PYSANKY BASICS
  • HOME
  • My Pysanky
  • Blog-Tips
  • My YouTube
  • Books
  • Photographing
  • Past Classes
  • Guest Book

Create a Collage of Each Class Photos

4/1/2020

0 Comments

 
     My advice is to Photograph Each Class That You Teach.  It is important to always ask your audience, if anyone minds you taking photos during the class. In some cases, you may wish to have a brief 'release form' to be signed ahead of time.
     For several years I taught for Triple Oaks in Franklinville, NJ.  After each class, the owner Lorraine Kiefer, would send me a collage of photos she had taken during that session.   What  joy!  
I miss teaching for Lorraine each Lenten season. 

     Remember, your photos become a visual reminder for the next time that you teach. Photos for example, of the dye table set-up, shell preparation, even individual student place settings keep your standards high and classes successful.     ​
Picture
0 Comments

Washing-Back a Dye

2/23/2020

1 Comment

 
Picture
  WHY WASH BACK?  Some Pysanky artists like to “wash back” each color rather than over lapping, dipping  the egg from color to color.  The advantage of this is that you get to see the white canvas (space) that you have left on the egg, when you wash back.   Another advantage is that you can see if there are any flaws in waxing or missed color; these can then be touched up. I have made mistakes with forgetting to dip into a dye color and then needed to remove the mistaken dye, so that I could go back to the missed color. I wash-back the shell using a light solution of Ivory Liquid and water. 
 Washing back with a large soft mop brush should not disturb the already waxed lines. 
Mix a small dollar store pump bottle with one part Ivory Liquid,  to two parts water.  Pump an amount onto the brush and wash back the color.  Wash back over a sink and finally rinse the egg well with cold water.  Before continuing with the newest waxing and dye color, examine the egg for any flaws, such as missed waxing or missed color. You could use a fine pointed detail brush for the hard to reach bits. 
​REMINDERS:  
  • the shell will saturate you need to dry the shell between multiple washes; the shell will tell you when it is time, as it will start to absorb color thinly or more slowly.
  • You could use a mixture of Ivory Ultra or Dawn Original dish detergent and water or b) Mrs Myers All Purpose Cleaner or c) Awesome Orange all purpose cleaner (from Dollar Tree). Use a soft toothbrush to help get the dye off. Rinse the egg thoroughly in cool water and let dry. Before you put it into the next dye, dunk it into a light solution of vinegar and water mixture to ensure that there isn't any residue left on the egg.
  • I have found that if you wash back too often without allowing the egg to dry completely can prevent it to oversaturate the shell so it won't take the dye properly.
  • If it's over-saturated with either dye or water, you may find that the shell "sweats" meaning that moisture has gotten inside through the pores. Set it aside for a day or so and work on another egg. When you go back to that egg, put it in the freezer for a few minutes. Yes, the freezer!  This helps prevent speckles from developing on the egg when you dip it into the dye.  
  • DETAIL BRUSH     If you find that you have a color missing,  you can use a detail brush to fill in the bit and then wax over it. Be sure to wash new brushes before using, because they contain a  stiffener to hold the bristles in place.

1 Comment

Organizing Pysanky Supplies

1/25/2020

0 Comments

 
Picture
Organized Pysanky supplies is a priority.  I bought one  KALLAX shelf unit, with 8 sections and in addition, one KALLAX shelf unit, with 4 sections.
 I needed the additional unit to hold a  printer and paper reams.  
The box inserts were also bought from IKEA .  I purchased 12 of the LEKMAN storage boxes which are a heavy duty plastic.  They slide out easily.  Finally, I now have a surface to display my Polish and Ukrainian wood carvings that I have collected over the years. 
My glass work desk is to the right and faces the garden. 
0 Comments

Basic Star Pattern

5/29/2019

0 Comments

 
Click on PDF file link below,  for a detailed "how to" draw a Star Pattern!  
measuring_out__double_star.pdf
File Size: 781 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File

