

Cake packaging (Asakusa Market).

Posters (Asakusa Market).

Reference:
[1] B. Dawson, Street Graphics Tokyo, Thames & Hudson Ltd, London.

Green Pigments - Part II [1]Art ResourceMarie-Therese Wisniowski

Preamble
This is the fourty-first post in a new Art Resource series that specifically focuses on techniques used in creating artworks. For your convenience I have listed all the posts in this new series below:
Drawing Art
Painting Art - Part I
Painting Art - Part II
Painting Art - Part III
Painting Art - Part IV
Painting Art - Part V
Painting Art - Part VI
Home-Made Painting Art Materials
Quality in Ready-Made Artists' Supplies - Part I
Quality in Ready-Made Artists' Supplies - Part II
Quality in Ready-Made Artists' Supplies - Part III
Historical Notes on Art - Part I
Historical Notes on Art - Part II
Historical Notes on Art - Part III
Historical Notes on Art - Part IV
Historical Notes on Art - Part V
Tempera Painting
Oil Painting - Part I
Oil Painting - Part II
Oil Painting - Part III
Oil Painting - Part IV
Oil Painting - Part V
Oil Painting - Part VI
Pigments
Classification of Pigments - Part I
Classification of Pigments - Part II
Classification of Pigments - Part III
Pigments for Oil Painting
Pigments for Water Color
Pigments for Tempera Painting
Pigments for Pastel
Japanese Pigments
Pigments for Fresco Painting - Part I
Pigments for Fresco Painting - Part II
Selected Fresco Palette for Permanent Frescoes
Properties of Pigments in Common Use
Blue Pigments - Part I
Blue Pigments - Part II
Blue Pigments - Part III
Green Pigments - Part I
Green Pigments - Part II

There have been another one hundred and thirteen posts in a previous Art Resource series that have focused on the following topics:
(i) Units used in dyeing and printing of fabrics;
(ii) Occupational, health & safety issues in an art studio;
(iii) Color theories and color schemes;
(iv) Optical properties of fiber materials;
(v) General properties of fiber polymers and fibers - Part I to Part V;
(vi) Protein fibers;
(vii) Natural and man-made cellulosic fibers;
(viii) Fiber blends and melt spun fibers;
(ix) Fabric construction;
(x) Techniques and woven fibers;
(xi) Basic and figured weaves;
(xii) Pile, woven and knot pile fabrics;
(xiii) Durable press and wash-and-wear finishes;
(xvi) Classification of dyes and dye blends;
(xv) The general theory of printing.

To access any of the above resources, please click on the following link - Units Used in Dyeing and Printing of Fabrics. This link will highlight all of the one hundred and thirteen posts in the previous a are eight data bases on this blogspot, namely, the Glossary of Cultural and Architectural Terms, Timelines of Fabrics, Dyes and Other Stuff, A Fashion Data Base, the Glossary of Colors, Dyes, Inks, Pigments and Resins, the Glossary of Fabrics, Fibers, Finishes, Garments and Yarns, Glossary of Art, Artists, Art Motifs and Art Movements, Glossary of Paper, Photography, Printing, Prints and Publication Terms and the Glossary of Scientific Terms. All data bases in the future will be updated from time-to-time.

If you find any post on this blog site useful, you can save it or copy and paste it into your own "Word" document for your future reference. For example, Safari allows you to save a post (e.g. click on "File", click on "Print" and release, click on "PDF" and then click on "Save As" and release - and a PDF should appear where you have stored it). Safari also allows you to mail a post to a friend (click on "File", and then point cursor to "Mail Contents On This Page" and release). Either way, this or other posts on this site may be a useful Art Resource for you.

The new Art Resource series will be the first post in each calendar month. Remember - these Art Resource posts span information that will be useful for a home hobbyist to that required by a final year University Fine-Art student and so undoubtedly, some parts of any Art Resource post may appear far too technical for your needs (skip those mind boggling parts) and in other parts, it may be too simplistic with respect to your level of knowledge (ditto the skip). The trade-off between these two extremes will mean that Art Resource posts will be hopefully useful in parts to most, but unfortunately may not be satisfying to all!

Green Pigments - Part II [1]
Viridian, which is equally durable for all artistic and industrial pigments purposes, except in high temperature work, is a valuable artists' color. The inferior grades sometimes contain impurities in the form of complex mixtures of chromates and borates; while these are water-soluble, they are quite difficult for manufacturers to wash out. Their presence is highly undesirable, and therefore only viridian of the highest color quality should be used.

Viridian of the highest color quality (with its Hex code).

The best American dry color is usually cleaner and cooler in shade compared to the European product, which by comparison, tends toward yellowish or muddy tones; it should therefore be preferred by fresco painters. When viewed under a microscope, viridian resembles small broken fragments of emeralds.

Viridian viewed under a microscope.

Its color effect when used in transparent films is a brilliant transparent green, but when it is used in full strength in thick pasty layers it will exhibit a duller, more blackish body color or mass tone, because of the build up of a thick layer of pigment particles which impede and absorb transmitted light rays, thus producing an opaque coating.

Viridian used in transparent films.

Viridian used in full strength thick pasty layers.

Phthalocyanine green is a more intense clear tinting color than viridian, and will produce somewhat smaller shades in mixtures with other pigments. Some artists prefer it to viridian; others consider it too raw or garish, and so prefer the somewhat more subtle effect of the older color.

Phthalocyanine Green.

Many sea-green hues as well as clear, deep olive geeens, ranging from intense darks to pale tints, were produced by the older painters with mixture of Vandyke brown and Prussian blue, sometimes toned with a little yellow, by substituting the more reliable burnt sienna and phthalocyanine blue as a starting point, a whole series of unique hues was added to the palette of the artist whose previous experience had been limited to the mixtures available with ultramarine and cobalt. Phthalocyanine green will not give the same result.

Emerald Green is a highly poisonous substance, which will turn black when mixed with any of several other pigments, as well when in contact with metals, and when exposed to air, its use should be avoided. It produces the most vivid and brilliant greens that could not be matched by mixtures, which is the sole reason for this dangerous pigment's survival.

Emerald Green with Hex Code.

A close approximation to Emerald Green can now be made by mixing phthalocyanine green with modern synthetic yellow, such as Hansa yellow, green gold etc. Formerly, some painters who realize that its indiscriminate use led to darkening and other bad results, believe it was safe if used straight or mixed only with the most inert, non-reactive pigments and well locked in with oil and varnish, and they made the occasional use of it; for example, a brilliant starboard light can be depicted by the touch of emerald green with a highlight of titanium on it.

Stunning engagement ring highlights a crisp green emerald in a tension setting.

Emerald Green must never be used in pastel or water color. A 'poisonous green,' comes through association with Paris Green.

Paris Green (with Hex number).

Reference:
[1] The Artist's Handbook of Materials and Techniques, R. Mayer (ed. E. Smith) 4th Edition, Faber and Faber, London (1981).