Pysanky - Ukrainian Egg Dying

Intro: Pysanky - Ukrainian Egg Dying

Pysanky is a traditional craft in Ukraine and Poland. The method is similar to batik - patterns are drawn on the egg with wax, which then protects the covered areas from the dye that is applied. By repeating this process with different colors of dye, a multi-colored pattern is built up. Finally, the wax is removed to reveal the colors that were covered up at each stage. A layer of polyurethane can be added over the finished egg to protect the dyed design and to give a gloss finish.

Traditionally, the eggs were left whole. They would eventually dry out and become light. Some of my eggs are left whole, in keeping with tradition. Some of my eggs are blown to allow them to be hung as ornaments.

to see many other examples of these eggs, check out my Pysanky gallery on Flickr

STEP 1: Materials Needed:

Eggs
Pure Beeswax Block
Candle
Kistka
Dyes
Pencil
Heat Tool (optional)
Paper Towels

Before you begin, WASH YOUR HANDS! Oils on your hands can get on the egg shells and cause uneven dyeing. It helps to make sure your hands are clean before you start handling the eggs.

always start with room temperature eggs. cold eggs will sweat marring your pencil lines or your dye.

STEP 2: Designing

Draw your design guidelines on your egg in pencil. When the wax is removed later, it will remove these pencil lines with it. If you make a mistake, Do Not Erase! Erasing can scratch the egg shell surface causing uneven dying.

STEP 3: Waxing

Heat the funnel of the kistka in the flame of the candle& being careful to keep the tip of the funnel out of the flame. Soot from the flame can clog the tip if it is held directly in the flame. Soot from the flame will collect on the surface of the kistka (blackening it). With the heated kistka, dip into the block of beeswax. The heat of the tool will melt the wax into a little puddle. Scoop molten wax from this puddle into the funnel of the tool. Soot on the kistka will mix with the wax and darken it as you continue to use the wax block. This is helpful, as the blackened wax is much easier to see than the natural wax while working on the egg shell.

STEP 4: Caution!

Do Not Leave the Hot Kistka in the Wax Block!

If it is left in the hot molten wax and then the wax hardens, it is difficult to remove the tool without damaging it.

STEP 5: Draw on the Egg

Once your tool is full, you may need to reheat it. In order for the wax to flow well, the tool must be hot enough. Use the tool just as you would a pencil to draw on the surface of the egg everywhere that you would like the egg to remain white. It can be helpful to keep your pinky anchored on the egg surface to steady your hand

STEP 6: Dying

Carefully lower the egg into the dye with a spoon. Do Not Drop the Egg into the Dye! Dropping the egg can cause it to crack. Sometimes these cracks are not visible until the final wax removal stage after hours of work have been put into an egg.

The amount of time to leave an egg in the dye varies depending on the color of dye... if it is being dyed over another color... the quality of the shell surface... the age of the dye... and even more factors. So the only rule that can be used is to check often . Some dyes will make a decent color in just 15-20 seconds. Others take 5-10 minutes. For a strong color, you may have to leave an egg in the dye for quite some time!

STEP 7: Remove the Egg

When your egg reaches the color you are looking for, remove the egg from the dye by lifting it up with the spoon... and then picking the egg up off the spoon with a paper towel. Do not roll the egg off the spoon onto the paper towel, as this pour excess dye left in the bottom of the spoon into your hand as well. Always use a clean paper towel for each egg. The same paper towel can be used for successive dye baths on the same egg... but if you used a paper towel on an egg that is contaminated with colors you have not already used on that egg, you can transfer dye from the towel onto your egg, marring it. Pat the excess dye off the egg.

STEP 8: Clean Your Spoon!

Make sure to wipe off your spoon after putting an egg in or taking an egg out of a dye pot. Check before using a spoon that it is not covered in dye from a previous use. This excess dye can contaminate a dye pot, changing it's color.

STEP 9: Repeat for Multiple Colors

Repeat the Waxing and Dying steps for each color of dye in your design. Remember that the areas you are waxing are going to stay the color they are at the time you apply the wax. There is no need to apply wax over the final color of the design.

STEP 10: Removing the Wax

The traditional way to remove wax from the eggs is with the heat of a candle flame. Hold the egg close to the candle flame until the wax softens and then wipe the melted wax away with a paper towel or a tissue. Be careful NOT to hold the egg in or directly over the flame! Holding the egg in the flame can transfer soot onto the surface of the egg. This soot will be almost impossible to remove and can ruin a beautiful egg.

