Category: Tips

Teacher Tip-Demo for Showing How to Add Patterns to the Egg Shell

7/24/2014

I EXPLAIN TO THE CLASS THAT ADDING THE PATTERN ONTO THE EGG SHELL IS NOT "ROCKET SCIENCE"!
THE PATTERN IS REPEATED IN EACH QUADRANT.
Using a large demonstration egg is most helpful for the visual learner.

LOOK AT THE PHOTO OF ME ABOVE. I AM USING A DRY MARKER SHOWING HOW TO REPEAT THE PATTERN ONTO EACH QUADRANT. ASK IF ANYONE HAS ANY QUESTIONS!

THE "STAR PATTERN" IS USED IN THE BEGINNER CLASS. THIS IMAGE SHOWS ADDITIONAL LINES AND A MOTIF IS ADDED TO EACH QUADRANT.

A SIMPLE EXAMPLE TO ADD SMALL LINES AROUND THE STAR.

THIS STUDENT IS BEGINNING TO PLAN A PATTERN ONTO A WORKSHEET. SOME PEOPLE LIKE TO PLAN, OTHERS PREFER TO GO STRAIGHT ONTO THE SHELL.

beginner_worksheets.pdf
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Finishing Off an Egg at the End

7/24/2014

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#1 Removing the wax with a cut piece cloth, which hospitals or throw away; these are good because they have a bite to the weave and pick up the wax.

#2 Remove any pencil line with a white eraser.

#3 Look at the white wolves teeth pattern-do you see some black bits? I scrape those away with a blade.

#4 You can see a red dot under the letter "e". I used a black marker to cover it.

I use these pens to touch up colors on an egg. Staedtler 318 Lumocolor Pen Permanent Fine 0.6mm Assorted Ref 318WP8

Small uneven areas of the dye can sometimes be corrected with permanent markers. That the level of success can depend on the color in question, so experiment a little before doing it on your prize egg. Black markers are most useful (if your egg ends in black) for running around the white edge of the hole left behind after emptying the egg.

FISKARS FINGER BLADE Look for it in the scrapbook section of Michaels.

I scratched the star into the egg at the end; using a Fiskars finger blade.

Will I Varnish the goose egg? I did not, but left it as is; it already has a nice bees wax patina.

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Teacher Tip: Photograph Each Class

3/24/2014

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My advice is to Photograph Each Class That You Teach. It is important to always ask your audience if anyone would mind you taking photos during the class. In some cases, you may wish to have a brief 'release form' to be signed.
I like to start with a photo of the room set up and individual set up. It becomes a visual reminder for the next time that you teach, and makes sure that you have all the supplies for that class. For example, shoot a picture of the dye table, and the individual student place setting

The dye table is set up far from the working tables.

This is a small table set up. Click on the photo to increase the size for viewing.

It is important to always ask your audience if anyone would mind you taking photos during the class.

Create a Collage of the Class Photos

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Cleaning Soiled Farm Eggs and Stubborn Stains

10/22/2013

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I advertise early in the spring, on craigslist or free-cycle and have been lucky to buy fresh goose eggs and turkey eggs(as you see here). You can negotiate with the seller what price you will pay for a dozen eggs. Once you have established the contact, it is easy to make arrangements year after year, for purchasing their eggs.
IMPORTANT: I ask the sellers to simply rinse and store the eggs in the fridge until I arrive. One time a seller scrubbed the eggs clean with a Brillo pad! This could damage the cuticle of the egg and scratch the surface, spoiling it. So a gentle note to the seller is all that is needed.
DISCLAIMER: AS ALWAYS BE CAREFUL/CAUTIOUS WHEN BUYING OR TRADING ITEMS FROM CRAIGSLIST!

A light scrub cleaned these eggs.

RECIPE FOR LIGHT STAINS

Rinsing the eggs using a soft brush or soft toothbrush.

