[Review] #KlookTries: We Tried Batik Painting For The First Time At Jadi Batek In KL!

From trendy fashion pieces to traditional home decor, our beautiful Malaysian batik is colourful, intricate and one-of-a-kind, and you may think that crafting it is surely only reserved for those skilled in the art department? Well, that's not true, because you can now try your hand at painting your very own batik masterpiece!

Our team recently visited Jadi Batek, a local batik craft centre tucked right in the heart of KL city, where we gave batik painting a try for the first time. Keep reading to find out more about our experience!

The workshop class was held in a large warehouse-like space within the craft centre. Hung on the walls were elaborate batik paintings that you can look at for inspiration or even purchase as a gift. You can even watch experienced staff carefully crafting batik cloth designs at the centre of the room.

Before we began, we were given the option to pick between painting ready-made batik drawings or creating our own batik designs from scratch. The ready-made drawings were essentially well-drawn out wax outlines on cotton or silk cloth canvases, and the designs provided were pretty varied - from different kinds of flowers, to even ones of Hello Kitty and Tweety Bird!

The first step of crafting our very own batik art started with the sketching process, where we were given a blank cotton canvas to draw our design over. Templates were also provided for this step, and since we're amateurs, we decided not to draw from scratch and instead, opted for an outline that was pretty easy to follow and sketch.

Batik wax was already melted in an electric wax pot, ready for us to use. Fully guided by an experienced staff, we were taught how to use a canting to collect the hot wax and use it to draw. We'd say that this was probably the toughest part of the whole process - the wax cooled down pretty quickly as we applied it onto the cloth and this meant that we had to draw fast before it hardens, or else there'd be more back-and-forth trips to refill our canting.

With the outline ready (two of us decided to take the easy route by using their ready-made designs instead), it was time to add some colour to our batik! We were each given watered dye with 9 colours to use - red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple, brown, black, white - as well as 2 brushes.

Forget sound baths and spa treatments, this painting experience itself was super therapeutic and exactly what we needed after a long week of work! The colour spreads really easily through the cloth, making it really easy to paint, and it was also such a stress-free experience as the wax outlines ensure that your dye never leaks out. It reminded us a little of painting-by-number canvases, but much more fun and calming!

Here's a look at our colourful final products! For first-timers, what do you think?

We had to wait for about half an hour for them to completely dry before we could bring them home. The staff also offered to remove the wax outlines from the paintings, but this would have taken about an additional hour of wait time. If you opt to do this (as it'll produce a cleaner end product with stark white outlines), there are plenty of eateries within walking distance from Jadi Batek for you to grab a quick bite while you wait.

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We truly enjoyed our time at Jadi Batek as it gave us a first-hand learning experience into the craft and technique behind this traditional artwork, which definitely made us appreciate the beauty of our local culture more. We highly recommend coming here with your friends or family members as a fun group activity - it's perfect for team bonding sessions or even for little kids!

Jadi Batek is one of the biggest batik handicraft centres in KL, specialising in the production of the traditional UNESCO-recognised craft since 1976. The centre offers educational batik tours every day and has a large gallery of batik paintings, clothing and more for you to buy as a gift.

They're also known for the batik making classes like the one we attended, where you can create your very own masterpiece to bring home! Be guided by professional artists as you learn the process of traditional wax-resist dyeing, along with the basic principles of the craft and its important history.

You only need to pay for each class that you are joining, and there are two options for you to choose from: a batik drawing and painting workshop or just a batik painting workshop.

Jadi Batek is open daily from 9AM to 5.30PM, but they only conduct their batik classes twice daily. The slots are at 10AM and 2PM every day and we highly recommend booking your slot before your head over to avoid disappointment. You can place your booking on Klook for your preferred date and timing!

Jadi Batek is located within the Imbi area, near the very centre of Kuala Lumpur city. The closest train station is the Tun Razak Exchange (TRX) MRT Station, which is just a short 5-minute walk away. If you're driving, there are plenty of free parking spaces within their premises.