TroysArt simple & elegant DIY Easter Eggs.

You are never too old to paint Easter Eggs. But no matter the age, child and adult alike, the inner-artist yearns to break away from the traditional PAAS vinegar dip method for a more unique and sophisticated egg. In honor of Easter, this post is a TroysArt simple & elegant DIY Easter Eggs tutorial.

You will need:

• Boiled Eggs
• Craft paints, or acrylic paint, including a metallic gold and/or silver
• Krylon acrylic (non-toxic) spray varnish
• A bottle of wine

Using room temperature dry eggs select a bright color and apply a small amount of acrylic paint with your fingertips.  Have fun swirling it around until the paint is smooth and set it on a paper towel tray to dry. Aim for a nice marbleized effect with variations in tone. Don’t try for an overall color and don’t worry if it seems splotchy, we will soon fix that.

Eggs, craft paint (including metallic), acrylic varnish, and wine is needed…

Try mixing two colors, but be careful not to make muddy tones which is easy to do.

Wash your or your child’s hands after each egg to prevent cross contamination of the pigments.

The wine is to enjoy in-between eggs.

It won’t take long for the first colorful layer to dry so by the time you finish coloring the eggs you will be able to start the second step. With just a bit of metallic gold or silver paint repeat the step above. The pretty color will show through but the metallic tone will forgive the blotchiness. And with enough wine the unevenness will be easy to overlook.

If any paper towel dries to the egg, simply rub it off with your fingertip.  It will come right off.

Spread a thin layer of paint with your fingers…

Once the eggs are completely dry, lay them out in a well ventilated area and spray very lightly with varnish, then once dry roll and spray again. The varnish brings the two layers of paint together.  It brightens the colors and creates a marble or granite effect. Let the eggs dry well.

Repeat the same process with metallic acrylic paint…

Acrylic paints are typically non-toxic and colors containing toxic chemicals will be marked on the label—like cadmium, cobalt, chromium, lead, etc. These chemicals are usually found in more expensive, professional type colors and become toxic when sanded, airbrushed, or if large amounts are ingested. Of course, common sense applies:  wear old clothes, don’t eat the paint, don’t touch the dog or your wallpaper with paint on your hands!  But they all clean up with soap and water.

TroysArt simple & elegant DIY Easter Eggs.

Acrylic paint on eggshells that are not cracked should not be able to leach toxins even if you use professional paints.  In reply to TroysArt inquiry, Roger with Krylon Product Support wrote, “We do not recommend the application of our Krylon to food that will be eaten.  I know it’s the shell only, but we don’t have FDA approval for this type of application.”  So while it probably will not kill you, you are probably better off just admiring these.

That said, I think that the acrylic coating on the eggs seals the shell against the varnish.  So if someone does accidently enjoy eating an Easter egg it is no need to worry.  Just don’t make an egg salad.  Lord knows that I have eaten a few over the years.

TroysArt simple & elegant DIY Easter Eggs.

So organize the eggs into a basket and Voila!  In the first photo I have the eggs in an antique silver Victorian bread basket.  The lower photo I dusted a $3 basket from Goodwill with metallic gold spray paint.

Every year I paint eggs and I try different methods. But can you believe how quick and simple this method is? I mean, this isn’t a Martha Stewart kind of complicated thing here.  I completed the eggs as well as spraying the basket, and this blog post, within a three hour window.  And as with any art project, have fun, and don’t be afraid to experiment.

The results are gorgeous without special tools or artistic ability, and it is fun to get your fingers dirty too.

Cheers.  And happy Easter!