Ukrainian Easter eggs, called pysanky are beautiful, intricate works of art done on raw eggs using beeswax, colored dyes, and special tools called kistkas. They have a rich history in Ukrainian tradition dating back to ancient times! Pysanky are made during springtime to celebrate the end of winter and the beginning of new life. The tradition of making pysanky is passed down from generation to generation.
This Ukrainian Easter egg art project is a way for kids to learn about the traditions and symbols of pysanky and make their own gorgeous artwork using inspiration from this ancient art form!
Using bright oil pastels and bold watercolors to make these Easter eggs makes it a fun and easy art project that kids will love!
There are so many fun watercolor techniques for kids to try! Take a look at my collection of watercolor painting for kids for more fun and creative ideas.
If you are looking for more Easter art activities, take a look at this creative collection of Easter art projects!
Learn about Pysanky
I created a printable resource for kids to learn about pysanky, and practice drawing and coloring their own designs! This printable pack is available in my store and includes a brief history about pysanky, traditional symbols to use on your Easter eggs, eight small egg templates to use for drawing and coloring as well as this art project with a large printable egg template all in a PDF format!
>> Take a look at the Ukrainian Easter egg printable pack here.
Try looking up videos and articles on the fascinating process of how traditional Ukrainian Easter eggs are made! Kids will get some inspiration to create their own designs!
This book on Pysanky tells a story and about the rich history and tradition of making Easter eggs.
Create your own Ukrainian Easter egg art project
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Supplies
- Watercolor paper
- Watercolor paint (you can use a paint set or liquid watercolors)
- Paint palette and water dish
- Oil pastels
- Paintbrushes
- Pencil and eraser
- Ruler
Instructions for your Easter egg painting
1. If you are using my Easter egg template available here to my email subscribers, print and cut it out. Trace it onto watercolor paper using a pencil.
You can also simply draw your own Easter egg shape directly onto watercolor paper.
Have kids think about the types of symbols and designs they want to use for their eggs. Some might find it helpful to use a ruler to draw in some dividing lines. I drew a line down the centre and a line across the middle. This will help with your planning and drawing.
Take a look at the photo with the traditional pysanky eggs and also try looking up information on symbols to use to help with design ideas. A lot of the traditional pysanky designs use flowers, the sun or star, trees and branches, and repeating lines and patterns.
Each color and symbol on a pysanka has a special meaning, like happiness, love, good luck, and the interconnectedness of all living things. Some eggs were even used to tell stories.
If you have my Ukrainian Easter egg printable pack, kids can take a look at the symbol sheet and practice drawing designs on the Easter egg templates beforehand.
Kids can also follow along with my examples to use on their own egg design.
2. Carefully draw out your design on the watercolor paper using a pencil. You want to press lightly here so the pencil lines don’t show through the oil pastels. Kids can also erase their pencil lines a bit to lighten them up before tracing over with oil pastels.
Traditional pysanky eggs are quite intricate with delicate lines. Because we are using oil pastels to draw the designs, have kids think about drawing designs that are simple and easy to trace with oil pastels.
3. Using bright oil pastels, carefully trace over your pencil lines. You want to press fairly hard so the oil pastel will resist the watercolor paint.
Using oil pastels with watercolors can be a bit smudgy, so just remind kids to watch out for smudging the pastel with their fingers.
4. Once you are finished drawing your design with oil pastels, decide on a paint color for your egg. Traditional Ukrainian Easter eggs use bright bold colors like red, black, bold blue, and purple.
Kids might also want to use two colors in their designs. For the black egg, I also used red watercolor paint on the petals and for the blue egg, I used two shades of blue.
5. Once you have finished painting your egg with watercolor paint let it dry completely on a flat surface and then carefully cut it out.
This Ukrainian Easter egg art is so beautiful! Kids will love creating their own designs and making their own traditional pysanky. This project would look gorgeous on the walls in a classroom or hallway display and is a great way for kids to learn about another culture and their traditions!
>> Click here to check out my Ukrainian Easter egg printable pack.
Everything you need for kids to learn about this ancient art form and create their own designs and art project!
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Easy Ukrainian Easter Egg Art Project
Use an oil pastel resist technique and bold watercolors to make this gorgeous Ukrainian Easter egg art. Learn about the rich history, symbols, and traditions of Pysanky!
Materials
- Watercolor paper
- Watercolor paint (you can use a paint set or liquid watercolors)
- Paint palette and water dish
- Oil pastels
- Paintbrushes
- Pencil and eraser
- Ruler
Instructions
- Print out your Easter egg template or draw your own shape on watercolor paper.
- Think about symbols and designs for your egg. You can use a ruler to draw lines if needed.
- Look at design ideas online. Pysanky eggs often have flowers, suns, trees, and patterns.
- Draw your design lightly with a pencil on the watercolor paper. Keep it simple.
- Trace over your pencil lines with bright oil pastels. Press hard to resist the paint. Be careful of smudging with the oil pastels.
- Choose bright paint colors for your egg. Traditional colors are red, black, bold blue, and purple. You can use two colors if you like. Paint your Easter egg with watercolor paint.
- Let the paint dry completely, then carefully cut out your egg.