Additional patterns-click on image to enlarge and print 
Picture
Picture
0 Comments

Ellipse Pattern-Step-by-Step

5/29/2019

0 Comments

 
Picture
0 Comments

How to Make an Egg Dipper

4/11/2019

1 Comment

 
     Unblown shells sink in the dye!  Blown shells float!
Over the years, I have used slotted spoons to hold down the shell, a shot glass or small filled water bottle.  All these can leave marks and possibly knock of fine waxing.
At the 2019, PysankyUSA Retreat, in Wilkes Barre, Pa., a smart idea was found in our 'goody bags'.  It was a handmade dipper, a clever safe way to hold down the shell in the dye.   I made this 'how-to' slide show so you can make your own.    
I found my wire at ACE Hardware but  also Amazon.com  
1 Comment

Almost Threw this Shell Away

4/9/2019

0 Comments

 
This video is from my own YouTube channel  Pysanky Basics.
It's a quick reminder to keep working on a pysanky even if you are not at first, pleased with it. 
0 Comments

Dye on Hands?  Use a Glove

4/9/2019

0 Comments

 
To prevent dye from accumulating on your hands and spoiling the color,  while working on Ukrainian pysanky(batik method) or the monochrome shell used for Kroszonki, the Polish scratch method of Pisanki:
  • I use a glove on the hand that holds the shell.  
  • I find it a must to wear a glove, as you can see below, when working with a goose egg shell or anything larger than a chicken shell.  
Picture
WORKING ON SCRATCH METHOD-DYE GETS ON YOUR HAND
Picture
WORKING WITH A KISTKA ON A GOOSE SHELL, I USE A WHITE COTTON GLOVE, SO AS NOT TO DAMAGE THE WAXING
Picture
WEAR A TIGHT FITTING WHITE COTTON GLOVE TO PROTECT YOUR HAND FROM DYE-WHILE IT LOOKS LIKE A LARGE DYE LOSS-THE GLOVE ACTUALLY PROTECTS DYE LOSS
0 Comments

Learning to Make Polish Kroszonki-Scratch Method Pisanki by Copying

3/22/2019

0 Comments

 
In my research on the contemporary making of Polish Kroszonki(Drapanki) scratch method, I found that many people in Poland take classes.   As you can see in the images that I have collected from Polish websites,  students copy from support designs given by a teacher.   I also read many people learn from their family members.  Please notice the pattern sheets in each of the photos that these Polish students are copying from.   It is one way of learning this treasured Polish art form.
0 Comments

