Egg Decoration

by Susan Byrd

Overview

If you are looking for a new form of expression, a new canvas on which to apply your talents, egg decoration could very well be for you. Egg decoration is a time-honored art that was part of the future of ancient China, flourished over the centuries in the course of the European kings, and inspired the rare artistry of famed Russian goldsmith Peter Carl Fabergé. It is an art you can master, and Susan Byrd will show you how, step by step, in this superb guide to every phase of traditional egg decoration.
Over 70 illustrations and easy-to-follow instructions will guide you through these eight progressively more complex projects. Among them are such exquisite items as a silk-lined jewel box, delicate musical bell, lace-trimmed "cradle," lovely decoupaged napkin rings, and four other beautiful projects. Along the way you will learn the many types of eggs suitable for decorating; how to choose appropriate tools and glues; how to empty, mark, cut, and hinge an egg; and how to paint, sand, and apply decoupage. You will even learn the history of egg decorating.
Best of all you will have been introduced to an exciting and rewarding hobby that will provide hours of enjoyment and personal satisfaction.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780486158013
Publisher:	Dover Publications
Publication date:	04/13/2012
Series:	Dover Crafts: Painting
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	48
File size:	3 MB

Read an Excerpt

Egg Decoration

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By Susan Byrd, Aline Becker, CaroLyn Detert

Dover Publications, Inc.

Copyright © 1991 Susan Byrd
All rights reserved.
ISBN: 978-0-486-15801-3

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CHAPTER 1

HISTORY

It is surprising how many people have never heard of egg decorating, or perhaps heard of it, but have never seen it. A typical conversation about eggs might go something like this: A new acquaintance wants to know about your hobbies and you tell them "I do eggs". There will be a little pause while your words soak in, and then they will politely ask, "You do what?" (Your words really didn't soak in at all.) So you answer, just as politely, "I decorate eggshells." Now you can see a glimmer of understanding in their eyes! And you know very well they are thinking "Easter Eggs". Well, just keep cool, and explain to them that what you do with eggs is in no way related to the mental image they have just conjured up of the typical dyed Easter Egg! And you might as well drag out your egg pictures to illustrate your words. Otherwise, they will never understand!

If you really have their attention now, or if they can't get away, just go ahead and give them your whole speech. They will be interested to know that egg decorating isn't new, even though they have never heard of it before. On the contrary, history shows that it began in ancient times, long before the time of Christ. The first recorded mention of it dates back to ancient China, when colored eggs were given during spring fertility festivals. As the mysterious source of new life, the egg was thought to have great magical powers, and thus was held in awe and reverence by many ancient peoples.

Over the centuries the art of egg decorating became more sophisticated. By the thirteenth century gold leafed eggs were known to have been presented to the English Court by King Edward I, and by the sixteenth century eggs with "surprises" in them had come into existence. Eggs were very popular among European nobility of this era, and by the reign of Louis the XV the decorating and giving of eggs was widespread, especially in France.

Practically every country has its version of the decorated egg, and today we can see the special styles and techniques each has developed, and handed down through the ages. One style which must be mentioned is the jeweled style, made famous by Peter Carl Faberge, jeweler to the Russian Court during the late eighteen hundreds and early nineteen hundreds. His Imperial Easter Eggs, made between 1884 and 1916, were not, however, made of actual eggshells, but of precious metals and jewels, fashioned into intricately beautiful, egg-shaped works of art. These eggs have been a joy and an inspiration to the modern day egg artist.

Egg art, as we know it in this country, is fairly young, only really beginning to emerge within the last twenty years or so. There were egg projects, such as Easter egg trees, etc., being done much earlier than this, but few eggs were being done then the way they are today.

There is seemingly no end to the variety of eggs that are being done today, and a good way to see them is to visit one of the many egg shows held around the country each year! (An egg show is an exciting event, even for those who never plan to become an egger!) The huge variety of styles and techniques will have your head buzzing with new ideas of your own!

Usually there are seminars held in conjunction with shows, and, as I mentioned before, seminars are one of the best ways to learn, (notwithstanding great instruction books like this one!) If you have a chance to take a seminar, by all means do so. Choose one that will be a challenge to you, but not be too advanced.

