How To: The Ancient Art of Pysanki

Easter is the time for celebrating the death and resurrection of Christ in the Christian faith, but this time of year has long been celebrated, even before Christianity, as a time to honor the sun and the coming of spring by pagan religions. The art of Pysanki, or the Ukrainian/Carpathian art of decorating eggs, rose out of one of these pagan religions before it was adapted by Christians to celebrate in their springtime rites. These beautiful and intricate egg dying decorations are now admired and imitated by people from around the world, knowledge of it spreading throughout art circles in the United States as well. And though the detail and intricacies of the designs on the eggs may look staggering, the average person with an interest in both art and crafts can create their own Pysanki eggs for springtime or their own Easter celebrations.

1. First the interested Pysanki apprentice will need the proper materials:

The Kistka
The Kistka is a wooden instrument that has a copper or otherwise metal funnel through which wax is heated and applied to the surface of the egg's shell. These cost anywhere from $1.50 to around $12 or so depending brand or the materials they are made from. There are electric ones that can range up to $65 or more. Having an electric Kistka eliminates the need for candles and open flames which could prove hazardous, especially when children may be participating in the craft.

Candles
Any tall candle will do, as long as it is placed on a surface that will not be damaged from dripping hot wax and is protected from the possibility of fire. If an electric Kitska is used then the candle is not needed, only a heat resistant surface to rest the Kistka on between wax applications. Candles are usually found cheap, around 50 cents to $1, especially ones that are commonly used for emergencies and power outages that are devoid of dyes or decoration.

Beeswax
Beeswax has enough plasticity (meaning it will stick to the egg surface) that it will effectively seal any portion of the egg's shell without risk of the wax falling off and leaving the area vulnerable to staining, dying, or bleaching.

Vinegar
Vinegar is what you mix the dyes into to set the dye and make it a permanent coloring on the egg shell. White vinegar is best because it is less sticky and has no color of its own to conflict with the coloring of the dyes.

Jars
You need to have one jar for every different color of dye that you will have, and it would probably be a good thing to have one extra jar just incase one breaks. They do not have to be glass jars, but it is best if they are clear or at least labled so that you will know what color dye or what substance is in them.

Paper Towels
Paper towels may not seem like much, but either they or a rag of some kind is needed to dry the eggs when they come out of the dyes, to place under the eggs when they are on the table to keep them from rolling around, and to wipe off the beeswax at the end of the dying process.

Dyes
Dyes come in all different colors. If you can think up a color it can be ordered, mixed, or made. But keep in mind that the cheaper the dye the less permanent the color will be or the less brilliant the color will be. You don't want a dye that will continually bleed even after it is dry, and you don't want a dye that gives you a lighter version of the color it is supposed to be, so be selective when perchasing dyes. Be wary of the ones that are too cheap, but the most expensive aren't always necessary to get a good, long lasting, even coloring dye.

Bleach
Bleach is useful in making the egg white again after initial dyings to get a white background for the color instead of some darker color. It should be kept in a glass jar to prevent it from ever leaking, and it should be labled and kept seperate from the other jars with dye in them. Also that jar should probably not be used for any dyes in the future and set aside for only bleach. (Sometimes a household cleaner such as Windex is used if bleach is too harsh, though it may not remove every bit of the color depending on what type of dye it is used to remove. In that case it is sprayed onto the egg as it is held in a paper towel and then lightly wiped until white or near white.)

Matches/Lighter
You will need either matches or some kind of a lighter to light the candle that is used to warm the Kitska (if you are using a non-electric one) and to remove wax at the end of the process. It is always a good idea to have as few flamable objects around the flame and the candle as possible, and also to not overheat the kistka, because if it is wooden , the wood can catch on fire and the wax is also somewhat flamable if heated high enough as well. Please also have a way to put out any accidental fires if need be.

Drill
There is a tiny hand-worked drill bit that is especially made for Pysanki. Any site that sells kitskas or other Pysanki products will most likely have them. They are basically a thin metal rod that is cut at one end so that a twisting motion of the wrist carves out a perfect hole in the bottom of the egg to allow for the removal of the liquids at the end of the dying and waxing processes. When done carefully and with the right kind of wrist motion, the egg should not break unless there is already a flaw in the shell.

Finger Air Pump/Egg Pump
These little air pumps are also sold at any store or on any site that sells other Pysanki items or supplies. It is a little bellow usually made of plastic that blows air by motion of the thumb and forefinger through a metal, needle-like tube into the egg. The air then takes up room inside the eggshell when the egg is held with the hole down, causing the liquid inside to be forced out through the hole in the bottom of the egg.

Plastic Bowl/Tub
This bowl/tub is important if you do not wish for egg inards to go down your sink or onto your work table. This tub catches whatever liquids are expelled when the air pump forces them out. The liquids then can be easily dumped onto a compost heap, outside, or in the trash. (Please do not attempt to use the inner liquids to cook with after dying because it may contain unhealthy bacteria and certain dyes, especially bleach, that could and probably will leak into it and are harmful if ingested).

