Extraction Of Natural Dyes From Indigofera Tinctoria For Batik Coloration

Extraction Of Natural Dyes From Indigofera

Tinctoria For Batik Coloration
Febe Shannen Yoewono
Soegijapranata Catholic University Semarang Indonesia
febe_shannen@hotmail.com
K. Alvita Ria Sanaryan
Soegijapranata Catholic University Semarang Indonesia
Kresentia_vita@yahoo.co.id
Dr. Rustina Untari
Soegijapranata Catholic University Semarang Indonesia
r.untari@gmail.com

Abstract : Indigo is a part of plant that life

and growth in Indonesia. For a long time,
Indigo which produce exclusive blue colour
already used to dyeing textile, specially
Batik. Besides of inidgo leaves, there are
many natural dyes, like tingi bark. But
inidgo leaves is more complicated process
than another natural dye. Therefore, indigo
leaves became an exclusive natural dye
which produce an exclusive colour too. This
paper is tell about process to make indigo
leaves became a natural dye and then
process dyeing with indigo leaves.
Keywords : batik, indigo, and natural dyes.

1. INTRODUCTION
Batik is both an art and a craft,
which is becoming more popular and
well known in the West as a wonderfully
creative medium. The art of decorating
cloth in this way, using wax and dye, has
been practised for centuries. In Java,
Indonesia, batik is a part of an ancient
tradition, and some of the finest batik
clothes in the world are still made there.
The word batik originates from the
Javanese tik and means to dot.

Batik is historically the most

expressive and subtle of the resist methods.
The ever widening range of techniques
available offers artist the opportunity to
explore a unique process in a flexible and
exciting way. It would be impossible to
visit or live in Indonesia and not be exposed
to one of the country's most highly
developed art forms, batik. On your first
visit to a batik store or factory you will
undoubtedly experience an overwhelming
stimulation of the senses - due to many
colors, patterns and actual smell of batik.
Only through repeated visits and a bit of
study will the types of designs and their
origins become apparent.
Batik is an original art and craft
from Indonesia. Some experts feel that
batik was originally reserved as an art
form for Javanese royalty. Certainly its
royal nature was clear as certain patterns
were reserved to be worn only by royalty
from the Sultan's palace. Princesses and
noble women may have provided the
inspiration for the highly refined design
sense evident in traditional patterns. It is
highly unlikely though that they would be
involved in any more than the first wax
application. Most likely, the messy work
of dyeing and subsequent waxings was

The First International Conference on Greenpreneurship, 20-21 September 2012, Indonesia

Febe Shannen Y, K. Alvita R.S, Dr. Rustina Untari

left to court artisans who would work

under their supervision.
In the past, natural method was
used for coloring process of batik or what
we called as dyeing process. People in
the past used fruit and plantation to make
a natural resource of colors, such as
carrot for orange coloring, pandan for
green coloring, and so on.
Nowadays, regarding the eras
growth, those natural sources for coloring
are started to be left behind. Since the
born of synthetic dye substance, people
no longer use the natural resource for the
dyeing process of batik. Different from
Indonesia,
another
country
like
Palesthine, the natural colors still exist.
However, Indonesia actually still has the
source of natural coloring although
Indonesian people themselves no longer
use it.
As a result, this paper was
conducted to explain and justify the
process of how to create indigo as the
natural resource of color.

that can produce many colour

that abolutely not good for our
enviroment.
b. Defition of Nature Dyeing
Definitions of Nature Dyeing by
wikipedia is,
Natural dyes are dyes or
colorants derived from plants,
invertebrates, or minerals. The
majority of natural dyes are
vegetable dyes from plant
sources roots, berries, bark,
leaves, and wood and other
organic sources such as fungi
and lichens
c. Types of textiles suitable for dying
Only a few type of textile
success with nature dye. Usually,
natural dyes also use the natural
fibers that mainly come from animal
origins including wool, silk, mohair
and alpaca, and etc or vegetables
origin including cotton, flax or
linen, ramie, jute, hemp and so on.

2. LITERATURE

d. Natural dyestuffs
Some plants and vegetables
directly produce a colour when we
boil them, but there are many
original
material
(plant
and
vegetables) that indirectly produce a
colour. We should process the
original material to get something
that will produce a colour. Table 1 is
a list of plants and part of plants
which are commonly used to natural
dye process.

a. Batik Colouring
There are two methods of batik
coloring. First it is nature dye
process and the other is sitetis dye.
1) Nature Dye
The main material of nature
dye comes from vegetables and
plant. For example, tingi bark,
indigo leaves, or maybe from
roof, and all of plants.
2) Sintetis Colouring
Sintetis colouring comes
from many chemical substance

TABLE 1. A LIST OF PLANTS COMMONLY USED FOR PREPARING DYES.

