Easter's Most Elegant Eggs

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Once you've mapped out your basic design, place the patterned egg in the lightest dye (say, yellow) that you intend to use. As you'll see, the wax lines will resist the dye and leave the area under them white (or whatever the natural egg color happens to be).

Next, wax in those parts of your design that you want to be yellow, then place the egg in the second-somewhat darker—dye . . . which will cover up all of the yellow that isn't "protected" by the beeswax lines. In other words, you wax out the areas which you want to remain the color they are at the time of the waxing. Fig. 3 shows an example of an egg as it goes through this process. Another typical color sequence might be yellow, orange, red, and black.

After the final—and darkest-dye has been applied, you're ready to take off all the wax and reveal the beautiful colors underneath. To do this, just hold the egg close to the side of the candle flame, and the wax will melt and drip off ... or, you can wipe the coating off with a tissue or soft cloth. ( Don't hold the egg over the candle, though, or the carbon from the flame will soot up your design.) You can also put the egg in a "low" oven for the few minutes necessary to melt the wax.

Once the egg was clean, the Ukrainians used to rub it with butter, but I apply a coat of varnish . . . because this "finish" offers better protection.

MISCELLANEOUS NOTES

Traditionally, pysanky eggs were given raw, and the contents eventually dried up. I prefer to use blown shells, however, since this method allows me to eat the egg whites and yolks that I remove, and the hollow shells are less likely to break if dropped. When using "empty" eggs, however, you have to be sure to plug up the "blow holes" with wax, or the shells will fill with dye. Then, before you melt the wax off, remember to unplug the holes. Otherwise, the air inside the finished egg may expand from the heat and cause your artwork to explode (and that can be a very traumatic experience!).

Some people decorate an egg, varnish it, and then blow it out. The advantage to this method is that the raw egg will be heavy enough to sink into the dye without being weighted down. It's best to practice up a bit on blowing eggs before you try this, however, so you don't crack your artwork in the process. I've found that 1 can empty an egg quickly and easily if I punch a hole in one end with a tiny drill and then pump out the contents with a syringe.

THE BUSINESS ANGLE

Pysanky has several advantages as a means of supplementary income. Aside from the fact that it involves only a tiny capital investment, the business is seasonal . . . and egg decorating is a great way to enrich long, winter evenings. As an added bonus, the design possibilities are nearly endless! On top of the beautiful Ukrainian motifs, you can adapt this art to a wide range of decorative styles in order to reach a variety of audiences. And, although pysanky eggs are a "natural" for Easter, folks also use them as gifts, Christmas tree decorations, and casual ornaments.

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