To make a Ukrainian Easter egg you need dye, a stylus, a heating element, a plan, a perfect egg, and some patience. Try the following steps:
Step one: Choose the perfect egg, make sure it is flawless, and that you clean it using water and vinegar. You also want to make sure it is white, as it will look better dyed.
Step two: Prepare your Ukrainian Easter egg creation items. You should set up your dying bowls, and put them in order from the lightest dye to the darkest. Have your candle burning, and some beeswax ready, as well as a heated copper stylus. You should also have your pattern prepared, and draw it onto your egg. You can choose a pattern online, or you can create your own. If you are new to Ukrainian Easter eggs, it is good to use a pre-made design at first until you get the hang of it.
Step three: heat your wax, and draw on the first layer of wax. You want to use the kistka, or stylus, to cover the pencil markings that indicate your first part of your design.
Step four: Put the egg into the lightest color dye for around 15 minutes. You can add about a teaspoon of vinegar to the dye solution in order to make it more vibrant and brighter on the egg surface.
Step five: When the 15 minutes is up, you want to get the egg out of the dye, preferably carefully so that you do not damage it or the wax layer on it. You then want to carefully day off the egg to dry it. Wait until it is all the way dry.
Step six: Progress from the lightest color of dye to the darkest, following the same procedure for each color, adding more wax to create a more detailed pattern with each dye. When you get to the end of your dyes, your egg should be fairly well covered in wax, and will likely look close to black.
Step seven: Let your egg dry all of the way. You can dab it dry again, but make sure that it is dry before you do anything to remove the wax.
Step eight: Heat the wax on the outside of the egg until it is wet and shiny. You can heat it by holding it to the edge of the candle flame, or by using a hair dryer to heat the wax. You want to wipe the wax off with a tissue, revealing the wonderfully patterned egg below.
Step nine: Let the egg dry again.
Step ten: Remove the egg innards by blowing it out, or by sucking it out, just be careful not to break your Ukrainian Easter egg.
There you have it! You now know how to make Ukrainian Easter eggs to better celebrate the holiday!