Common Name

Latin Name

Parts Used

General Colour
Guide
Yellow/ brown/
black

Suggested
Mordant
Alum, iron.
Copper sulphate
Alum, cream of
tartar
Alum

Alder

Alnus spp

Bark

Alkanet

Anchusa tinctoria

Root

Grey

Apple

Malus spp

Bark

Yellow

The First International Conference on Greenpreneurship, 20-21 September 2012, Indonesia

Extraction Of Natural Dyes From Indigofera Tinctoria For Batik Coloration

Blackberry

Rubus spp

Pink, Purple

Areca catechu

Berries, young
shoot
Nut

Betel nut

Alum, tin

Blackwillow

Salix negra

Bark

Red, brown

Iron

Bloodroot

Roots

Red

Alum, tin

Buckthorn

Sanguinaria
canadensis
Rhammus cathartica

Yellow, brown

Cherry (wild)

Prunus spp

Twigs, berries,
bark
Bark

Dahlia

Dahlia spp

Petals

Pink, yellow,
brown
Yellow bronze

Alum, cream of
tartar, tin, iron
Alum

Dogs mercury

Mercurialis perennis

Whole plant

Yellow

Alum

Dyers broom

Genista tinctoria

Flowering tops

Yellow

Alum

Elder

Sambucus negra

Yellow, grey

Iron, alum

Eucalyptus

Eucalyptus

Leaves, berreis,
bark
Leaves

Fustic

Wood shavings

Yellow

Groundnut

Chloropho-ria
tinctoria
Arachis hypogea

Kernel skins

Henna

Lawsonia inermis

Leaves

Purple, brown,
pink
Gold

Hypogymnia
lichen
Henna

Hypogymnia
psychodes
Lawsonia inermis

Whole lichen

Gold, brown

Leaves

Gold

Henna

Hypogymnia
lichen
Henna

Hypogymnia
psychodes
Lawsonia inermis

Whole lichen

Gold, brown

Leaves

Gold

Hypogymnia
lichen
Henna

Hypogymnia
lichen
Henna

Hypogymnia
psychodes
Lawsonia inermis

Whole lichen

Gold, brown

Leaves

Gold

Hypogymnia
lichen
Henna

Hypogymnia
psychodes
Lawsonia inermis

Whole lichen

Gold, brown

Leaves

Gold

Hypogymnia
lichen
Henna

Hypogymnia
psychodes
Lawsonia inermis

Whole lichen

Gold, brown

Leaves

Gold

Hypogymnia
lichen
Henna

Hypogymnia
psychodes
Lawsonia inermis

Whole lichen

Gold, brown

Leaves

Gold

Hypogymnia
lichen
Tea

Hypogymnia
psychodes
Camelia sinensis

Whole lichen

Gold, brown

Leaves

Beige

Turmeric

Circuma longa

Root

Yellow

Deep pink

Alum

Deep gold, grey

Copper sulphate,
alum

Hypogymnia
lichen
Henna
Hypogymnia
lichen
Henna
Hypogymnia
lichen
Henna
Hypogymnia
lichen
Henna
Hypogymnia
lichen

The First International Conference on Greenpreneurship, 20-21 September 2012, Indonesia

Febe Shannen Y, K. Alvita R.S, Dr. Rustina Untari

Wild
mangosteen
Weld (wild
mignonette)
Woad

Diospyros peregrina

Fruit

Grey, pink

Reseda luteula

Whole plant

Olive green

Isatis tinctoria

Whole plant

Blue

Alum, cream of
tartar
Lime

Source : Journal Natural Dyeing of Textile

e. Batik Process on Silk Fabric
1) No-Mordant

2) Pre-Mordant

Source : Journal Development of Batik Painting Techique Silk Fabric via Natural Dyes (2010)

f. Waxing
Waxing is a process of printing
the art of batik. Waxing could be done
by using a cap or canting. If a cap is
used, the process will be easier since the
cap is just needed to be sticked out to the
cloth material bassed on the batik
motive that we want. On the other hand,
if a canting is used, then the motive of
the batik should be drawn first before
the printing process using canting.
g. Mordants
Mordants is a locking process of
batik color. It is to avoid the color to
spread while the batik is being put into
the water. After the drawn process of
batiks motive and the coloring process

have been done, the final process is to

lock the color that we call as mordant.
The locking process of the batik
could be done by using some material
like Iron (ferrous sulphate), Tin
(stannous
chloride),
Chrome
(bichromate of potash), Copper sulphate,
Tannic acid, Oxalic acid, and many
others.
Souce : Journal Natural Dyeing Process

3. METHODS
The methods applied in this paper
is by observing through video and direct
visit to the place where the batik is
made. The video of obeservation process
is to see the process to make batik

The First International Conference on Greenpreneurship, 20-21 September 2012, Indonesia

