The pattern's contour is customarily drawn on the fabric with charcoal or graphite. Traditional batik designs make use of motifs passed down through the generations. An artisan is rarely so accomplished that he can work from memory and only needs to create an outline of the design before applying the wax. 

Designs are frequently traced from stencils or polar patterns. One way to trace a design onto fabric is to place the cloth on a glass table lit from below, casting a shadow of the pattern onto the cloth. After that, the shadow is traced with a pencil. In today's major batik companies, men are generally responsible for sketching the patterns onto the cloth to make a beautiful short sleeve shirt for men.

Making batik is a labor-intensive technique. A copper stamp, a cap, was invented in the mid-nineteenth century to accommodate rising demand and make cloth cheaper for customers. Compared to the conventional approach, which required the painstaking wax application by hand with a canting, this invention allowed for a larger volume of batik manufacturing.

Once the pattern has been sketched onto the fabric, it is ready to be waxed. Wax is applied to the fabric over the portions of the pattern where the artist wants the cloth to retain its natural color. It is usually white or cream.

Female employees sit on a low stool or a mat to apply the wax with a canting motion. The cloth is hung over light bamboo frames known as gawangan to allow the freshly applied wax to cool and set. In the wajan, the wax is heated until it reaches the proper consistency. The artist then dips her canting into the wax to fill the canting's basin.

Artisans use the wax to retrace the pencil outline on the cloth. A little drop cloth is placed on the woman's lap to shield her from the hot, pouring wax. The stem of the canting is held horizontally with the right hand to minimize unintentional leakage, drastically diminishing the final cloth's value. 

The left hand is put beneath the cloth to provide support. The spout does not come into contact with the fabric; instead, it is held slightly above the area where the artist works. Batik is waxed on both sides to ensure the design is clearly defined. Authentic Tulis batik is reversible, as both sides' designs should be similar.