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The Art Of (Pysanky) Ukrainian Eggs

INTRODUCTION & BACKGROUND:
Many of us have at one time in our lives made Easter eggs as children. Ukrainian Easter eggs are called Pysanky. How many of you have seen a Ukrainian Egg, and thought it was painted? I did. It is actually a resist process, similar to Batik. The egg goes through multiple die baths, starting with the lightest color and ending with the darkest color. Before each color step you place melted wax on the egg where you do not want the color to be applied.

I learned from a woman (who herself had seven years experience), and I have been creating Ukrainian Eggs for about six years now. I have even won a blue ribbon for one that I placed in a local fair. I have given most away as gifts. :)

What will you learn about today? In this guide you will be introduced to a brief background of the two different kinds of Ukrainian eggs, you will learn about the tools, Kistka (stylus) & Beeswax, used in the process, and finally you will learn the major Steps for finishing the egg.

History:
The two different kinds of eggs are the Krashanka and the Pysanky. The Krashanka is dyed in one brilliant color, it is boiled, and it's edible. On the other hand the, Pysanky (plural) / Pysanka (singular) is raw, and is not eaten. The dyes used in the process are toxic! Pysaty means to write. The eggs are multi-colored. They are used as ornaments and meant to be kept indefinitely.

Tools:
The Kistka (stylus) is a tool used to write on the egg, it comes in three different sizes. The sizes vary the thickness of the line from fine to thick depending on the detail needed. To use the Kistka you first hold it next to candle - not in the flame (a picture can be found in the section labeled Process). The wax lines should be smooth and shiny. In addition to stylus sizes giving you thick or thin lines, you use speed to vary the thickness as well: slower = wider, thicker lines and faster = narrow, thinner lines.

The Beeswax comes in two colors. They are black and natural. They come in blocks which you need to shave into smaller pieces (I use an old cheese grater). Once you have shaved off pieces you then roll the pieces into bb size pellets. The pellets must not be bigger than the Kistka bowl. The temperature of wax is very important. You do not want the wax to blob or spread out all over, this occurs when the wax is too hot. On the other hand, you do not want the wax to be too cold or you will end up with thin, flaky and uneven coverage. It is also important

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