Because of the danger of soot marring the egg, my favorite method of removing the wax is to heat the egg with a heat gun designed for rubber stamping. This method also allows me to remove the wax more quickly. There is a slight bit of cooking of the egg innards... but it doesn't interfere with blowing the egg.

STEP 11: Finished? or Not Finished?

Voila! Your done! Well, at least you can be... you can stop here and have a 100% authentic traditionally dyed egg. Eggs left whole (unblown) will eventually dry out over time. As the egg dries out, it releases gasses slowly through the shell. If the egg is kept in a open area with good circulation, this helps it age safely. If the egg is kept in an enclosed space (or sometimes just out of spite on the part of the egg) the gasses can build up and cause the egg to "pop" cracking it's shell and ruining it. Exploding eggs do not smell good... are not fun to clean up... and can scare the heck out of you at 2 am. How do you avoid them?

Option 1: start with blown egg shells to dye. While this avoids all the potential problems of working with whole eggs, there is a major downside. Blown eggs float. In order to dye a blown egg, you need to plug the hole(s) with wax to keep it from filling with dye. This means that the blown egg acts like a balloon and needs to be constantly held below the surface of the dye. Whole eggs have the advantage of sinking in the dye and not needing supervision. Another disadvantage of this method is that the untreated dyed egg shell surface can be damaged by moisture and is more likely to fade.

Option 2: (our preferred) start with whole raw eggs to dye. After you are finished with the dyeing process and have removed the wax, coat the eggshell with a layer of oil-based polyurethane. It must be oil-based, because a water based polyurethane will run the dyes. The polyurethane will protect the dyed pattern from moisture and help prevent fading in strong light. It is still not advisable to store eggs in direct sunlight to prevent fading. The polyurethane also adds quite a bit of strength to the fragile egg shell. Once the egg is sealed, it can be blown without the egg innards marring the dyed design of the shell. As a final step, to make sure that any remaining egg inside the shell dries out, bake the finished egg in a low oven (somewhere around 150-175 degrees) for about an hour.

STEP 12: Tips, Tricks, and Variations

• There are 3 different colors of Kistka handles. The white handles are the smallest size funnel opening. These are good for very fine detail work. The blue handles are the medium size and are used for most applications. The red handles have the largest opening and are very handy for filling in large areas of color.
• A good way to get clear colors is to start with your lightest color first and work to darkest. It can be difficult to dye a light color over a dark color.


• Working in one color family (yellows to reds or shades of blues) helps keep clear colors as well. That said, interesting effects can be obtained by breaking all the rules. Sometimes colors interact in surprising ways.


• You can get an interesting "acid washed" look by rubbing the egg dry instead of patting when you remove it from the dye pot


• A light bleach solution can be used to remove colors from all non waxed sections of the egg, letting you have a white background color or giving you clear colors in future dye baths. Be careful, dyes don't always give exactly the same color or saturation on a bleached shell.


• Vinegar can be used to etch an egg's shell. Used instead of dye, the vinegar will remove thin layers of shell creating a raised effect where the waxing is done. On a brown or green shell, the etched areas will be lighter and lighter shades fading towards white. multiple color tones can be created by waxing and etching repeatedly.


• Vinegar etching can also be used to remove a layer of dying and give you a white shell again.


• Another traditional method of applying wax is the "drop-pull" method. This method uses a pin instead of a kistka to apply the wax. A stainless steel straight pin is inserted into the eraser of a pencil to give it a handle. Colored wax is melted and the pin is dipped into the molten wax. While the wax is still liquid (you must work quickly) the pin is touched to the egg shell and pulled to form a drop of wax pulled to a tear drop tail. There are an amazing variety of patterns that can be formed just by creating dots and teardrops.

Check out the gallery of Jen's Pysanky:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/esmecat/sets/72157594232833262/

And the gallery of pysanky made by guests at out annual Egg Dying Days:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/esmecat/sets/72157594232833262/

Comments

[BritT]

Hallo, what Kind of dye do you use?

I do pysanky over 25 years now but the Store i bought the dye closed recently. and i try to get the dye now in germany.

[oliviaannemcclure]

I’ve been trying to dye my eggs and I have been having trouble with some. I’m getting a layer of thick “fuzz” that sticks to my eggs and the only way to get it off is by scraping it off with a hard bristle brush but then some of the wax comes off too. Why am I getting this “fuzz” ?

[GotQuestions]

Thank you so much for this great information!
Are you painting on or spraying on the oil-based polyurethane?

[HollyHarken]

Where did you get the clear rings to display your eggs? I did pysanky eggs many years ago after taking a class, and never found a good way to display them other than egg cup holders. I love the look of the clear plastic ring to display the egg. Beautiful work!

