 |
|
|
SPECIAL SECTION:
 
COLORING EASTER EGGS
Coloring Easter Eggs can be as simple as hard boiling eggs and setting them in dyes until they are dyed a color or they can become a work of art as many cultures have created. Below are listed several ways of decorating so that you may produce an assortment of eggs with many colors, designs, and patterns.
1. Dyeing eggs using natural dyes
2. Dyeing eggs that are marbled
3. Dyeing eggs using tape
4. Dyeing eggs using wax
Dyeing Eggs with Colors Found in Nature
Most people color Easter Eggs with colors found in nature. Your kitchen is full of natural dyes. Common food items such as red cabbage, onion skins, and coffee can be used to transform plain white eggs into colorful Easter jewels. Kids will especially love discovering all the different colors they can create— let them experiment using hard-boiled eggs and bowls of cold dyes.
Materials:
Natural dyeing agents (red cabbage, turmeric, onion skins, beets, and coffee); 3-quart pot (or larger)
* white vinegar
* strainer
* small bowls
* eggs
* large metal spoon
* paper towels
* drying rack
Dye Recipes
Select a dyeing agent, and place it in the pot using the amount listed below. Add 1 quart water and 2 tablespoons white vinegar to pot; if more water is necessary to cover ingredients, proportionally increase the amount of vinegar. Bring to a boil, then lower heat. Allow the ingredients to simmer for 30 minutes. Strain dye into a bowl.
* Red-cabbage dye: 4 cups chopped cabbage
* Turmeric dye: 3 tablespoons turmeric
* Onion-skin dye:
4 cups onion skins (skins of about 12 onions)
* Beet dye: 4 cups chopped beets
* Coffee dye: 1 quart strong black coffee
(instead of water)
DYEING METHODS
Cold-Dipping Method
With this method, the eggs and the ingredients for the dye are boiled separately. Using a metal spoon, lower cooled hard-boiled eggs into a bowl of cooled dye, and let them soak for as little as 5 seconds or as long as overnight, depending on the depth of color you desire.
Remove eggs with spoon, pat dry with paper towels, and let dry on a wire rack. The cold- dipping method produces subtle, translucent shades, but can result in uneven coloring unless the eggs are rotated vigilantly while in the dye. For hollow eggs that will last indefinitely, cold-dip raw eggs, then blow them out after they are dyed.
Boiled Method
This method involves boiling the eggs with the dye; the heat allows the dye to saturate the shells, resulting in intense, more uniform color. Set raw eggs in a pot of strained dye; bring to a boil for the amount of time specified in our color glossary. Remove and dry eggs as with the cold-dipping method.
Finish (optional)
Natural dyes tend to fade over time, so finish any blown eggs you plan to keep with a matte or gloss acrylic spray varnish. To create an egg-spraying stand, stick a 6-inch length of wire into a block of Styrofoam; prop a hollow egg onto the wire through one of its holes. Spray egg with a coat of varnish in a well-ventilated area, and let dry.
|
|
|
Marbleized Easter Eggs
Marbleized eggs, colors come together in beautifully abstract designs. The method is surprisingly easy, despite the sophisticated effects. Try this colorful technique for extra-special eggs this Easter.
Materials:
* mixing bowls
* measuring cup
* measuring spoons
* white vinegar
* food coloring
* eggs
* olive oil
* fork
* paper towels
How-To Marbleize:
1. Prepare a dye bath in a small heatproof mixing bowl: Mix 1 teaspoon of vinegar and 20 drops of food coloring (use more to intensify color) with 1 cup of hot water. Add an egg, and submerge it until it turns the desired color.
2. Remove egg; let dry, about 15 minutes.
3. In a shallow, wide bowl, prepare another batch of dye in a darker or different shade; this will provide the swirls. The liquid should be 1/2 inch deep. Add about 1 tablespoon olive oil (you may need more depending on the size of the container). Run a fork through this mixture, creating swirls of oil on the surface.
4. Place the dyed egg in the marbleizing mixture, and roll it once around the bowl to pick up the oil streaks; remove, and blot gently with a paper towel. Let dry, 30 minutes.
5. Try various color combinations. Vary the base tints and the swirls to achieve contrasts both striking and subtle.
Using Tape for Stenciled Eggs
With stencils made of waterproof vinyl adhesive tape and cut-out shapes, you can create perfectly rendered patterns on your Easter eggs. Make plaid, polka-dotted, punctuated, or monogrammed eggs, or create your own designs. Any color that you cover with tape will remain unchanged throughout the process. The instructions below are for creating the plaid egg shown.
Materials:
* eggs
* food coloring
* waterproof vinyl adhesive tape and stencils
* burnishing tool (available at art-supply stores)
* small bowls
* paper towels
Dyeing Method
1. Start with a white egg or one dyed a pale color. Band the egg twice lengthwise with a 1/4-inch-wide masking tape, repositioning as necessary to get a tight fit. Firmly rub the tape with your fingernail or a burnishing tool so that the dye can’t seep underneath. (See Step 1)
2. Dip egg into dye, raising and dipping until the color deepens as desired. Blot egg with a paper towel. Let dry ten minutes. Remove tape. (See Step 2)
3. Band the egg’s width with tape at its widest point, then repeat to make smaller circles around each end. Burnish, dye, and dry as before. (See Step 3)
4. Remove tape. (See Step 4)
5. If you used a raw egg, carefully blow out contents.
6. You can also create different designs and patterns by alternating wide strips of tape with narrow ones.
Dyeing Eggs Using Wax
Updated and simplifying the process for creating the Ukrainian Eggs, the same technique can be used to produce these soft watercolor patterns.
A: Materials used:
food coloring; beeswax; eggs; pot (for melting beeswax); bowls and spoons (for dyes); cookie sheet; wax paper; paper towels
B: Technique:
1. To make the striped egg (photo 4), dye a raw or hard-boiled egg pale yellow (for richer colors, increase the proportion of coloring to water). Remove and let dry. (See Step 1)
2. Melt beeswax in a pot. Dip both ends of the egg in wax (See Step 2)
This will prevent that area from absorbing the next color.
3. Place the egg in the green dye for about one minute, then remove and let dry. (See Step 3)
Dip both ends of the egg deeper in the wax than before, leaving a narrow unwaxed band around the middle of the egg.
4. Place the egg in dark blue dye to color the middle stripe. (See Step 4)
5. When finished, place the egg in a oven on a cookie sheet lined with waxed paper for about 5 minutes (250° ). Take the egg out and wipe off melted wax with a paper towel. If you used a raw egg, let egg cool and carefully blow out contents.
6. To make a half-colored egg, hold an egg partially submerged in a strong dye for about a minute. To create eggs with bands of white, dip-dye both ends, then dip each end in the wax to cover the dyed area plus a stripe of white beyond them, then proceed as above.
 |
|
