Krapanky

 
 

The simplest and probably oldest type of pysanka is the krapanka.  No tools as such are needed to create one, just a beeswax candle and an egg. A krapanka results when was is dripped onto an egg which is then dyed. 

It is quite easy to make.  You will need a beeswax candle (not paraffin) and a clean white egg.  Light the candle, and hold it over the egg, dripping wax onto the egg. 



You can make simple dots, like those on this egg:




Or you can place masses of dots together to get more complex shapes:




Drips can give interesting results as well:




Dyeing the egg and repeating this process will result in simple krapanky like this one:




If you don’t have a beeswax candle, similar effects can be obtained by using a heavy stylus; you would overheat the wax, and then either write on the surface or pour the wax out onto the surface of the egg. If you want more control over the placement, size and shape of the dots, you can always draw the outlines of the dots and blobs and then fill them in.

If you are using molten beeswax, as was done in many parts of Ukraine in the old days (and still the norm in many parts of Hutsulshchyna), there are two ways of making krapanky.  One is to dip the end of the stylus (A - the wooden or metal covered handle) into the wax and immediately press it to the surface of the egg.  This will give you a large dot. Or you can spill some wax out of the open end of the reservoir (B) of the stylus.




This technique is often combined with the use of a stylus in traditional pysankarstvo to add color and interest to the pysanka.  Examples can be found in pysanky from Pokuttya (from Oleh Kirashchuk’s site) like these:


 
 
 


The white lines were drawn in first, and then gold and red wax drops were added.  Similar techniques would have been used in making these pysanky from Hutsulshchyna and Volyn:



         






  Previous Page        Next Page




Back to Main Wax Lines page

Back to Main Pysankarstvo page



Search my site with Google

 

The Simplest Pysanky