Opole Kroszonki

3/22/2019

0 Comments

 
Picture
​This entry was copied from a translation from Polish to English from http://moreantiqua.com/kroszonki-opolskie/
"The tradition of making an Easter scoop in Opole Silesia has its documented pedigree and is derived from the early 13th century. However, it is widespread throughout Central and Eastern Europe. Archaeological findings in Opole Ostrówek indicate even the tenth century. Easter egg in Opole Silesia in its present form spread in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. They were first of all decorated with the batik method, it is an egg painted with hot wax and then dyed. This method is still widely used in the vicinity of Tułowice and Korfantowa. However, a typical Silesian leaflet is a product from the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries. The dyed egg is decorated with the engraving method (scratched), decorated with traditional floral ornaments: palm trees, flowers, leaves, whose patterns are also often found in embroidered tablecloths, curtains, decorative bedding (kapach), costumes and folk painting. The variety of patterns that are applied to the surface of the brochures depends on the artistic creativity of the creator himself. In the mid-twentieth century large clear patterns were scraped on the eggs. In the eighties, the large pattern is more and more filled, supplemented with small additions. Patterns from this period are considered by most creators to be the traditional pattern of Opole kroszonki.Shades of brown dominate the color (staining with onion shells).
This booklet has its own unique charm and the composition is clear and legible, in the depicted image there is clearly noticeable depth and subsequent layers of the presented pattern. Another very extensive element are symmetrically placed very rich lines and the real art is that they would be perfectly straight and equal in size and shape of individual, subsequent elements.
The most well-known Karczonkarzs who have made a huge contribution to the promotion of this folk art are the creators from the vicinity of Krapkowice, Opole and Strzelce Opolskie. Special inhabitants of Obrowiec laid special merits for the propagation of the Silesian Opole region. The most famous are artists who have already left us, they are:
Jerzy Lipka (1937-2011) born in Obrowiec, who lived in Gogolin until the end of his life, Maria Lipka (1899-1984) from Obrowiec, Maria Warwes (1911-1982) from Grudzice near Opole, Maria Rogosz (1932 - 2011) from Zieliny-
In addition, Gertruda Matej, Anna Skrzypczyk, Emilia Suchy, Maria Flak, Maria Kobyłka, Anna Mitko, Maria Kuczber, Piotr Wysada, and Stefania Topola. The young generation is also worthily replacing their masters.
We include such people as Agnieszka Gryc from Szczedrzyk, Patryk Blania from Obrowiec, Edeltraud Kroppop, Łucja Mandelka, Edeltraud Fornal, Kornelia Gabrielczyk, Gertrud Kleman, Małgorzata Mateja, Maria Żmija-Glombik, Renata Janik, Maria Rudzik, Elżbieta Pazur, Maria Cichoń , Ewa Hurek, Aneta Hurek, Sabina Karwat, Dominika Kunicka, Justyna Langner, Wioleta Obrzud, Agnieszka Okos, Sonia Ozimek, Natalia Patryek, Sonia Sappok."
0 Comments
<<Previous

