Pysanki Eggs

A few years back my kids and I looked for something we could make special for Oestara that would be seperate from the traditional Easter they spent their early years celebrating.  What we found was the ancient art of egg painting called Pysanki.  Google for it and there are hundreds of sites with fancy designs and tools and waxes you can buy.  But with a little creativity and some kitchen supplies, you can turn out some great works of art very easily and inexpensively.  One word on patience.  Younger kids run out fast.  You might want to break this project into several stages to do over the course of a couple of days. 

Supplies:  Get yourself some of those little candles that come a hundred to a bag for three bucks at WhateverMart.  And something to paint with.  Called kistkas in the art, they can be anything you can dip in wax and draw with.  I had some caligraphy pens and nibs I could spare, but sewing needles for fine work or chop stick ends.  The point of a steak knife, Toothpicks (don't catch on fire though!), pretty much anything you find that will transfer wax fairly neatly.   Also some egg dye, the back of any box of food coloring will tell you how to make this.  And of course some eggs-empty.

If you have never blown eggs before, one word of advice.  Don't squeeze your lips to hard.  If you do your children will be laughing and it will be a memory to last a life time, but you will literally have egg on your face.  Take a needle and drill(don't try to punch) a hole in both ends of the egg, one side should be a bit larger.  Make it easy on yourself and make your large hole as big as a pencil is round.  Put the end with the smaller hole in your mouth and start blowing.  It takes awhile to seperate the egg from it's shell, but suddenly out comes the insides and you have a shell!  This is where chants of "Can I try?" start.  Kids love this.

Rinse the egg shell in lots of running water and then dip in vinegar to clean the surface.  Pat dry, DO NOT RUB.  Now decide on a design.  I have included one simple one in the reply posts below.   There are many sites on the web that have designs you can copy, or make your own.

Starting with the lightest color you will use, lightly pencil on your lines for this color only.  If you make a mistake, DO NOT ERASE.  Erasing causes a big blob on your finished egg.  You won't see the lines on the finished egg so mistakes are ok to leave.

Now, take what ever utensil you have found to transfer wax on to the egg, light your little candle, and as the wax melts dip your "kistka" in the wax and trace your design on the egg.  Then drop in the lightest color dye you have.  Let your dye cool before you use it!!!  You are working with wax, hot dye will really mess that up.  Let sit for about 5 minutes or so.  When you are happy with the color of your egg, take it out and let it dry or PAT dry.  Now pencil on the second color design, wax that, and dip in the next darker color.  Keep going like this until all of your design and all of your colors are done.  If you are confused by now, just check out the reply posts and you'll get the idea.

Then with a tongs so you won't burn your fingers, hold the finished waxed egg over a candle flame and let all the wax melt off.  Kids are usually amazed at this point.  Under every line of wax is a different color all coming together for an incredible design.  

I hope you enjoy pysanki eggs!