RECIPE FOR LIGHT STAINS
I place eggs in a clear sink of water a few at a time. Watch for air bubbles, this will lead you to a stress cracked shell.
Using a soft toothbrush wash the egg with a paste of Baking Soda and Ivory Liquid. I mix this on the edge of the sink.
Rinse the egg under clear running water.
Finally give the egg a quick dip in a bath of white vinegar and water and then dry it again.
I dry the eggs on a board, or a dish cloth, as you see in the header photo.

STUBBORN STAINS

RECIPE FOR STUBBORN STAINS
Make a paste of Baking Soda, Ivory Liquid and Bleach PEN-Tablespoon of each.
When I have a few eggs with stubborn stains. I leave this paste on the stain, and soak the eggs overnight in water. Do not agitate the eggs, but let them sit. In the morning, using the soft tooth brush, give it a good over-all scrub, rinse, vinegar wash and Voilà! the stain is gone!

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Supporting the Egg While Writing

10/22/2013

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My personal favorite, especially when I teach classes; I place a microbead pillow at each station. The pillow supports the wrists and keeps the egg secure in the nest created by the microbeads. It prevents the egg from rolling. I find microbead pillows at yard sales and second-hand shops. Wash them in a cold water cycle and let them air-dry. I clean them this way after each class use. Students love the support that the pillow gives when writing on the egg with the kistka.

“ I do think this idea of micro-bead pad is the greatest and I am going to try to find some and start hoarding them, so I can use them if and when I am able to teach this beautiful art.”    Sheila the Egg Lady

Social Media Results: What Others Use
Stack of napkins in a paper plate- Old towel-Craft foam covered with plastic place mat-Pad made of blue towels-Comfort Memory Foam BathMat-CD storage box filled with beading foam-Stack of old Curity stretch gauze diapers-Folded pillow case-Stack of coffee filters...

Paper towels layered-saving the Viva towels for blotting off the dye and reuse.

NINA'S BEAN BAGS-This bag holds a goose egg, you can vary the size according to the eggs you most work on.

Fran Beaupre's Egg Support

WORK ROOM at the PUSA Retreat 2013

Again, paper towels stacked with soft tissues on top; changing out the tissues as they get covered with pencil, dye or wax.

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Using a Non-Photo Blue Pencil Instead of Standard Graphite for Measuring Out a Design

6/30/2013

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I found a penciling tip on www.learnpysanky.com:
"Oksana recommends using a non-repro blue pencil, available at most art shops (and many business supply stores). It stays on well without smudging, and comes off easily in the final stages of cleaning off the wax."

#1 Pilot Color Eno Soft Blue 0.7
#2 Pentel Blue 0.5
#3 Staedtler Non-Photo Blue Pencil

Leads used in each mechanical pencil.

Recommedations
I started with using #3 the Staedtler Non-Photo Blue pencil and recommend having a good pencil sharpener on hand. It does not smudge and is erasable with a white eraser. However I prefer, The Pentel Blue 0.5 is the better lead, longer lasting, harder (rarely breaks) and best of all it's 0.5 my preferred size. The shade of blue is darker than the standard non-repro blue so it requires a lighter touch.

The Pilot Color ENO Soft Blue 0.7 is the perfect shade of blue, but it is much softer (it easily and often breaks) and only comes in a 0.7 size.
So the choice is yours - 0.7 / softer but great colour, or 0.5 / harder and a little dark.

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Eternity Bands-Meanders, Waves, Lines or Ribbons

6/18/2013

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MY ETERNITY BANDS ARE A STANDARD 5mm Wide, on all my chicken and goose eggs.

Eternity Bands and other dividing elements on pysanky are composed of meanders, waves, lines or ribbons. These eternal line motifs are most popular due to an interesting legend: the meander on a pysanka has no beginning and no end and thus an evil spirit, which happens to enter a house and land on the egg, is trapped forever and will never bother the residents again! Meanders symbolize harmony, motion, infinity and immortality. Lines and ribbons represent the thread of life or eternity. Waves stand for wealth, because it was rain that ensured good crops.

Click on image to make larger

3 Part Video Clips on Eternity Bands

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Teacher Tip: Removing Wax with a Candle

4/14/2013

2 Comments

Always use a short stub candle to remove the wax from your pysanky egg. I am holding the egg adjacent to the candle and not into the flame. This will allow the wax to melt and then you wipe it off. Holding the egg into the flame will cause it to scortch and leave a burn mark.

