How to Make Ukrainian Eggs

Ukranian Easter eggs are painstakingly decorated.

Ukrainian eggs, also called "pysanky," rely on the simple method of using wax to draw designs on the egg shell. The egg is then dipped in dye. The wax covers the area beneath it and prevents the dye from penetrating. More designs are drawn with the wax as the egg is dipped into darker and darker colors. The end result is a complicated design with several different colors. The eggs will keep for years if you don't break the shell.

Things You'll Need

• Pot
• Water
• White vinegar
• Paper towels
• Dye bath in different colors
• Stylus, called a "kistka"
• Beeswax
• Candle
• Lighter

Instructions

1. Hard boil the eggs. Put the eggs into a pot. Cover them with cold water. Let the eggs come to room temperature in the water. That will take about an hour. Turn on the heat to "High." When the water comes to a boil, turn down the heat to "Medium" and cook the eggs for 15 minutes. Remove the eggs from the water and let them cool.

2. Prepare the egg-dye baths. You will need various colors -- at least yellow, orange, red, blue, green, purple and black or brown. Add 1 tbsp. of white vinegar to 1 cup of water. Add 1/4 tsp. of food coloring. Black food coloring is sold in some grocery stores. There are special dyes formulated for Ukrainian eggs. The colors are more vibrant than food coloring. Find them online or in specialty craft stores.

3. Pat the eggs with the solution of half white vinegar and half water. Dip a paper towel in the solution then pat the egg. Pat them dry with paper towels.

4. Heat the stylus over a candle flame. Add a bit of beeswax in the cup of the stylus and let that melt. Use the stylus to draw the wax on the candle where you want the white color to remain. Any place you put the wax on will remain white. Practice on newspaper until you feel comfortable with the stylus. Then practice on a few eggs before you attempt a more complicated design.

5. Place the egg in the yellow dye. Remove the egg and lay it on paper towels. Let it dry.

6. Heat the stylus, add more beeswax and draw the wax on where you want the design to remain yellow. Place the egg in the orange dye bath. Let it dry. Continue filling the stylus with wax, draw the wax on where you want the design to remain orange. Place the egg in the red dye bath. Always go from the lighter colors to the darker colors. Finish with the dark brown or black dye.

7. Briefly hold the egg next to candle flame -- but only until the wax melts. Rub the wax off with a paper towel. Turn the egg and melt the wax on another section of egg, then rub the wax off with a clean paper towel.

Tips & Warnings

• Draw complicated designs on the egg with a pencil first.

• Some colors will look muddied if you apply them over one another.

• Do not hold the egg over the flame. The smoke from the flame contains carbon, which will be deposited on the egg.

References

• Learn Pysanky: The Basic Steps