You can buy my pysanky on the site ETSY

THE TECHNIQUE OF MANUFACTURING OF PYSANKA.

    In former times (approximately prior to the beginning of the XX-th century) only a natural dyes were being used at manufacturing of easter eggs. For example, for manufacturing a yellow paint were preparing a decoction of husk of onions (strong decoction gave red-brown color), or boiled a bark of a wild apple-tree. A red paint was being received from insects (chervets). A black paint was being made of soot.

    Unfortunately, since the beginning of 1920-1930, chemical dyes began to be used more frequently, and, approximately since 1950th, the use of chemical dyes became the ordinary fact (only in some villages of Pokuttya hitherto the dyes made by the age-old recipes are using ).

    Tools that are used at manufacturing of easter eggs, are naming in different ways - "pysachok", "pysal'tse", "kistka", "gestka".

    Only beeswax is used (sometimes a negligible quantity of paraffin is adding to it).

    Manufacture process (technique "batik") looks as follows: we dip pysachok for 1-2 minutes into the melted beeswax, take out and apply upon the surface of white egg the lines which should remain white in the future. After that the egg is dipped into yellow dye during 1-3 minutes. Take it out, cautiously wipe off drops of paint, and allow to dry up. Further we apply lines that should remain yellow in the future. At this stage, as a rule, a little bit of green paint is being applied by a stalk on the eggs surface (if is necessary to paint a big part of the surface the egg is dipped into a green paint completely). The next stage - covering by beeswax of those elements of ornament which must remain green. If we have dipped the egg into green dye completely is necessary to apply on the egg's surface all those lines and a spots which should remain green. After that is necessary to bleach the egg (In former times for this purpose was used cabbage sap) in order then its surface without superfluous difficulties could be painted in red color. Further paint pysanka, as a matter of fact, in red color. Cautiously wipe off and dry some minutes, subsequently apply all those lines and a spots which should remain red at the future pysanka. In the end we dip an egg into a black paint and then dry it off. A final stage is removal of wax. In former times for this purpose the pysanky which have still been covered by wax, put into a clay bowl and placed in a hot furnace from which have just been taken out newly-baked Easter cakes. Wax which was beginning to melt, was being wiped off by a dry rag (whereupon this rag was accepting a magic properties about which we have found out in the section "History of the origin").

    Only those pysanky had the magic value which were full (with yolk and albumen). So, when we collect an Easter basket, think, not will whether more worthy next to modern though beautiful but hollow (tinned) pysanka, to put at least one krashenka (the full egg painted in one color, red as a rule - which symbolizes Jesus Christ's blood).

    As distinct from the previous technique (when we were painting in four dyes), which is more characteristic for hutsulian pysanky, on Pokuttya is frequently used more simple technique. First wax lines are drawn on the white surface of the egg, then dip it into hot broth of a husk of onion, because of it the egg becomes brown - red. By the way, there where until now there is a similar technique of execution, archaic and old symbols were kept also. Besides that, such pysanka is used in a meal after consecration.

Oleh Kirashchuk
Member of Union of folk masters of Ukraine, member of Allukrainian Council of research and revival of pysanky, the winner of the art-Award of a name of Yaroslav Luckavetskiy.