CHAPTER 2

POINTS TO CONSIDER

First, keep in mind that eggery is, after all, just a hobby, and perfection isn't the name of the game. But don't get me wrong! I want you to do the very best that you can. In fact I expect it of you! I would like for you to work hard at doing a good job, but not to the point that it becomes a chore and the pleasure is lost. When that happens, it is time to draw the line. The idea is to enjoy what you are doing, and feel relaxed about it!

Point Two; Always remember that no two people do anything just alike. Some are confident and move right ahead, while others may be more timid and require more help. Some will choose one tool to do a job, others will use something else, and so on. All these differences are perfectly OK! After all, this is what makes variety in our lives. (How dull things would be without variety!) So don't worry if you are a little slower than someone else! The very fact that you are slower might just put you in a position to profit by the mistakes and snags the speedier ones could run into! Simply take your time, do the best you can, and enjoy yourself! Also, don't be concerned if your egg isn't as perfect as someone else's. Just remember that you have learned on it, and can always do another one better. People are always their own worst critics. The flaws you can see, simply because you know they are there, would rarely be noticed by someone else, because they are seeing the egg as a whole and not concentrating on one tiny aspect of it.

Next, be aware that some people are inventers, and some aren't. Some will be able to design all their own eggs with ease, while others will be more comfortable working with kits and instructions. If you are one who falls in the first group of people, fantastic! Let your imagination go, because it will be your only limiting factor, and you will thoroughly enjoy doing your own designs. If you are one who falls in the second category, you will derive great pleasure and satisfaction from completing eggs from kits or instructions. Don't for a minute think that there is no challenge in this! For one thing, it nearly always leads to the development of some ideas of your own, either for modifying the egg you are working on, or for creating an entirely new one. In spite of yourself, sooner or later, you will find that you are doing a bit of creating of your own!

One nice thing to keep in mind is that, even though you might be doing an egg designed by someone else, it will still have your own special touch, simply because YOU are the one who made it!

Point Four; Take advantage of artistic talents you may have already developed. For instance, if you have been a painter, you will find that you can paint on eggs. Many of my first eggs had landscapes done in watercolor, because painting in watercolor was "my thing" before getting started in eggery. And I still do a painted egg once in a while, just because I love to paint. Eggs will accept watercolor, oils, acrylics, stains, metallic waxes, ceramic pastels, pen & ink, and dyes (both natural and man-made). You can quill on them, gold leaf them, decoupage them, bead them, boutique them, antique them, and cover them with everything from fabric to pearl flakes, laces to ribbons. braids to naturals. Just use your imagination! There's no end to it!

Next, Point Five; As you develop in your egging, you will have many ideas for new eggs. Write them down! Do this even if you don't think the idea has merit at the time, because later you may very well find yourself wishing you had saved it. Many of the ideas I develop are "dreamed up" at night after I have gone to bed, so I keep a pad of paper and pen by the bed to scribble notes and sketches on. (My poor husband is used to sleeping with the covers pulled over his eyes!) Also, keep yourself open to new ideas and tips from unexpected sources. You never know when you will have an opportunity to learn something new. For instance, when I first started teaching seminars, I found out very quickly that I would not only be teaching my students, but that I would be learning from them as well. Again, I say, write things down!

Point Six; This point concerns the Murphy's Law that we all know and love so well. You know the one. It says that if anything can go wrong, it will go wrong. Well, believe it, because, as with most endeavors, the course of egg decorating doesn't always run smooth! Anythingcan happen, and probably will, so be prepared to take it in stride and keep cool. No matter how bad it is, it is never so bad that it can not be helped. (Well, almost never ...)

To end this, I am including a trouble-shooting section in the book, which I think will help you overcome some of the more common problems you will run across from time to time. Hopefully this will help keep you out of the tranquilizer bottle, and your egg off the ceiling.

Point Seven; Be neat! It is all right to make mistakes as you learn, but do learn by them! The most beautiful egg can be ruined by simple things like smeared glue, carelessly applied trims, etc. There is no need for this to happen. Just remember to take your time, be observant, and immediately correct any mistakes you find. If you are going to take the time to do an egg, take the time to do it right!

