1st part The egg is present in most of cultures and is widely used in the daily food. A wide range of artistic technics are developped around eggs.
This text aims at reminding related to egg, egg crafts, Easter and Easter symbols.
If you want to see carved eggs, pysanky, they are in the 2nd part
This text has been written with the help of our artists and with other website content : their adresses are listed at the end of the 2nd part

Dying and painting How to empty an egg ? Dying an egg Dyed eggs, batik technic (Pysanky) Painted eggs

The other techniks Scrapped egg Decorated with ribbon Embroidery on egg Colored wax Egg carving

How to empty an egg ?

What ever the technic you choose to color eggs, you will have to empty the egg before or after having decorated it if you want to keep it. There are some manners to keep an egg full but they are very constraining and an old egg which explodes is not at all pleasant (very, very bad smell !!).
So, to empty a chicken egg, drill a hole at the « top » of the egg, the thinner part. You can use a drawing pin.
Drill a 2nd hole at the « bottom » of the egg, the large part. You can use as well a drawing pin, but, then you will need to enlarge the hole. A skewer can be used to do so. But,ensure the hole is regular (no broken edge) to keep it visually attactive.
Finally, blow through the small hole. The content of the egg should go out through the bigger hole. In case of difficulties, you can introduce a needle inside the egg to break the egg yolk.
Instead of blowing, you can use a syringe to blow aire inside the egg.
With some practice, it is not difficult !

Dyed eggs

Dying eggs with natural dyes

There are several methods to dye eggs. The first, probably the most funny for kids, is to use all you can find in the kitchen.
But, what ever the desired colour, you need salt and white vinegar.
Then, the dye: onions skins will provide red/brown color, fresh spinachs will provide the green color. Coffe can also provide a brown color. Up to you to try and find what can work ...
The procedure is simple:
1/First clean the egg with white vinegar, either using a rag or puting it in a recipient full of vinegar. But, be carefull, long exposure to vinegar can damage the egg shell.
2/ Then, boil the egg in water with the product choosen (onion skins or others). Don't forget to add salt. The longer you boil, the darker will be the color. Obviously, it is easier to keep the egg in the liquid if it is still full. But, after boiling,no way to empty it.
3/ To fix the color and obtain a glossy result, don't hesitate to apply a varnish.v

Dying eggs with cold dyes for cloth

Follow the user's manual of the dye by replacing the word « cloth » by the word « egg », except for the cleaning recommendation of course !
Don't forget to use first white vinegar (see above).
To finish, you can apply a varnish here as well.

Dyed eggs, batik technic (Pysanky)

To obtain several colors on dyed eggs, it is mandatory to do masking on the zones you do not want to dye (That's to say ensure the dye will not adhere to the egg).
If you are using cold dyes (as above), masquing can be done with wax: pure bee wax preferably, take care of products called « wax » which contain various products often toxic.
Once masking is done, you can dye as explained above.v When you remove the egg from the dye, and after having dryed it with precaution, you need to remove the wax to prepare the next dyeing step: Approach the egg from a candel flame and remove the wax carefully as it is melting.
Take care: Always dye the egg starting from the lighter colour and finishing by the darker.
The following eggs are available in our "Egg store" ...
Goose eggs :

You can find details about this technic on the internet if you search how to make « pysanki » or « pysanka ».
One example : http://ladivine.fortunecity.com/paques/pysanky.htm.

Painted eggs

The easiest is probably to use a paint spray: Place the egg on a skewer and spay the paint.
It is not necessary mandatory for all paints, but it certainly heps to clean the egg with white vinegar before painting. It eases the paint adhesion.
Painting with a brush (using gouache or acrylic paint) is longer, but it allows to draw something on the egg.
You need to paint one half, let it dry on a support and then paint the other half.
The following eggs are available in our "Egg store" ...

Scrapped egg

Once the eggshell has been painted, you can also it to let see the initial color of the shell...

Decorated with ribbon

Very simple technic in principle, but, to obtain an attractive result, you need to be very accurate.
The following eggs are available in our "Egg store" ...

Embroidery on egg

Very unusual technic you can discover here the work of a famous russian artist, NEPHTALIE KAHN

You can also see the works of M. Jacquie Lamarre.
Cerisy Belle étoile
Another egg exhibition

Colored wax

The patterns are similar to painting ones, but this time, it is directly a colored wax; here are some examples from Slovakia (these eggs are preliminary carved!)
The following eggs are available in our "Egg store" ...

Egg carving

t is a more difficult technic. You need to be use to it to be efficient. Most of egg carvers use dentist tools and can carve all sort of bird eggs from quail to ostrich.
Here are the eggs from Veronika Joo : You can see some pictures of her workshophere

Technics can be coupled as Christel Assante does. She carves eggs and then paint them ...
You can see here how she carves a goose egg...

Ohter websites about eggs (most are in french)

History (French)
http://jeanniev.free.fr/
http://www.ac-nice.fr/artsap/Iconographie/histoire_doeuf.pdf
The basis of egg carving
http://www.essortment.com/hobbies/eggcarvecarvin_scqu.htm
Egg shell (French)
http://www.ornithomedia.com/pratique/debuter/debut_art27_1.htm
Easter date (French)
http://www.universalis.fr/encyclopedie/N160021/NICEE_CONCILE_DE.htm
http://www.pasaj.ch/qu-est-ce-que-l-octave-de-paques-article621.html

 

back to the 1st part...

 

Back to langage choice		Back to previous page	Contact us	Becoming one of our artists