Some institutions may be cautious with 'open flames'. You then need to be certain that the candles used are short and stubby, so that if they topple over there will be no catching fire. Also, be careful about the table surface, some places like to cover the desks in paper!

Tea lights may seem like a good idea, but they never get hot enough for removing the wax from your egg, or heating up a traditional kistka funnel while you are writing with wax...so don't use them.

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Airtight Jars for Pysanky Dyes at $tore

2/26/2013

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The storage jars that I have been using for about 5 years are on sale at my local Dollar Tree Stores, for...$1.00 ! They are airtight and a large goose egg fits nicely in the jar as you can see in the photo.

I make up each dye according to the packet
1 1/2 c water, a tsp. of vinegar. When doing chicken eggs this liquid is sufficient. When doing a goose egg, I top off the dye with extra water. However, I always use two(2) packets of dye per jar. I am using whole unblown eggs, so you see in the photo how nicely my goose egg sinks.

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Un-Blown Pysanky Eggs

1/11/2013

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Traditionally Pysanky eggs were undrained, the yolks and whites not blown out.
When pysanky are made with raw eggs, use care so they will eventually dry up inside, allowing them to last a long time. But be sure to:
1.     Always start with fresh eggs that have no thin spots, hairline cracks or flaws, which might later crack. An egg is sterile inside when the shell is intact. Only when bacteria enters through a crack, will the egg start to rot and smell. The moisture from the inside of the egg however, can escape through the porous shell as long as it is treated properly.
2.     The gases that build up inside pass naturally through the permeable egg shell.
3.     When eggs are still liquid inside after decorating, store and display them properly and carefully to avoid accidentally cracking or “explosions” of the inside contents. Eggs should not be allowed to hit each other if displayed in a container, as this might cause tiny cracks which
may allow spoilage.
4.     Undrained pysanky should never be placed or stored where they may get too hot, as in sunlight or too cold where they might freeze, both of which can cause expansion and cracking or exploding.
5.     Un-drained Pysanky should always be stored where there is adequate air circulation. Air is needed for the insides to dry out. DO NOT store eggs in styrofoam egg cartons (cardboard ones breathe), or in closed places such as decorative glass jars or containers, which are sealed, covered or in a tightly closed china cabinet. These places can store up heat and cause your eggs to expand, crack or explode.

FREQUENTLY ROTATE THE UN-DRAINED EGGS

6. Undrained eggs should be rotated to allow for more even drying out. This picture shows
Lemko style pysanky I wrote almost a
year ago...all undrained eggs. The metal stand, reminds me to rotate the eggs once a month (or whenever I think about it). You can see they are all presently standing on their ‘heads” (except for the bird motif egg).
7. IMPORTANT: I only apply one coat of
varnish to undrained eggs! allowing the permeable shell to breathe through the thin coat. Some Ukrainian pysankars rub a coat of vasaline instead of applying varnish!
8. Even when the eggs appear to have dried out completely, continue to store pysanky in a well ventilated, cool (not cold), dry space.
Moisture may seep back through the pores of the eggs and sunlight could fade colors-both which can ruin your pysanky.

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<<Previous

Teacher Tip-Demo for Showing How to Add Patterns to the Egg Shell

Finishing Off an Egg at the End

Teacher Tip: Photograph Each Class

Create a Collage of the Class Photos

Cleaning Soiled Farm Eggs and Stubborn Stains

Supporting the Egg While Writing

Using a Non-Photo Blue Pencil Instead of Standard Graphite for Measuring Out a Design

Eternity Bands-Meanders, Waves, Lines or Ribbons

3 Part Video Clips on Eternity Bands

Teacher Tip: Removing Wax with a Candle

Airtight Jars for Pysanky Dyes at $tore

Un-Blown Pysanky Eggs

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by Maggie

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Create a Collage of the Class Photos

3 Part Video Clips on Eternity Bands

Categories

BLOG-TIPSby Maggie

Archives

BLOG-TIPS
by Maggie