[MR] Rebecca's Pysanky Question

[Karen]

Though LearnPysanky.com is wonderful, you might also try http://www.tryzub.com/Sofia_Zielyk/ -- hers are very traditional and beautifully executed.  She's also got a book out, called The Art of Pysanka, where she has many more patterns and much more information available.

There aren't a whole lot of sites out there with step-by-step designs, and the reason is pretty clear.  Once you've got the technique down (draw your design in pencil, work your colors from lightest to darkest) you can pretty much look at any picture out there and replicate it.  I have to admit, that's the way my family taught me to do it and I still adhere to that process.

A couple of things surprised me, though, about your post:  one, pysanky are traditionally Easter gifts.  Half my family is Russian, so I can tell you without reservation that in our house, Christmas wasn't the big deal but Easter was an all-out bash.  And looking at where the tradition came from, even though it's a holdover from russian paganism, it's easy to see why!  Eggs are an abvious symbol of reproduction and spring is the season of birth and renewal, so....it's logical.  We also were always taught to pay close attention to the symbolism in the design itself, as each element -- whether catkins or stags or flowers -- has its own distinct meaning.  As such, eggs were designed as prayers on behalf of the recipients.  So we were taught to feel free to make our own designs bearing that in mind.  It's a form of everyman's iconography, if you will.

If no one's ever taught you what the symbols mean, let me know.  There are several books out there on the subject and if I recall, LearnPysanky.com touches on it.  Regrettably, I know our library doesn't carry much in the way of pysanky information, but maybe yours does.  

Good luck to you!!  And let me know if I can help :)

-- Magadlena Ilianova
Canton of Azurmont