India: Batik
Our first week of India Study focused on location and The Silk Road. I love the look of batik, so we attempted a tiny version of wax relief cloth painting. Batik Video
...and it was incredibly frustrating with the lack of correct supplies. We learned later that the wax should be a combo of bees and paraffin (the beeswax alone began to harden before we touched paintbrush to cloth.) We lacked the proper equipment for wax transfer (traditionally, people use tjanting tools, metal vessels on a handle with a thin spout for wax.) Paintbrushes were caked with beeswax and designs were difficult to detail. We then mixed acrylic with a bit of water for a wash of colour, so it would not be stiff, but when they dried, it was.
Of the hundreds (literally) projects we post every year, thousands more are 'fails.' Unless you define 'success' as learning, which naturally happens in any process, no matter the outcome. And frankly, everyone takes away something different to store in their skills department, even then. Learning never looks the same for any of us.
Some days we keep on, deciding that a particular project is begging for more of our time and attention. Other days, we know it's time to move on and maybe watch a movie instead.