Pysanky from Poltava often utilize plant motifs. I’m not sure of Onyshchuk’s source of the «Тюльпани» (“Tiulpany,” tulips) pysanka; her version is pictured below.  The colors seem bright and garish for me; I suspect the original, in natural dyes, was much more muted. Perhaps the orange was originally gold/yellow?

Tulips are a common motif on Ukrainian pysanky; this is not because tulips were widespread throughout Ukraine–they weren’t–but because, like orchids, they weren’t well known, and served as a name for fantastical flowers.

The pysanka at the top of the page is written from the design sheet.

Technical details: This is a moderately difficult pysanka, but still reasonable patterns for beginners. The pysanka has a basic “Eight” division. This pysanka can be a bit challenging for a beginner, as it requires a lot of coloring in, which can be hard to do well.  

As with most simple traditional designs, a medium or heavy stylus is best for the lines, and of course a heavy one for the dots, blobs, and coloring in.

The dyes required are green, orange and red dyes; you will need a good orange rinse to remove the green.  It is probably best to use a yellow or gold dye for your first color; it will provide a good color base for the green. 

Download this pattern sheet:

English

Ukrainian

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