Large White Eggs
Large or Jumbo white eggs are usually the ones used for beginnners, though some more advanced Pysanki artists use ostrich or emu eggs as well. Brown eggs can be used if you wish that to be your base color, or if you have dyes that work well over brown or can cover it. It is important that you pick eggs that have no calcium bumps on the shells and no thin spots or cracks.

Pencil
A pencil is necessary to draw the basic lines for the design lightly onto the egg's shell, creating a grid at first and then the basic design. Some experienced artists do not need to sketch more than the basic grid or any lines at all. But for beginners it is crucial that these lines be drawn until you are comfortable with handling the kistka and developing paterns on your own. Erasers do not work well on eggshells, so drawing lightly and accurately is essential for some darker pencil marks can be seen through the dyes.

Drying Rack
This rack can be bought from Pysanki supply sites or shops, or made from a piece of cardboard or wood and some thin nails. The ones that can be bought are sometimes designed to go into the oven to melt the wax off that way instead of by a candle flame and are usually made of wood. If you are making the rack, you will need a very thick and durable piece of cardboard or a wooden board no thicker than half an inch and some nails at least 1 1/2 inches long. By nailing the nails into the board (whether wood or cardboard) in close groups of three with enough space between to act as a tripod for the egg, you can provide a resting place for the egg when you are away from the working area or for drying and sealing.

Sealant
The sealant needs to be one that will dry hard and clear such as polyurethane or an acrylic sealant. Spray sealant is the most popular and easiest to use when trying to coat the egg, however liquid sealants can be poured into a jar and the egg dipped and rolled in it then placed on the rack to dry.

2. One you have all the necessary materials, you can begin to make the design on the shell of the egg.

Egg Temperature
It is important that your egg be room temperature before you begin drawing the design, dying, or waxing. If the egg has just come out of the refrigerator, there will be condensation on the shell that will repel both wax and dye, and the cold temperature will make it hard for the wax to stick on the egg.

The Grid
First you will want to rest the egg lightly on the table with the paper towel or rag under it so that it is steady, and, holding the egg as upright as possible, look over it and make a light dot with the pencil at what you percieve to be the top center of the egg. Once you have done this and are statisfied with the position of the dot, repeat the process for a dot in the bottom center of the egg.

Then, holding the egg on its side (once again against the paper towel or rag on the table) you will need to draw a straight, very light line from the top dot to the bottom dot. Next, hold the egg upright again, and looking over it, draw a line on the opposite side of the egg as the first line from the top dot to the bottom dot, so that now you have a right side and a left side to your egg. You'll want to do this again, this time making the new line perpendicular to the one you just made so that the egg is now devided into quarters with lines drawn from top to bottom.

Next, you will have to judge with your eyes where the center of each of those four lines on the side of the egg is. Make a mark at this point lightly with your pencil, then carefully connect these marks until the egg now is split into a top half and a bottom half. Now you have your basic grid that any design can be built from.

Beginning the Design
There are any number of traditional geometric designs that you can make on the eggs using the basic grid. The most common are the sun (the traditional pagan symbol) and the cross (the later Christian symbol) though these two shapes/symbols are somewhat one in the same. Basically the grid lines serve as a guide to keeping the design relatively semetrical and evenly spaced. A lot of eggs will have some kind of border that runs all around the egg following one or more of these lines, usually only on one of the lines that splits the egg into a front and a back if held upright, allowing for there to be two designs, one on each side.

Traditional or beginners designs can be printed or followed from many Pysanki resource sites, some of which I shall provide at the end of this article. But basically all of these follow geometric paterns, continuously dividing up the eight sections of the grid on the egg.

3. Now that the design is drawn it is time to add color to the egg by dying and waxing it:

The First Dying
The way Pysanki works is by using wax and a series of dying steps, the artist is able to "save" color under the wax so that other subsequent dyes will not cover it. In the beginning, if you wish to save any of the white or natural color of the egg, you will need to fit a rice-sized pill of wax into the funnel of the kitska, heat it over the candle until melted, and carefully, with your hand steadied on the table at the wrist, draw the lines or fill in the spaces that you wish to be left white or the natural color. If you do not wish to keep any of the natural egg color, you will need to dye the egg first by dropping it carefully into one of the lightest color dyes first, leaving it there for however long the dye instructions say to let the dye set, then drying it carefully with a paper towel or rag before waxing the part you wish to keep that color (usually yellow).

Subsequent Dyings
This process will be continued: dying in the next darkest color because of darker colors' tendency to cover lighter colors, waxing parts that you want to save as that color, then dying in the next darkest and so on. Eventually all the color you want will be saved and the background of the egg can either be dyed black, bleached white, or bleached and dyed another color besides black. And just because you have 3 to 6 dyes doesn't mean you have to use them all. Some of the most elaborate and beautiful Pysanki eggs have been done with only one or two colors.

4. Now that the color is saved on the shell of the egg, and before the wax is removed, it is time to remove the liquid from the egg:

Wax Protection
The inner liquid of an egg can take off car paint, so you can imagine what it can do to your more delicate and newly set dyes. To prevent harm from coming to the dye by a stray drop of egg, you will need to take the kitska, fill it with wax and heat it, and wax a portion on the bottom of the egg no smaller than a quarter. Use as much wax as it takes to make sure the circle has no unfilled spots in it and is thick enough to protect the dyes underneath. The wax will not smear the dyes, only seal them away from the liquid of the egg.