    Categories

    All
    Alcohol Lamp
    Aloe Vera
    Art Room Storage
    Band Patterns
    Basic Star Pattern
    Beginner Books
    Beginner Tip
    Beginner Worksheets
    Berehynia The Goddess
    Blue Mechanical Pencil
    Brushes
    Candle
    Church Symbols
    Class Drop Pull
    Class Photos
    Class Prep
    Class Set Up
    Clean Delrin Kistka
    Cleaning Eggs
    Cleaning Kistka Tips
    Color Combining
    Color Dye Samples
    Complex Patterns
    Cotton Gloves
    Cover Dye Mistakes
    Crack In Shells
    Cracks
    Craigslist
    Craigslist Farm Eggs
    Cross Symbols
    Deer Patterns
    Demonstrate Patterns
    Demonstrating Pysanky
    Demonstration Set-up
    Designs
    Digital Frame
    Dipper
    Dirty Eggs
    Displaying Pysanky
    Dividing An Egg
    DIY
    DIY-Alcohol Burner
    Double Star Motif
    Double Wedding Ring Pattern
    Drained Shells
    Draining Egg
    Driapanka_scratch Eggs
    Drop Pull Prep
    Drop Pull Pysanky
    Drop Pull Stylus
    Drying Board
    Drying Varnish
    Drying With Silicone
    Dye Eggs
    Dye Ostrich Shell
    Dyes
    Dyes In Ziploc Baggie
    Dye Storage Jars
    Egg Dipper
    Egg Freshness
    Egg Ornaments
    Eggs
    Egg Sizes
    Egg Supports
    Egg Varieties
    Elipse Pattern
    Email Signup Sheet
    Ends Of Shell
    Erase Pencil Marks
    Eternity Bands
    Eternity Ribbons
    Farm Eggs Cleaning
    Fashion
    Filter Dyes
    Finger Blade Fiskar
    Finger Blade-Fiskar
    Finishing
    First Time Teachers
    Fiskars Finger Blade
    Fixing Mistakes
    Flower Motifs
    Flower Patterns
    Flyer For Class
    Funeral Pysanky
    Giving Up On A Shell
    Glove Your Hand
    Goddess Print Out
    Goddess Worksheet
    Good Attitude To Learning
    Goof Off Wipes
    Goo-gone
    Heat Gun
    Horodetsky Pattern
    How-to
    How To Make Drying Board
    How To Make Egg Dipper
    Hungarian Motifs
    IKEA Storage
    Images
    Instructions
    Japanese Washi Eggs
    Kista
    Kistka
    Kistka Case
    Kistka Stand
    Kroszonki
    Kroszonki Poland
    Lathe
    Lathes Advanced
    Lemko Colors
    Lemko Pysanky
    Magnifier
    Manual Kistka
    Marking Dates On Eggs
    Meanders
    Measuring
    Measuring Tape
    Medallion Patterns
    Microbead Pillow
    Micro-brush
    Mixing Dyes
    Mop Brush
    Motifs-hungarian
    Newbie Tip
    New Url Address
    Non Photo Blue Pencil
    Non-photo Blue Pencil
    Old Kistka
    Organized Supplies
    Packaging An Egg
    Paper Plate Practice
    Patterns
    Patterns-deer
    Patterns Wheat
    Pattern Wolves Teeth
    Pdf Files
    Pdf Print Out Star Pattern
    Pencil
    Pencil Marks
    Photograph Classes
    Polish Floral Motifs_pdf
    Polish Pattern Books
    Polish Pisanki
    Practice Strokes
    Preparing For A Demonstration
    Proposal For Teaching
    Pysanky Books
    Pysanky Display
    Pysanky Ornaments
    Pysanky Table Cloth
    Quitting A Shell
    Raw Eggs
    Remove Dye
    Removing Wax
    Removing Wax In Oven
    Repeated Patterns
    Room Set-up
    Sanding Egg
    Scorched Egg
    Scratch Eggs
    Scratch Eggs Driapanka
    Scratch Eggs-driapanka
    Scratch Tools
    Seeping Contents
    Shipping An Egg
    Signature
    Silicone Suction Cups
    Smelly Eggs
    Sorbian Eggs
    Spots On Dyed Eggs
    Spray Varnish
    Spring Loaded Egg Holders
    Star Motif
    Storage
    Storing Dyes
    Storing Replacement Tips
    Storing Supplies
    Storing Un Blown Eggs
    Storing Un-blown Eggs
    Stubborn Stains
    Stylus
    Supplies
    Symbols
    Teach Drop Pull
    Teach Drop-pull
    Teacher Tips
    Teach Pysanky?
    Templates
    Tips
    Tracing Circles
    Traditional Kistkas
    Transfer A Motif
    Trypillian Pattern
    Un-blown Eggs
    Using Older Eggs
    Varnish
    Varnishing Egg
    Video Frame
    Video Varnishing
    Vinyl Tape Measure
    Wash Back Color
    Washi Eggs
    Washing Back Color
    Wax Candle
    Wax Drip
    Wax Melter
    Wear Glove
    White Eraser
    Wicks
    Xacto
    Youtube
    Youtube Video
    Ziploc Baggies

    Picture
    Picture




    On occasion I share images that come from other sources and do my best to provided artist credit and a link to them whenever possible. Should you use an image I've re-posted from another source, then please follow the "Terms of Use" from that image's creator/owner and give credit to the image's  originator.

    BLOG-TIPS
    by Maggie 

    I am of Ukrainian and Polish ancestry, 2nd generation American, who grew up in an ethnic household and neighborhood in Passaic, NJ.   Keeping with tradition, I learned to write pysanky as a young girl and continue to work on my passion for pysanky.  I teach classes and demonstrate the art year-round.

    Archives

    April 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    December 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    July 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    August 2016
    February 2016
    April 2015
    September 2014
    July 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    January 2013
    December 2012
    November 2012
    August 2012
    May 2012
    April 2012
    March 2012
    October 2011
    September 2011
    August 2011
    June 2011

    RSS Feed

©2009-2021.    Content and all photographs are copyrighted and cannot be reproduced without prior permission of Maggie. Be advised all content is my work, except where noted.