Point Eight: These are all the usual bits of advice that have always been given in every instruction book ever written since time out of mind. They must have merit, by virtue of repetition if nothing else, so I am going to repeat them here: use good lighting when you work; be organized (!); if possible, work in a relaxing environment where you can leave your mess indefinately; have the right tools and supplies on hand; and save everything that might some day be useful!

Finally Point Nine: If you have had previous experience doing eggs, you may have learned techniques different from some taught here. If those techniques work for you, and you are happy with them, don't change them. There is more than one way to do nearly anything, and I am only teaching the methods that have worked for me. I am still learning too!

CHAPTER 3

THE EGG ITSELF

In starting this section of the book, I am going to pretend that you know next to nothing about eggs, (except that they are usually edible), and work from there.

Chicken eggs may be the most familiar to you, and the easiest to come by, but they are by no means the only choice an egg decorater has! There is an infinate variety of eggs available to us. Some are as small as a bean, some as large as a canteloupe. Some are white, while others may be brown, blue, green or black.

Please allow me to get serious for a moment, (the only time this will happen, I promise!) have just mentioned the fact that there is a large variety of eggs available, but please note that NONE of the eggs I am going to tell you about should ever be taken from the wild. They are all available from domestic sources, such as game bird farms and hatcheries.

With a few exceptions, ALL wild birds are "protected," which means it is illegal to take their eggs under any circumstances. Two birds which are not protected are the English Sparrow and the Starling. This is because they are not native American birds, and are nuisance birds as well, so it is all right to use their eggs. There may be other birds, in addition to these, which are not protected, but if you are in doubt at all, please do not take the eggs! Let's be good stewards of our beautiful wild birds! Many thanks, both from me and from our wild feathered friends!

Following is a list of the eggs most widely used, and most readily available, including such information as size, strength of shell, color, general shape (not all eggs are egg-shaped!), and occasionally suggestions for their use. They will be divided into three categories according to size; small, medium and large.

SMALL GROUP

FINCH: Size of a small bean, bluish-white, very fragile, egg-shaped. Great for jewelry items such as earrings, pendants and stick pins. Can be cut and hinged, and even have drawers put in them! Openings may be carefully cut with cuticle scissors for diorama eggs. (Diorama eggs have one or more openings with a scene or figure inside. No hinges)

CANARY: Slightly larger than finch, blue with brown speckles, most fragile of small eggs, oval shaped. Uses as for finch. Take advantage of this egg's lovely color!

PARAKEET: About canary-sized, egg shaped, pure white, toughest-shelled of the three smallest eggs.

COCKATIEL: Diameter about the size of a nickel, white, egg-shaped, fragile. Uses as for finch, also cute done as a miniature jewel box.

DOVE: A little larger than cockatiel, white, oval shaped, slick-surfaced. Less fragile than cockatiel.

QUAIL: There are several types of quail eggs and all are popular, though the Bobwhite is the most widely used. It is white, larger than the dove, quite pointed at one end, and not too fragile. The Pharoah Quail egg is brown with darker brown specks and blotches, and larger than the Bobwhite. The Button Quail is smaller than the Bobwhite, more oval, and varied in color, but is basically brown with darker brown speckling. All may be used for a variety of things, from jewelry and miniature "bells", to jewel boxes and dioramas.

PIGEON: Diameter about the size of a quarter, waxy white, evenly rounded at both ends, very much like the dove egg. Too large for jewelry, but great for a little ring box, diorama, hinged, fancy-cut, and decoupaged.

BANTY: A small chicken egg, usually quite a bit smaller than small grocery store eggs. Color ranges from off-white to beige, and may at times be blue or greenish. Egg-shaped.

PARTRIDGE: Size of pigeon to a little larger, egg-shaped, beige with fine brown speckling.

GUINEA: Larger than partridge, cream to beige with finely pitted texture, and usually, fine light brown speckling. The very toughest of all the smaller eggs, and tougher than most larger ones, too! Very pointed. Use it for anything; great for intricate cutting, but must use a power tool to do it. A good egg for beginners learning to cut. Takes "scratch-carving" well. (Scratch carving is using any sharp instrument to scratch a design on the shell.) Color may be scrubbed or bleached away. A favorite of mine.

