Pysanky Ostrich Egg Dying Demonstration with Jill Turndorf

Artist Jill Sacalis Turndorf demonstrates ostrich egg dying. The technique used is a wax-resist method, using the tools of the traditional Ukrainian method of dying, also known as Pysanky. Jill's designs, however, are not specific to any region or country. The design of this egg is not a traditional Ukrainian egg design.
www.turndorf.com

Original music courtesy Joy Sacalis from her CD "The Language of Flowers." www.JoySacalis.com

Category:

Howto & Style

Tags:

• Pysanky
• Jill
• Turndorf
• ostrich
• egg
• dying
• wax
• resist
• art
• Joy
• Sacalis
• Language
• of
• Flowers
• easter
• original
• music
• flute
• hand made

[TheJosephanderson]

Yes that helps allot. Thank you. Could you please tell me where you purchase your supplies? the wax and the Kistkas and the dye? This year will be my first time doing Pysanky and I am a little overwhelmed with all of the different supplies. Thank you so very much.

[jillturndorf]

@TheJosephanderson I am happy to help you! Yes, there are many things to choose from. I have tested quite a few supplies in the 35 years I have been dying eggs and have found the sources listed on my webpage to be the most reliable with high quality supplies. Go to turndorf.com and click on Artist Resources. I have no connection with these sources other than as a very satisfied customer. Today I will work on a suggested supply list for beginners and post it to that page. Good luck!

[TheJosephanderson]

Hi there! love your video! Thank you. What voltage are your Kistkas?

[jillturndorf]

@TheJosephanderson

Thanks for looking at my video. The kistkas use regular house current. Does that help?

[jillturndorf]

Try dipping in gold, then green, then turquoise. After that, dip in light blue. royal blue, dark blue. I change if up a bit each time, but this is the basic way to go. Good luck!

[jillturndorf]

The surface of ostrich eggs have a shiny nacre, which prevents the shell from taking the dye. Before you work with the ostrich egg, vigorously rub the surface of the shell with a wash cloth and a generous amount of distilled white vinegar. After fifteen minutes of rubbing, rinse the egg, pat it dry, and examine it for shiny areas. If there are none, you are ready to dye the egg. If you see any shiny areas, continue the vinegar rub, and check it again after 5-10 minutes. Good luck!

[EmeraldBeat]

This is incredible!  And it will help a lot. I have a hard time figuring out the sequence of colors to dip.

I dipped in gold, then turquoise and came out with green everywhere =/

[annaw9595]

I recently moved from goose and chicken eggs to ostrich eggs, but am having trouble getting the dye to take. It takes repeated applications and I still don't get the same richness that I get with a chicken or duck egg. How do you get such vibrant colors?

Also, this egg is gorgeous.

[jillturndorf]

Thanks for taking a look at my video. And thanks for your kind compliment. I started working with chicken eggs, buy there just isn't enough space to develop a design with all of the details. Goose eggs are better, but ostrich eggs are a perfect size for complex details. They also don't break just as you're finishing! I like to use ostrich eggs that are roughly 17-18" in circumference. Buckets for dying are readily available. Some day I'd love to try a huge one. Have you dyed eggs? Jill

[bladenrocks]

You are flat out amazing! I was wondering, do you have an easier time working with bigger eggs?