How to Create a Marble Effect on Easter Eggs

Once upon a time in childhood, before the Easter holiday, my grandmother, a craftswoman, taught me how to paint eggs in a very unusual way. The pattern on the shell differed favorably from traditional “onion” paints and resembled marble. The streaks, swirls, smooth or, conversely, abrupt color transitions were mesmerizing. It seemed that it was simply impossible to create such a masterpiece with your own hands without artistic painting skills. But no - like everything ingenious, the process of giving birth to a “marble” painted egg turned out to be quite simple.

And today we paint eggs for Easter ourselves. I recommend this interesting recipe to everyone I know, it is quite budget-friendly and environmentally friendly - marble eggs, for all their originality, do not require the use of industrial dyes.

Master Class

We will need:

onion peel;
raw eggs, preferably white – 10 pieces;
salt – 1 tablespoon;
water;
gauze piece;
scissors;
threads;
pot.

Painting process step by step:

Step 1. The gauze must be cut into square pieces according to the number of eggs. The size of the squares is approximately 15x15 cm.
Step 2. Grind the onion peel. To do this, you can put it in a cup and chop it randomly. The finer the substance, the more convincing the drawing will be. The ideal size of the pieces is 0.5–0.7 cm.
Step 3. Eggs should be removed from the refrigerator in advance so that they “get used” to room temperature (otherwise the shell may crack during cooking).Moisten them with water and roll them in the chopped husks as thoroughly as possible. Place on pieces of gauze.

Step 4. Wrap each egg in a piece of gauze and tie the edges to make bags. Trim off excess ends.
Step 5. Place the bags into the pan. Next, you need to pour cold water so that it barely covers the eggs. The smaller it is, the brighter the picture will be. Add salt and remaining onion skins. Bring to a boil and then simmer for 35-40 minutes.

Onion broth will give a very persistent coloring that is difficult to remove, so it is better to take a pan that you don’t mind ruining. By the way, an enamel pan will be much more difficult to clean than its stainless steel “friend”.

Step 6. Drain the water. Cool the eggs by rinsing them with water until the paint stops dripping. Put on gloves and unwrap the paints. Wash each egg again and rub it with vegetable oil. After some time, it will be absorbed into the shell and will not stain your hands. At the same time, the shine will be preserved. The symbols of the bright holiday, unique in their originality and uniqueness, are ready!

This recipe is not only simple, but also safe, so my daughters enjoy participating in the creative process while getting to know Easter traditions.

Secrets of mastery

If you take into account the following nuances, the color of the eggs will be brighter and more saturated:

Onion peels of different colors - from yellow to brown - give deeper colors to the eggs.
For added effect, you can add paper trimmings to the onion mixture. To do this, the white leaf should be cut into arbitrary pieces and mixed with onion peels. Future paints also need to be rolled in this substance.
If you replace the onion slices with rice, the pattern will turn out speckled (see photo).
You can first wipe the eggs with vinegar, which will allow the color to become more durable and rich.

Variations on a theme

Effective coloring can also be achieved through the use of nail polish. The creation process is also quite simple:

Boil the eggs. Cool.
Pour water into a cup and add nail polish of different colors. You should drip one at a time into the center of the previous varnish stain.
Use a toothpick to draw improvised patterns on the varnish stains.
Wear latex gloves and carefully lower the egg into the bowl so that the varnish stains “stick” to the shell.
Dry the paints.

Another way to create marbled eggs is to add vegetable oil to food coloring. To do this you need to do the following:

Boil eggs hard. Dilute industrial dye in water according to instructions.
Add half a tablespoon of vegetable oil.
Mix the solution thoroughly.
Dip each egg into the dye one at a time. Oil stains will protect the shell from staining in some places, thereby creating the effect of artistic marble stains.
Dry the paints.

Every year I never tire of being amazed at how different and original the Easter eggs turn out to be! Step-by-step recipes will help you create your own Easter masterpieces. Involve the whole family in this process, especially children - they will definitely love this little spring magic.