Once the bottom of the egg has been given its protective circle of wax, it is time to bring out the little drill, the air pump, and the plastic tub.

Removing the Egg Liquid
To remove the liquid from inside the egg, hold the egg carefully over the plastic tub (if you are left handed hold the egg in your right hand with the bottom of the egg facing your left hand, if you are right handed hold the egg in your left hand with the bottom of the egg facing your right hand), and take the drill in your writing hand, placing the bit against the bottom center of the egg. Slowly begin to twist the drill, not with your fingers but with the action of your whole wrist, and you will see it starting to shave away at the wax and then the shell underneath the wax in a perfect, little circle. Be careful not to press too hard against the egg with the drill, because when the shell gives way and the drill finally gets through, the drill could be slammed into the egg hard enough to break it.

Leave the drill in the hole long enough to hold the egg upright over the plastic tub then remove it. This prevents any dripping from simply leaking down the side of the egg while it is on its side and getting on the dye that is not protected by the wax.

Now, you will need to take out your egg air pump. Hold the pump between your forefinger, middle finger, and thumb with your thumb on top of the bellow covering the hole on top that allows air into it. Insert the metal tube into the hole you have just opened in the bottom of the egg and press the bellow down to insert air into the shell that will expell the liquid inside the egg. Be sure that once you press the bellow all the way flat, to remove your thumb from the top hole to let air in and to prevent the bellow from suctioning in the egg liquid, in which case you would have to clean it out before continuing.

Continue blowing out the egg until all the liquid is removed. Some residue will remain but it will dry. If any of the liquid refuses to be expelled from the egg, do not force more air into it if there is no liquid coming out. This will cause the egg shell to crack or burst. Instead, merely carefully moved the metal tube up and down inside the egg to break up whatever is blocking the liquid from escaping. Above all you must be patient and careful at this stage to avoide breaking the egg, for there will be no pressure on the inside of it should anything hit it or should it drop, so it is more likely to break.

Once all the liquid is removed, carefully wipe off any drops that are on the outside of the shell, on the wax only hopefully, and make sure the hole is good and open to air. Set the egg shell on a paper towel to dry for 24 hours. If you are sure that your egg is dry at an earlier time you can proceed then, but only if it is good and dry. If it is still damp or wet inside the shell and you try to remove the wax too soon, the dyes may run and the egg may burst from steam created in the egg.

5. Now that the egg is emptied and dry, it is time to remove the wax and seal the colors:

Removing the Wax
Once you are sure your egg shell is dry on the inside, you may begin to set up to remove the wax from the egg. This is always an exciting part of Pysanki because the artist will finally get a chance to see what his or her design truly looks like with all its lines and facets colored. You will need to return to your working table where your candle and paper towel/rag are, and after lighting the candle with your match or lighter, very carefully hold the egg beside the flame (NOT in the flame or else it will become blackened), just close enough to warm the wax to its melting point. Move the egg slightly back and forth against the heat to melt a section of the wax, then with an extra paper towel, gently wipe the melted wax from the surface of the egg. Repeat this until all the wax is melted and wiped from the egg to reveal your finished design.

Sealing the Design
Once the egg has been cleaned of all wax and is room temperature again, you will need to set the egg shell carefully onto the drying rack on top of the three nails or pins, and spray the shell down with the lacker or sealant. Clear polyurathane works very well for this, whether in a spray can or as liquid in a jar. If using a spray, you will want to do this outside in an area that is away from any wind. To protect any surrounding objects from the direction of the spray you may place the rack with the egg on it in a box with the top and one side removed. Spray from at least a 1 1/2 feet away as evenly as possible and let dry. You may coat the egg up to three times and at least two coats is recommended. If you are dipping the egg shell instead of spraying it, you will need to have a spoon, preferably plastic, to dip, roll, and lift the egg out of the sealant. You may also use your hands for this as long as you wear a protective glove, preferably rubber or latex (or latex substitute if you are allergic). Once again, let the egg dry after each coat, and be sure to coat the egg shell at least twice and up to three times.

6. What you can do with your egg now that it is finished:

Simple Display
One option once your egg is finished is to display them. Decorative napkin rings make great stands that are cheap as well, though some Pysanki sites and shops sell more elaborate stands made from many different kinds of materials. The egg can be placed on a shelf or in a glass-door cabinet, or in a basket if the egg is for Easter decoration.

Ornaments
If the design of the egg is reversible or done with the hole at the top, you can glue a bead end to it and attach a Christmas ornament hook to the bead end or right to the egg depending on how you want your egg ornament to look.

Selling Eggs
Also, the dyed eggs can be sold as pieces of art if the designs are decorative and diverse enough. Some artists even gild their eggs with gold or silver leaf with the intent to sell the works of egg shell art.

Following these steps and proceedures will have you well on your way to becoming an artist in the enjoyable art of Pysanki, an ancient art from Pagan and then Christian culture that still today adorns the homes and shelves of people around the world.

--Happy Easter!--