Extraction Of Natural Dyes From Indigofera Tinctoria For Batik Coloration

repeatedly and the direct visit

observatios is to see directly the making
process of batik which is so much
interesting. Therefore, by using these
observation methods, this paper could be
successfully conducted.
4. FINDING
a. How to Make Nature Dyeing
Indigo
Material :
1. Indigo Leaves
2. Kapur Tohor
3. Water
Equipment :
1. Big Bucket
2. Kapur Tohor
Steps :
1. Cut
the
indigo
leaves
approximately 10 cm.
2. Put all of indigo leaves into
water with comparison of 15
kg indigo leaves and 100 litres
water.
3. Make sure that all of indigo
leaves put into water, if
needed use the weight and lay
in the upstair so that all of
indigo leaves ia submerged.
4. Let indigo leaves during 24
48 hours and fermentation
process will happen.
5. Raise the indigo leaves and
then put kapur tohor into the
bucket with comparison of
500gr kapur tohor and 2 litres
water
6. After being mixed, doing that
we call airasi until produced
many foam. Airasi it process
of put oxygen into the water.
7. Doing the airasi process until
the foam is gone
8. Let this bucket during 24 48
hour
9. Use a cloth to filter the
solution and then we will get

the sediment inside the water

that we call it Pasta Indigo
b. How to Dyeing Indigo
Material :
1. Pasta Indigo
2. Brown sugar
Equipment :
1. Bucket
2. Dyeing Table
Steps :
1. Mix paste indigo and brown
sugar with comparison of 1 kg
pasta indigo and 1,5 kg brown
sugar.
2. Add 300gr kapur tohor
3. Let the solution during 24
hour
4. Put the batik into BRO
solution and then raise the
batik
5. Put batik into indigo solution
by using the dyeing table
6. Back and forth the batik until
all of the batik is blue. If
needed let the textile during
10 15 minutes.
7. Raise and directly spread the
batik so oxidation process will
happen.
8. The exclusive blue colour
from Indigo, we will get after
oksidation process
9. Doing the natural dyeing
process more than one until
the blue colour that we want.
Usualy, one textile can be
dyeing 25 75 dyeing
process.
c. Natrural dye with Indigo and some
of mordant
After mordant process, we will
get the blue colour. But every
mordant is unique. One mordant
will produce one blue colour. It is
the example blue colour of some
mordant.

The First International Conference on Greenpreneurship, 20-21 September 2012, Indonesia

Febe Shannen Y, K. Alvita R.S, Dr. Rustina Untari

Fig. 1 Example of Ingido with

Brown Sugar and Hydro

Fig. 2 Example of Indigo with

Brown Sugar and Kapur

Fig. 2 Example of Indigo with

Hydro
5. CONCLUSION
Batik is an art and craft form that
has been a legacy. It is called as an art
due to the fact that motive of batik is a
result of art from the artisan and it is
called as craft as the making process

was complicated and could be only

done by the experts.
In the past, the color of batik
only used natural source of dyeing,
since the synthetic dye substance had
not been found yet. The synthetic dye
substance is much cheaper rather than
the natural dyeing. Nevertheless, the
existance of natural dyeing source for
batik coloring is still there until now as
some people still prefer the natural
dyeings result which is softer and
more exclusive.
Indigo is a batiks natural dyeing
that has been adored by many people.
The blue color that is a result from
indigo is much prettier, softer, and
more exclusive compared to synthetic
dye color. Besides, the coloring
process of indigo is natural and
enviromentally friendly. Hence, natural
dyeing indigo becomes a primary
choice for Batik lovers.
The process to make indigo
natural dyeing is not easy since it
spends such a long time (about 2-4
days). In addition, the mixture of
ingredients used should be accurate to
create a perfect blue color. In the
dyeing process, the component of
brown sugar should be awared as well
so the blue color dapat keluar serta
berjalannya proses oksidasi dengan
lancar. The main difficulty in batik
coloring process occurs in the rainy
season since there is less sunlight
causing oxidation process delayed.
In conclusion, batik and indigo
coloring is a combination of culture
and tradition that has been heritaged
and should be conserved continually as
one of the great cultural from our
country Indonesia.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
This manuscript is fully granted by MP3EI
Project on 2012 from the Directorate
General of Higher Education of the

The First International Conference on Greenpreneurship, 20-21 September 2012, Indonesia

Extraction Of Natural Dyes From Indigofera Tinctoria For Batik Coloration

Ministry of National Education of the

Republic of Indonesia under contract no.
270/SP2H/PL/Dit.Litabmas/V/2012

REFERENCES
[1] Journal Natural Dyeing of Textile Practical
Action, The Schumacher Centre for Technology
and Development. Bourton Hall, BourtononDunsmore, Rugby, Warwlokshire CV239QZ,
UK
[2] Journal Development of Batik Painting Techique
Silk Fabric via Natural Dyes (2010) by Charoon
Klaichoi and Wiroj Padung
[3] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Natural_dye
[4] http://ecoforestryindonesia.blogspot.com/

The First International Conference on Greenpreneurship, 20-21 September 2012, Indonesia