A Beginner's Guide to making Pysanky Eggs....from a Beginner!

Have you ever seen those beautiful Ukrainian Easter Eggs and ever wondered how the heck they're made?  I remember being dazzled by those eggs when I was a little girl growing up.  I didn't realize that there was a name for these eggs:

Pysanky

Two years ago my friend, Christina, introduced me to the art of creating these eggs.  She'd bought a kit and with the instructions from that kit, more instructions we found online and a bottle of wine we managed to make two Pysanky eggs each.  They're Easter eggs decorated with traditional Ukrainian folk designs using a wax resist technique.  (the wine is to calm the nerves!  LOL!)

I decided to order the Easter Egg Decorating Kit and try making a few Pysanky eggs.   I ordered my kit from Ukrainian Gift Shop.  They have all the unusual supplies you'll need to make pysanky eggs.  This is the >kit< I purchased.  You'll also need a real candle (you need to use the flame to heat the wax), eggs (at room temperature), cotton swabs, paper towels, newspaper and pencil.

***Now, before we get started make sure you read ALL the instructions! *** 

I really do want to make it clear that I'm truly a beginner... there's a lot I still have to learn.  Jump in and help me out if you've done Pysanky before!  It may sound complicated but once you get going and do one step at a time you'll see that it's not as hard as it looks.

Here are some of the supplies:

Kiska- it's like a writing tool that uses hot, melted beeswax to "write" with (these come with the kit).  Kiskas come in a few different sizes- those sizes are determined by the hole opening (the one with the larger hole is the heavy kiska ...it produces a heavier line of wax.  And likewise, the one with the smaller hole produces a finer line of wax. ) Generally the instructions say which kiska to use.

I'm using the How-To book that came with the kit.  It's called How to Decorate Beautiful Ukrainian Easter Eggs "Pysanky" and was written by Luba Perchyshyn.

The kit comes with beeswax but that big block is something I already had.

  

The egg should be at room temperature (if they're cold they could sweat and I think that would be bad news!).  The book suggests cleaning the egg with a vinegar and water solution (do NOT use any detergent on the egg) and gently drying it with a paper towel.  I used a raw egg (still intact).  You could use a blown out egg but then you have the problem of uneven dye coverage (perhaps there's a way around this?  Not sure.)

(what's with the bottle of wine?  Sometimes a little wine helps me relax and then the whole process goes a lot better!  LOL!)

Egg Dyes made up in Pint Jars (made according to package directions.  Since you use the dyes at room temperature make sure you make them plenty ahead of time.  Orange dye does NOT get vinegar.  I wonder why?)  Notice all the newspaper!  It can get messy!

Okay...you're ready to go...newspaper is laid down, candle is lit, glass of wine is poured.  :-)

First step: draw the design on the egg using a pencil.  Don't worry- the pencil lines won't show up in the finished product.  The kit comes with instructions on how to draw on the egg.

Step 2: The instructions will show you which lines need the first layer of wax....Remember- what you cover up now with wax will be WHITE once the unmasking at the end is done.  You heat the kiska tip and dip it into the beeswax so that the well (funnel) of the kiska fills up with hot, melted beeswax.  I'm using the heavy kiska (the one with the larger opening) for this first step.  It's a really good idea to test your writing tool on a piece of newspaper before writing on the egg (if you overheat the kiska you could end up with a blob of wax instead of what you were hoping for.  Ask me how I know!)

The book says to keep the kiska at a right angle to the egg . I guess I had a little trouble following that rule...

 Step 3: place in yellow dye for        
about 15 minutes.

 Next several steps:
 I'm not going into great detail as each design is slightly different but the point is to start with lightest colors and get progressively darker.  Remember that the layer of wax you put down after it has been dyed will remain that particular color.  That means the layer of wax you put down after dying the egg yellow will remain yellow after the unmasking.  I generally let the eggs sit in the dye bath for about 15 minutes (for each color).                                                                                                                          

  With my particular design I started with yellow, then green (used cotton swabs to apply the green dye as it was shown on the diagram I was using), then orange, red and finally royal blue.

 After the red dye I'm using the heavy kiska to cover up the parts of the design I want to remain red.  Hmmm....I kind of like the red egg as it is.  

This is what the egg looked like after its last dye bath (I used Royal Blue but the book states that other darker colored dyes can be used).  I use paper towels to gently blot the egg after each dye bath.  

Here is the UNMASKING!

(drum roll please.......)

This is the super exciting part...where your hard work pays off!

You're supposed to hold the egg to the side of the candle flame for just a few seconds (enough to melt a little bit of it) and then wipe off the melted wax with paper towel or cloth or tissue.  You keep rotating the egg, melting and wiping until finally the entire egg is free of wax.  

Hmmm....According to the book you should NOT hold the egg over the tip of the candle flame as it will discolor the egg.   

And here it is!!! Woo Hoo!

 One last step...blow out the egg.  I used an egg blower I purchase along with my Pysanky kit: 

Whoops.  Seems I forgot to take photos of this last step.  I find this is the most nerve wracking step of all. Push too hard with the poker thingy and you end up with ...

*sob*

NOOOOOOOOOO!  Say it isn't so!  This egg was one of the first eggs I made with Christina.  At least the wine seemed to help my mood.  LOL!  That egg is the reason why I'm nervous about blowing out eggs.  Especially since making pysanky takes a couple of hours.  Talk about some crushed feelings & hopes!

 The other egg from my very first attempt at pysanky (and my only other attempt at it).

Here are the latest two...thankfully undamaged from the egg blowing.  Now I need to remember to rinse them out with water (the egg blower is great for that reason- you can blow clean water into the egg to rinse it out).  

I think there's one last step that I've not ever done...and that is to apply varnish to the finished egg.  I think this helps protect the egg and make it a little more durable.  

Helpful Websites:

Ukrainian Gift Shop (has everything you'll need to make Pysanky; had friendly customer service)

Learn Pysanky (offers step by step designs from beginner to advanced)


Also Helpful:
A Kid's Guide to Decorating Ukrainian Easter Eggs by Natalie Perchyshyn


Do you know of any other helpful websites or books for beginners trying Pysanky?  I'd love to know!  I still have a LOT to learn!

So, what are you waiting for?  Hop to it! Get some of the supplies and start practicing with me!  Or do I need to egg you on?  LOL!   I figure if I keep practicing I'll have a big basket full of not-perfect-but-beautiful Easter eggs for NEXT Easter!  Who's with me? Say yes! Pretty please?   :-)  (and here's hoping I don't crush any more eggs!)


By the way, it only took me two years to get the courage to post this "tutorial"!  I'd love to hear from if you've done Pysanky before.   





*Shared with Skip to My Lou's Made by You Monday linky party.

*Also shared with Metamorphosis Monday at Between Naps on the Porch.