Things You'll Need  

 

This is a lost of basic supplies you'll need to start making pysanky.  Visit my Links page to find suppliers.

 

DYES - Traditionally, way back when there were no other alternatives, dyes were made from very natural things.  For example, yellow was made from onion skins, and purple was made from beets.  But, now we have more modern, quick-to-make dyes.  There are 2 different types of dyes that are most commonly used today.  There is the non-toxic dyes, available from SURMA in a few colors: black, blue, dark red, bright red, orange, and yellow.  You use "setting powder" which these dyes.  I haven't used them myself, but I hear they're not as bright and vibrant as the other dyes available, which are a chemical dye called aniline.  This dye comes in a wider variety of shades.  Available are: yellow, orange, black, gold, royal blue, light blue, light green, dark red, cherry red, scarlet, brick , brown, purple, pink, brown, and aquamarine.  Just recently, at a site called Baba's Beeswax, they have introduced a whole range of other colours.  I have yet to try them.  Experiment with colors, and even try mixing some  colors on your own from your existing dye colors.  

KISTKA - The kistka (or stylus), is the tool that you use to apply wax to the egg.  There are a few different varities of kistka available, from the tried and true traditional, to the fancy, expensive electrical ones.  If you're just starting out, I don't suggest buying an electric kistka.  Make sure that this is an art form that you will be doing for a good, long time before investing in an electric kistka.  Besides, a lot of excellent egg artists still use the traditional kistkas, and produce superb eggs with them.  The first kind of kistka is the traditional one.  It consists of a wooden dowel with a hole drilled through one end.  A small funnel created from rolling a small piece of copper is put into the hole.  Then, it is tied securely to the dowel with copper wire.  

 

EGGS - The most popular used in making pysanky are jumbo or large white chicken eggs.  The eggs should be fresh, free of any blemishes , like bumps, and clean (you can clean the egg by giving it a bath in water mixed with a little vinegar, then pat it dry with some paper towel).  You'll also want to take the time to hold the egg up to a light to check for hairline cracks.  If you don't, and your egg has a crack in it, the dye will seep into the egg, ruining the design. Along with white chicken eggs, you can also use a wide variety of other eggs.  Try using brown chicken eggs, which produce a nice, warm, earthy-look when dyed.  Or, if you can manage to find them, try using quail, duck, goose, turkey, reah, ostrich, or any other eggs that are light enough in colour to dye, that you happen to have access to.  I suggest doing a search on EBAY for different types of eggs.  For example, try searching for "ostrich egg".  You'll find some auctions for ostrich eggs that are blown, and you should be able to get one at a good price.  (Although, if you're in Canada, like I am, then it will be more difficult to find them.  Most ostrich egg suppliers on ebay seem to live in the US, and won't ship to Canada.)  Or, if you really get into pysanky, who knows, maybe you'll start an all-bird farm to have an everlasting supply!  ;)  If you do, please drop me a line, since I'm always looking for good egg sources.

 

BEESWAX - To make your lines on your egg, you'll need pure beeswax.  You can't use parafin, or any other wax, because the beeswax is the only wax that seems to stick to the egg properly, even when it's immersed in the dyes.  You can buy beeswax in little cakes from pysanky suppliers, and some craft stores.  The cakes come in natural color and black.  The natural is fine for the candle-heated kistkas, because the candle carbon blackens the wax naturally, so when you write on your egg, the lines will be visible.  The black cakes are for the electric kistka, where the candle isn't used to heat the tool, so no balckening occurs.  When I ran out of beeswax once, I grabbed a beeswax candle and used it.  So, don't hesitate to use a sheet of beeswax, just fold it up in to a little square to make it easier to use.  I'd be cautious about what color beeswax it is though.  I know that the darker colors like hunter green and burgundy, the color dyes from them will soak into lighter beeswax, so it may possibly do the same to an egg.  

 

JARS - You will need jars to make your dyes in.  You can use any jars that  are narrow enough to allow the dye to be high enough to totally cover the egg, and have a wide enough mouth to allow you to lower eggs into the dyes.  The jars should also have a tight-fitting lid to keep your dyes from evaporating.  Mason jars (with lids) are good.  I just use old coffee jars.  Look around your kitchen, and ask your friends and family to save any potentially useful jars for you.  It's always good to have extra jars, incase one breaks, or to mix dyes in, etc.

 

CANDLES - With the current candle trend, I'm sure you all have some candle stubs lying around!  Try to use a candle that creates a good-sized flame.  You dont want to try to heat your kistka, or melt the wax off an egg with a tea light candle!  I go through a lot of candles, and I find that the best candles to use for pysanky are tapier candles; they produce a good flame.  If I don't have any stubs lying around, I go to my local dollar store, and buy some at about a dollar a dozen.  They're pretty crappy candles for normal use, but they're excellent for pysanky.  I snap them in half, and cut the wick where the candle is broken.  I then have 2 smaller pieces.  They're easier to use when you're making pysanky.  The full-sized tapiers are too high.  Whatever type of candles you use, be sure they don't have a zinc wick.  The zinc has a chemical reaction with beeswax, and since you're melting the beeswax directly over the flame, there's a good chance that it could drip onto the lit wick. 

 

spoons - These are used to put your eggs into, and take them out of the dye baths.  The best kind of spoons to use are the bigger ones (I think they're often called tablespoons, although I'm sure that they wouldn't accurately measure out to be a tablespoon).  They spoons should be big enough to comfortably hold your egg.  Root through your local second-hand store, like the Salvation Army, or look at yard sales for big spoons.  Or, maybe you already have some.  You CAN get by with just one spoon, wiping it off when you take it out of one dye, before using it in another.  It is more convenient to have a bunch of spoons, and just leave them in the different dyes while you work, and then take them all out when you're finished working.  Be sure to clean the spoons off good when you're done with them.  You wouldn't want to ruin a dye color by dipping a spoon in it thats got another color on it.  When you take a spoon out of the dye, if you wipe it off right away with paper towel, it should be fine.  If the dye has dried on it, then give it a good wasing with some dishsoap.

 

 

 

 kleenex, paper towel, white vinegar, pencil, matches, rubber bands,small amount of thin wire