Here, I’m going to just introduce those who don’t
know how to make them to the possibility... You use blown
eggshells, with the holes at each end covered with melted
wax; or you can simply use raw, unblown eggs and let the egg
inside gradually dry out (it won’t smell, unless perhaps
it was rotten to begin with!).
You need an indispensable piece of equipment, the "kistka"
- a little tool that allows you to melt wax scrapings in its
funnel-shaped head (over a candle - or you can get an
electric one) and draw on the eggshell with the hot
beeswax. This takes dexterity and perseverance -
perseverance, because I’ve never used one that didn’t
"act up" (and I made pysanky for years)...
definitely a craft for the "detail person"!
The process involves the same principles as fabric
batiking does - you put the wax over the color you
want to remain showing at the end. You can dye the
egg many times to produce many colors if you wish - a new
dying for each new layer of wax design. You use
vinegar-based dyes, just like with kids’ Easter eggs. You
can created blended colors by dying in successive color
baths. You can also "dye back" in a plain vinegar
bath to etch away any remaining color at any point; rubbing
the egg afterward produces a watercolor-like haze around the
edges of the extant wax designs, whereas you can pretty much
get all of the color off with a toothbrush under
water. (Note that you shouldn’t "dye back" for
too long, or too many times, on one egg, because the shell
is actually eaten away a bit... and the ornament won’t be
as strong as it was.)
Use any egg you like - goose eggs, colorful duck eggs,
store-bought chicken eggs (though free-range eggs tend to
have stronger shells). Gorgeous teal-blue emu eggs don’t
need any coloring at all! - one large-design layer of wax
and dying back to a lighter blue produces an incredible work
of art! (Spray with lacquer after they’re done and dry to
protect and strengthen.)
For kistkas, packaged dyes, traditional Ukrainian
designs, and instructions (and beeswax, though you can get
that in any craft store), see:
Ukrainian Gift Shop, Inc.
2512 39th Avenue NE
St. Anthony Village, Minnesota USA 55421
Phone: (612) 788-2545
Their website (www.UkrainianGiftShop.com) even has
a neat little step-by-step how-to for a featured design, if
you’d like more visual clarity of the process.
Pysanky (a Ukrainian term) were also traditionally made
in Hungary, Czechoslovakia, Romania, Croatia, Serbia, and
Poland (and probably some countries I’ve missed!), each
having design variations. And of course you can make up your
own! I’ve drawn large flowers onto the eggs, valentine
messages, and take-offs on traditional designs. My friend
Ellen (alias "Eggen") has used Native American
totem-like designs (her orcas are especially memorable) and
has drawn wonderful, child-like line-dancers around other
notable eggs. Then there was the unbelievable,
haunting duck egg I saw at the Ukrainian Gift Shop in
Minneapolis... a soft, rustic scene, truly like an old
master painting.
...It ain’t just an eggshell anymore!
