Egg Art: How To Set Up Your Work Area
Having a dedicated place for working on your eggs is not essential, but it does make it easier if you are a double-tasker like me. I am usually doing laundry or housework, or making dinner at the same time I am ‘doing eggs’. This works out well for me, as I like to be able to stop for a bit, stretch my fingers, let my eyes focus on something further than 10 inches away, and allow time for the eggs to dry in between dye baths.
You will need a good light – an adjustable desk lamp is the best, one where you can bend the neck and beam it directly at your egg. Overhead lights throw shadows and make it difficult to see the wax lines. This is the one I use, it’s small enough so you can aim the light right on your work and slim enough so it does not block your view.
When I work, I wear those magnifying reading glasses that are available for under $10.00 at any pharmacy. This helps with close-up work and tiny lines.
One of those fold-up card tables is great for an ‘egging spree’. You can leave it set up with all your stuff for a couple of weeks, and then take it down and store it when your family starts to get tired of walking around it. If you don’t want a multicolored table, spread newspapers all over the work area. You may not knock over a whole jar of dye, but there will be drips of dye and of wax.
Your immediate work area should have a soft pad to set the egg on. You will be working with full eggs, and if they slip out of your grasp you don’t want them to land on a hard surface. I lay an old washcloth or small folded towel down under my hands, where I am going to be working on the egg.
Also, it’s good to keep an egg carton handy to store your eggs-in-process. I prefer paper pulp cartons. The styrofoam cartons are squeaky and tend to grab the wax.
Mix your dyes in advance, following the directions on the packets exactly. Every color except orange gets vinegar. Do not put vinegar in your orange dye. The orange is used as a wash, and the vinegar causes the dye to set. We don’t want the orange dye to set. Did I mention that the orange dye does not get vinegar?
So you got your table, a comfortable chair, your dyes, your pencils, erasers, and measuring devices, some design instructions or pictures, and some eggs to work on. You’re good to go. Put on some music, or an audiobook and have at it!