[snowf7]

Hi Holly; My husband and I took a course to learn how to engrave eggs with a very high speed Dremel tool. One way that we displayed them was on candle holders. Different heights make a really nice display for a grouping. You might be able to find clear napkin rings. Solid napkin rings would also work. Excuse me for thinking out loud, but, this posting has made me want to get creative.

[wsecomp]

You could also get a clear poly tube and cut it using a coping saw or similar to make your own. It depends on how many you are going to do. You can also get the rings esmecat used at a lot of geology stores. People use them to display geodes and whatnot.

[esmecat]

those rings are another item available from the ukrainina gift shop... check out tier website for tons of display ideas....

[Geckomayhem]

A very nice craft instructable, and it's nice to see some of your culture. I noticed that people are asking about where you get the tools or the dye, but no one is asking this: where on earth do you get white chicken's eggs from? Are they organic / free range? Would they look as beautiful if you used brown eggs?

[XenobiaF]

White eggs come from white chickens.

[MarianneO11]

Not always. I have white hens that lay brown eggs and a Silver Gray Dorking (RIP Lucy) who laid white eggs.

[hammer9876]

Interesting. We have a choice between a lot of white eggs and fewer brown ones. Different cultures!

Beautiful egg dying! The Wendish also dye eggs. Check out http://lonestarmafc.com/tours/Wendish/Wen14.jpg

[LisaL135]

I've found that trying to use was chips or the tiny heart forms and such is a major hassle. I've found (unfortunately, no clue where!) a flat-topped, beeswax "cone" that I simply drag/dip my hot kistka across to fill with wax. Works great!

I learned how to do pysanky in Rome, New York in 1985-ish. I believe the kit we got in the class was from the gift shop mentioned below. Come to think of it, the kit was probably one of the basic "paper bag" kits mentioned on their web site! One or two Kistke, a small wax cake and about 6 basic colors. Being first active duty Air Force then an U.S.A.F. dependant and living all over the world, my pysanky supplies have followed me; I still have the original kistkes! An electric kistka with several different tip sizes, several additional colors, and an egg lathe (for draw in straight lines around the egg) has joined the kit, but it's still very basic. Pysanky IS a very basic craft. It's the artists SKILL that makes it gorgeous!!!

I usually blow my eggs then carefully seal the holes with wax. To keep them submerged in the dye (which glass canning jars are the perfect size for doing pysanky!), use a partially filled school-glue bottle gently placed on top of the egg and turn the egg occasionally. (All of this pysanky talk makes me want to get my supplies out and dig in!! There are several awesome suggestions that will be used. Thanks to all!!!)

I've been to the shop two or three times (family still lives there), and ordered online from the Ukranian Gift Shop in Minnesota, < www.ukrainiangift shop.com >. The first time I was there, Marie Procai, Luba Perchyshyn and Johanna Luciow were all there. It was an honor to meet the great ladies of American Pysanka!

[windoz]

I had Ukrainian neighbors who practiced Pysanky. Your instructable is wonderful, especially they dying guides.

[PiotrM7]

Greeting from Poland. Beautiful pisanki. My children will make pisanki today or tommorow in simplified form, but not using stikers or similar. Only painting. We also colors eggs in outer layer of onions (the brown one), and next, using sharp tool make designs.

[WladekG]

Greeting from Poland. We have the same tradition. Many, many years...

[sreeci]

Lovely work of art. This is the first time, I'm seeing any thing from Ukraine. Very beautifully and painstakingly done. Bravo.

Please post more works of art.

Thank you.

[grannyjones]

We have been making pysanky for many years. We even purchased a set of electric kistky from the Ukrainian Gift Shop in Minneapolis-St. Paul.

[LeslieGeee]

Thank you so much for your wonderful tutorial. I have wanted to attempt this for years but the directions I found were either confusing or didn't make sense to me.

I have one question please, did you use small drill bit to make the holes for when you blew out your eggs??

Again thank you for your tutorial :)

[CharlyeZ]

Greeting form Slovakia. We have the same tradition. Many, many years...

[ata1anta]

I haven't done this in ages. Philadelphia has aa big eastern european section and that's where I've gotten most of my supplies (once upon a time AC Moore had kits but that was only for one season). For small pieces of bee's-wax, you can check out the sewing and beading sections of craft and sewing stores - it's used as a thread conditioner.

Taking this technique, I've done "acid" washing. You need a colored egg (like a brown egg or an emu egg) and the wax. You draw your design in the wax and then soak it in vinegar. You have to be careful not to let it soak too long or it will collapse.