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How to Make Pysanky
First, you will need a kit for making pysanky. The best
kit to buy is made by Luba's and the place you can get it the cheapest is
the
Polish Art Center. You will want to purchase:
1. Luba's Super Color Kit ($15.95). There are cheaper kits, but you will
kick yourself later if you get one of the cheaper ones with only a few
colors. This kit comes with 12 colors, small, medium, and large
traditional kistky, instructions, two color photos of twelve decorated
pysanky, and beeswax.
2. You will also need to buy one of their Blas-Fix one hole egg blowers
(5.95). These are really cheap and work great.
3. Also get some gold hanging findings while you are there if you want to
hang your eggs.
You will also need:
1. A box of twelve wide-mouthed quart mason jars for your dyes. I bought
Kerr brand from the local grocery store for about five bucks for the box
of twelve.
2. Distilled white vinegar
3. Candles. Try to use beeswax, soy wax, or palm wax candles. Any other
type is dangerous to your health.
4. Some thick clear tape (like boxing tape).
5. Paper towels and newspaper.
6. An old clean rag.
7. A pencil without an eraser if possible, scissors, and a permanent
marker.
8. Extra large white chicken eggs. Try to get them in a cardboard egg
carton if you can. The Styrofoam ones can stick to your varnished eggs and
ruin them. The eggs should be smooth with no bumps, cracks, or thin spots.
I stand in the egg aisle at the store for half an hour sorting the best
eggs into one carton for my pysanky. People there probably think I am
crazy.
9. Distilled water. This is a must! You can get it from the grocery store.
Buy two gallons if you can. You may need extra.
10. Measuring cups and a measuring tablespoon.
11. An olive jar or thin jelly jar that will fit into one of the big
wide-mouthed jars.
12. A lighter.
13. A regular tablespoon or soup spoon.
On the first day, you will not be ready to make your
pysanky. This is the day to blow out your eggs. Wash your hands very
thoroughly first. Any oils on the egg will keep the dyes from sticking to
the egg later and you will only destroy your pysanky. Never handle your
eggs if you have touched anything else, especially your face or skin.
Using the hand drill you will get with your blas-fix, drill holes into the
exact center of the top of all of your eggs. Then use the blas-fix to
drain them all into the sink or into a pan for omelets :) Make extra
sure that all of the egg bits are out. After you rinse, be sure there is
no water at all in the egg. You may wish to leave them turned upside down
in the carton over a little piece of paper towel so they can drain
completely. The eggs should spend all day drying this way.
While you are
waiting for your eggs to dry, you can set up your dyes. Be careful when
handling dyes. They will ruin floors, countertops, and clothing. Boil the
distilled water on the stove while you sort your dyes. Take the first jar
and pour the ORANGE dye into it. Set this one way off to the side. You
can't add vinegar to the orange, so this will keep you from doing so
later. When your pour a dye into its jar, cut the color from the package
and tape it to the front or top of the jar before moving onto the next
color. The dyes will not be the same color in powdered form as they are on
the egg, so you will get them mixed up if they are not labeled. I tape the
color to the front of the jar and then write the color on the lid of the
jar as well with a permanent marker. Mix the water, dye, and vinegar
according to instructions. Leave off adding the vinegar until the dyes
have cooled somewhat, then add the lids. Keep your dyes in the box they
came in so you won't loose them. You may want to label the top of your
orange dye jar with "NO VINEGAR" or you may do so later and ruin your dye.
Your dyes may need a teaspoon of vinegar added every month or so.
Normally, the dyes will last about six months to a year before you have to
buy new dyes.
At the end of the day, wash your hands again and then wash the eggs
with a little vinegar on a rag or paper towel. Never ever wash your eggs
with soap. This will also keep the dyes from sticking. Use only distilled
white vinegar. Let the eggs dry in their carton right-side up. If you have
an egg with lots of bumps or weak spots, use this one as your practice
egg.
Now you are ready to start decorating. I suggest you work
over an area with carpet since you will find you are prone to dropping
your pysanky. It isn't fun to accidentally smash an egg you've been
working on for the last eight hours. Find a table where you can sit
comfortably. Lay out some newspaper and all of your supplies. Lay all of
your tools on your right side if you are right handed. If you reach over
your egg to get something, you will most likely knock the egg on the
floor. The candle should be directly in front of you about 16 inches away
so you can reach it, but not catch your hair on fire while bending over
your egg. Bunch the rag up in front of you like a little nest. This is
where you will put your egg while working on it. The rag will keep the egg
from rolling if (when) you drop it or if you have to get up and get
something.
Begin by practicing with the practice egg. Choose a kistka
and heat the big end over the candle flame. Scoop some of the beeswax into
the end. You won't need much. Heat the big end again to melt the piece of
wax just a little. Now heat the small end of the kistka and use it to draw
on the egg. Don't hold the kistka like a pencil. Hold it between your
thumb and first two fingers. The end of the kistka should rest in the
center of your palm. The tip of the kistka should be at a ninety degree
angle to the surface you are drawing on for the wax to come out. You may
have to heat the tip of the kistka several times at first while drawing
until you get the hang of it. Practice drawing all kinds of lines for a
while until you get used to the feel of it. When you make a mistake on an
egg, there is no possible way to fix it. Scraping the wax off will not
work. You will just need lots of practice to get good at it. You will find
that by your tenth egg or so, you will no longer make any more mistakes.
Make sure your hands are clean. When you are ready to
start your first egg, take out the pencil and one of the clean white eggs.
