Vinegar etching is easy to do, and can produce dramatic results. Native American pottery and petroglyph designs are particularly adaptable to this method, as they use minimal colors and depend largely on pattern and design. Here are the materials you will need: A regular pencil (medium or hard graphite is best). A white, non-abrasive, eraser…
Many years ago, one of my sisters became interested in the Ukrainian art of pysanky and (as sisters tend to do) sucked me into the world of Egg Art right along with her. She has since moved on to other things, but I became fascinated with this process of batik on eggs and – having…
You know, I believe I discover something new every time I make a batch of jewelry. Of course, I tend to discover it at the end of my batch instead of the beginning (where I could apply it to more pieces), but – oh well. Next batch I can plan the design ahead and really…
There are many ways to varnish an egg. Some people prefer the spray varnish, some brush it on, some simply rub it on with their hands. I use a combination of the rub-on technique and one I developed myself which I call the ‘Stake Method’. The Stake Method allows the finish to dry without any…
Vinegar etching is done simply by immersing an egg in a jar of white vinegar. The vinegar reacts with the calcium on the eggshell and breaks it down, to where the outer layer of the eggshell can be rubbed off, revealing the under-layer. I get a lot of inquiries about my vinegar etched eggs, so…
Hey, don’t toss that half-finished egg – some of my most interesting designs came about as an accident! Every so often, when I am lost in eggworld, I lose track of what I was doing, which sections I had finished, or where I was going with a particular design. Rather than chuck an egg for…
Egg Art display is as important as the pattern and decoration of your eggs. Choosing a complementary theme, the color, and making sure the egg fits nicely and does not roll out. It’s like choosing a frame for your painting. There are many different beautiful and traditional egg stands available – click here to see…
Beginning with this clean white chicken egg, I divide the egg into sections (mapping) using a No.2 pencil and a fabric measuring tape. I draw over the grid lines with beeswax using an electric wax pen called a “kistka”. Beeswax is used in the kistka because of its low melting point allowing the wax to…
I always admire egg artists that can just pick up an egg, and eyeball the divisions perfectly. I – on the other hand – need tools. There are a couple of ways to mark the center hole of an egg for blowing. Since I have been decorating eggs for a while now, I mark the…
The Stake Method The stake method is fairly involved, but it does leave a wonderful thick coating of varnish with no fingerprints, streaks, or nail-notches from an egg drying rack. I usually do this in batches. I wait until I have several finished, empty eggs to varnish. You can use regular varnish or polyurethane. I…