As soon as I got home, in early January, we started writing pysanky on our own. It's very detailed work, and is based on applying beeswax with a kistka (a pen that writes molten wax) over the parts of the egg that you want to stay that colour. The wax in the chamber of the kistka is kept molten eitehr by heating it in a candle flame (traditional) or using an electric kistka which keeps the wax running smoothly at a steady temperature.
With a white egg, one would write all the lines/shapes that are to stay white, then dye it the next colour (usually yellow is next), then wax the lines/shapes that are to stay yellow, they dye it the next colour, and so on. Once finished, the wax is removed by holding it next to (not over) a candle flame traditionally and wiping off the melted wax. Modern pysanky writers remove the wax using other heat sources, but many still use the candle (including me). The egg is varnished & allowed to dry (usually 2-3 coats), then emptied using a single hole to get the yolk & albumin out. It can then be displayed for years and years.
I'm hooked! This evening I started eggs #54 & #55, so they are still in progress. Here are a few examples of my work, all done on eggs from my free-range chickens.
A more traditional design on a white chicken egg - I copied much of this egg from an online photo as this was early on and I was still figuring out how to do the more complex designs (it is tradition to pass down elements of traditional design from generation to generation):
- DJRegg17side 2018Jan21.jpg (82.86 KiB) Viewed 12775 times
A design of my own on a brown chicken egg. The first wax lines cover the natural eggshell colour (in this case, a coppery-brown colour). Then the whole egg is soaked in 10% vinegar which chemically "etches" the egg taking the surface colour off and revealing lighter shades of brown underneath. If it is etched long enough, it turns white or near-white. Then the egg is waxed & dyed in the usual fashion. The resulting pattern has texture and gives more depth to the design. Like this:
- DJRegg36oblique 2018Feb22.jpg (76.77 KiB) Viewed 12775 times
This is another etched brown chicken egg done with an equestrian design of my own, but based on one of the tradition base designs for pysanky called "40 triangles" (there are many, many variations on this theme, and most times there are 48 triangles (or multiples thereof), not 40!). The horses are free-hand drawn on the egg using a heavy-tipped kistka as well as all the other lines I wanted to stay that rich coppery brown colour. Then I partially etched it and covered the lighter brown parts of the egg with wax. Then I completely etched it to white & covered the parts I wanted to stay white with wax. Then I dyed it a royal blue colour, removed the wax, varnished the egg and emptied it. This photo shows it pre-varnish (it's hard to take good photos of varnished eggs because of the glare).
- DJRegg53oblique 2018Mar28.jpg (68.31 KiB) Viewed 12775 times
Does anyone else enjoy this fun hobby? I'm amazed how quickly my lines went from quite shaky/tentative to more solid/straight/definitive. I still have a LOT to learn, and I think I'll be spending years perfecting this craft (happily!).