ARAUCANA: Another chicken egg, larger than the banty egg. Beautifully colored in blue or aqua, green, and sometimes even pink.

NOTE: Most egg shows have judged competitions for those who are exhibiting to enter if they would like. One of the categories in the judging is the Minature division. All the eggs mentioned above are suitable for that division.

MEDIUM GROUP:

CHICKEN: (common) This is the good old egg that everyone knows about! Size varies, and color is from white to brown. Thickness of shell will depend on where it came from. (Grocery store eggs are very thin-shelled due to the diet of the chickens, so if you can, get your eggs from a local farmer!) And no more cracking your eggs at breakfast!

DUCK: Contrary to popular belief, duck eggs are not always larger than chicken eggs, but they are considerably tougher. Shape is fairly oval; color is white or blue; texture rather waxy feeling (they won't take paint quite as well as eggs with more pourous surfaces, like goose eggs.) These eggs are a good size for Christmas ornaments, ring boxes, etc.

TURKEY: Size ranges from large duck size up. Cream colored with irregular brown speckling and may have bumpy spots on the shell. Color may be scrubbed or bleached off. Egg is quite pointed, and rather fragile for its size. It is a beautiful egg. Take advantage of its coloring.

PEACOCK: (Peacock? Everyone knows that a peacock is a boy, and can't lay eggs! Peahen is the correct term, right?) This egg is similar in size to the turkey, but in all other respects closely resembles the guinea egg. It is fairly tough-shelled. pinkish-beige in color, pointed, finely pitted, and sometimes has fine, irregular speckling. A nice egg for about any project.

GOOSE: This is probably the most popular egg for egg decorating. It is of good size, relatively tough, readily available, and affordable. Size will vary greatly, from little ones measuring under eight inches (measured around lengthwise), to those jumbo eggs which, though rare, can get to be over thirteen inches around! Generally speaking, the larger the egg is, the more elongated it will appear. (A goose just can't handle "large" and "fat" at the same time!) Also, the bigger the egg, the more fragile it is apt to be, especially at the top, or small end. When you order goose eggs, please keep in mind that not all the smaller eggs are big fat ones either! No one has yet figured out how to program geese to lay only fat eggs, and until they do, you will simply have to accept your share of the narrower ones! However, if your project requires fat eggs, most places will, for an additional charge, pick out fat ones for you. After all, they want you happy! As for the thin ones, there are many designs for which they are perfect, including Oriental vases, bells, decoupage, painting, Christmas ornaments, cutting to fit that tall, thin figure that just wouldn't look right in a fat egg, and so on.

LARGE GROUP:

This group consist of the ostrich family: the Rhea, Emu and African Ostrich.

All three of the larger eggs offer untold possibilities for decorating, and once you have gotten the "feel" of working with eggs, you will surely want to invest in the tools and start working with these bigger ones! A few of the things that may be done include musical eggs, lamps, display cabinets to hold your favorite keepsakes (or even your tiny eggs), purses, jewel boxes, clocks, eggs commemorating special occasions, and ones with miniature lighting in them. The list goes on and on!

Now that you know about the eggs themselves, you will need to know what tools to have in order to do something with them!

(Continues...)

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Excerpted from Egg Decoration by Susan Byrd, Aline Becker, CaroLyn Detert. Copyright © 1991 Susan Byrd. Excerpted by permission of Dover Publications, Inc..
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site.

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Table of Contents

Contents

Title Page,
Copyright Page,
Dedication,
Egg Decoration - INTRODUCTION,
CHAPTER I - HISTORY,
CHAPTER II - POINTS TO CONSIDER,
CHAPTER III - THE EGG ITSELF,
CHAPTER IV - TOOLS,
CHAPTER V - GLUES AND DECORATIVE FINISHES,
CHAPTER VI - EMPTYING THE EGG,
CHAPTER VII - MARKING THE EGG,
CHAPTER VIII - CUTTING,
CHAPTER IX - HINGING,
CHAPTER X - LINING THE EGG,
CHAPTER XI MISCELLANEOUS TIPS & HOW-TO'S,
CHAPTER XII - TROUBLE SHOOTING,
CHAPTER XIII - PROJECTS,
Index,
DOVER CRAFT BOOKS,