In the photos, you can see a craftswoman draw patterns on the cloth. She’s using a small tool called a “canting” to draw. The artisan retraces the design on the cloth with wax using the canting.
Years of practice, that often began as a child, allow her to work quickly, with fluidity and accuracy. The artist dips the cup into a pot of hot wax, blows on it to assure smooth application through the spout, and then applies the wax, drawing patterns with the spout. After both sides of a cloth have been waxed, it is ready to be dyed. When the wax is removed later, white, undyed, places on the fabric are left where the wax had been.
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