You cannot erase pencil lines on your eggs, so don't try to use the
eraser. It will make a patch where dye does not stick on the egg and ruin
it. Use the pencil very lightly or you will see the pencil marks on your
finished egg. You don't have to make a straight line or a dark line. I
make a sort of light dotted line as a guideline on the egg. Practice this
on your practice egg. To divide the egg, draw a straight line up the
center of the egg. Make another on the other side exactly opposite. Then
do a line to the left and right of these.
You will get the hang of it
pretty quickly. A line down the center of the egg widthwise divides it in
half. This design is the most common to get started on doing designs for
eggs. You may wish to practice them on paper before you put them onto your
egg, or you may want to copy a little from pictures.
Here are some designs you can
try. They are pretty basic and they show how you can start designs on a
white egg. Try to make as few pencil marks as possible. Don't think that
because you are not artistic, you cannot make pysanky well. All adults and
children in the Ukraine do this. It is quite simple and easy and just
takes a tiny bit of practice. The only thing about pysanky is that it is
time consuming, so you will need some small amount of patience.
Now that you are ready to "write" on your first egg, take
your kistka and make sure it is filled with beeswax. The most important
thing you can do to your egg is cover the hole in the end with beeswax.
This should always be the first thing done. If you forget, dye will get
inside the egg and dye all of it from the inside out. Your egg will be
ruined. The first color on pysanky is usually white. Wherever you draw
with your kistka, the wax will protect the egg and it will be left white.
Once you have all your white areas finished, double-check the egg for
spots you missed. You will not be able to go back later.
Get ready to dye the egg its first color. You can use as many colors as
you like on your egg, but you have to work from lightest to darkest. If
you want yellow on your egg, yellow will be the first color. Drop your egg
into the yellow dye and gently set the small olive jar on top of it to
hold it under. It takes about five minutes for the dye to set to a nice
brilliant color. It may take a little longer with some colors. When it is
done, take it out with the spoon and turn it over into a folded paper
towel. Pat the egg gently with the paper towel until it is completely dry.
If you notice any dull spots, now is the time to drop it back into the dye
and fix it. Repeat this process with each color you use. Let the egg sit
on the rag a moment and air dry while you fill your kistka with wax. Now,
wherever you draw on your egg will be left yellow. You can have as many
light colors on your egg as you wish, but you can have only one dark
color. For example, you will not be able to have both dark red and dark
green. They will just mix and dull each other out. Choose dark blue, dark
red, dark green, or black for your one dark final color. Black can, of
course, go over any color. Light green should only go over yellow and must
be applied in small amounts to specific areas with a Q-tip.
Once you have completed your egg, it will be covered in
wax everywhere except where you dyed the last color. Hold the egg up over
the candle flame and about an inch away to melt the wax on the egg. Wipe
the melted wax off with a paper towel. Be sure to get all of the wax off
the egg, but don't rub it too much or some of the dye may come off. As the
wax comes off, the beautiful colors of your egg will be revealed! You can
leave the egg this way, or you can coat it with a protective varnish. DO
NOT buy the type of varnish that is brushed on. It will smear the egg
dyes. I buy non-water soluble varnish at the craft store in a spray
bottle. Take the egg outside to spray it. I stick three pins through a
piece of cardboard and set the egg on the ends of the pins on its side. I
spray it lightly (too much may run the colors) until the one side is
covered. Let it dry for at least ten minutes before turning it over and
spraying the other side. Let it dry on the pins for an hour before putting
it back into the paper egg carton. Now you can add a gold hanger on the
top with some super glue or hot glue if you like. The varnish will keep
water from ruining the egg, but it will not keep the egg from breaking.
Emergency Egg Care:
Should you drop an egg, there is little way to save it. A completely
broken egg will have to be thrown away. If there is a dent in the egg, but
all the pieces are still there, you can try using this method: If the egg
has not been varnished, try holding the egg by the ends with one finger
covering the hole you made in the end with the drill. Hold the egg over a
candle flame a little. The heat inside the egg will cause it to expand,
pushing the dent outward. Wipe the cracked area with melted beeswax to
strengthen it. The cracks will show if you are very close, but not from a
distance. Broken egg remedy - submitted by Carolyn
I wanted to share this with your readers in case anyone had the same
problem I did.
I accidentally broke a very special egg painted by my husband when we were
first
married over 20 years ago. I searched all over the web for how to repair
it - and
found nothing. I came up with my own solution.
The egg broke right around the middle. The top half was intact, the bottom
in 3
large pieces and a few tiny ones where it hit the floor. the way it broke,
I needed
to be able to glue the little pieces on to a surface to hold them in
place. I
realized putting another blown egg shell inside the broken one would be
best.
luckily, I had an egg that was a perfect fit (it was too short, but fit
perfectly
around the middle where I needed the support). I slipped the new egg shell
inside
the top half of the broken one, then piece by piece glued the smaller
pieces onto
the new egg shell surface. I used regular Elmer's glue, thinned with
water, and
painted it on the inner egg and applied the pieces. Then I slipped off the
top half,
put glue on the inside egg and glued the top piece in place. (leaving the
top
unglued till I had the others in place left me more working room)
I know I must have been very lucky to have found an egg that fit
perfectly, but
maybe Styrofoam eggs would work too, and could be shaped to fit. Also, the
egg I
repaired was painted with acrylics, not a pysanky egg, but I would think
the same
method would work.
I hope you consider posting this or sharing it with a pysanky egg web site
or other
craft group. I am sure someone else must have broken an egg that was a
family
treasure they would like to repair.
Click here to see my pysanky for
sale
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