Carving on an eggshell with your own hands. Eggshell Carving: A Fragile Art Masterclass, Tricks to Make Your Photo Collection Easier. Shell carving process

Yes, yes, you heard right: not “dye eggs for Easter”, but “carve eggs for Easter”! Egg professional and recognized art can be extremely difficult and painstaking work, but the result you get is simply amazing. Farah Sayeed, the acclaimed guru of shell carving, uses chicken, goose, emu and even ostrich eggs to create unusual and striking works, including those with dioramas inside.

It is indescribable how something as fragile as an empty eggshell can be turned into a stunning work of art. And this art can be mastered at home (and Easter is the time to start!) with a limited number of tools, doing it for fun or for business.

Prepare:
- raw eggs;
- an upholstery needle (the same as a regular one, just much larger);
- bowl;
- children's nasal syringe;
- cold water;
- vinyl gloves (just durable gloves, which are convenient to perform extremely delicate work);
- a protective mask;
- pencil;
- modern transfer paper - transfer paper, or decal paper (or carbon paper in case of emergency);
- a good diamond peak / pointed / thin nozzle;
- a rotating tool (in principle, you can even use a professional set for a hardware manicure, where a rotating tool can work for a long time at high speeds; either there are, for example, Dremel kits, or, in principle, a pneumatic manual - small - drill);

- protective spray / varnish, with which you can cover the finished work;
- three or four very soft brushes (optional);
- maybe clear nail polish
- Easter mood!

A. How to competently empty the shell:

1. Push the shell up and down with the upholsterer's needle to make holes. Let's say the top hole is a little smaller than the bottom hole.

2. Hold the egg over the bowl. Place the tip of a baby nasal syringe over the small opening. Squeeze it to force air into the egg, causing the contents to “pop out” into the bowl.

3. Fill the syringe with cold water, and squeeze it all into an empty shell. Gently shake the shell with water, then, just as in step two, blow out the water with an empty syringe. Repeat a couple of times. Let the shell dry properly.

A1. Shell strengthening:

For many, it’s impossible not to crush the shell during work. Therefore, a method was invented to pre-strengthen the shell, although real craftsmen work without it.

1. Paint half of a clean eggshell with crystal-clear (no yellowish tinge) nail polish.

2. Place the egg on a paper towel with the processed side up (support it with something from below if necessary) - let it dry for 20 minutes.

3. Finish the opposite side of the egg in the same way - and again on a towel, dry for 20 minutes.

Everything, the egg is ready for work.

B. Shell cutting for Easter and as a hobby:

1. Wear a pair of vinyl gloves and a good ventilation mask to protect against salmonella and dust from shell handling (and this dust is very easy to inhale).

2. Take a pencil to delicately draw your design onto the shell by hand. Or to redraw finished design from the print on paper, use transfer paper or carbon paper, in the end: we attach the carbon paper with a stapler with the non-copy part to the paper with the image (so that nothing slips off), we put all this on the egg and, in order not to paint the egg with carbon paper, we work very carefully .

3. Attach a good diamond-tipped point to a rotating electric machine (or use a hand-held air drill). Very carefully but securely hold the eggshell in one hand and the working mechanism in the other, and slowly cut the design along the outline shown on the shell. Don't push hard!

4. As a result, pierce the shell with a diamond nozzle along the entire contour. Slowly and very delicately remove the excess shell from inside your pattern. Use a very soft brush or dry syringe to remove dust from the shell to get a smooth pattern.

5. Use a separate brush or spray to coat the cut egg shell with a protective and sealing material.

Additions and warnings:

“This amazingly beautiful work calls for sensitive fingers, attentiveness and great perseverance. BUT good result- to practice! Break the first couple of shells - do not be discouraged: with each new "canvas" it will be easier to work.

- You can also color the eggshell acrylic paint to brighten up your work for Easter. Remember, of course, that the paint will completely fill the small cut out details. And you can pre-paint with husks, for example, individual parts of the shell.

Every Russian person has been familiar with the Easter holiday since childhood. Everyone is used to helping mothers prepare for this day and paint eggs, arrange Easter dishes and baskets. However, egg decor is now popular not only at Easter, but all year round. Some Russian and foreign craftsmen created and mastered a new art - carving on specially prepared eggshells. They use like chicken eggs, and goose, ostrich, and some especially sophisticated craftsmen manage to cut even on the shell of a quail egg. Carving is an interesting and varied activity, you just have to try yourself in this art!

Looking at a carved egg, it's hard to believe that anyone can do all this, even without professional tools and artistic skills. How to carve a pre-prepared eggshell at home, we will tell in our master class for beginners.

Learn to carve eggshells in a simple master class

Tools and materials for work:

• Raw chicken egg
• Clear nail polish or acrylic varnish, spray varnish
• Children's pear-syringe or aspirator (you can do without them)
• simple pencil
• Template (you can make your own)
• Electric cutter, miniature drill or electric manicure set - what is
• scalpel or small sharp knife
• soft cloth or sponge to lay on the table
• magnifier (optional)
• goggles and respirator - for sensitive eyes and noses

All tools and materials are quite accessible, this is one of the advantages of this type of art.

Start. Let's start carving eggshells:

1. To get started, you need to free the shell from the contents. The standard way, of course, is not good. To make the blank correctly, you need to make holes with the sharp end of a knife or a thick needle at the top and bottom of the washed and dried egg, then blow out the contents with a syringe or an aspirator, or you can simply put your lips to a smaller hole and blow hard. After that, draw soapy or clean water into the egg using the same syringe or syringe, then blow it out in the same way, repeat the procedure several times. Dry the egg. The shell is ready for further work.
2. For beginners, the next step is to cover half of the egg with the varnish of your choice, dry it and turn it over, then varnish the second part. Thus, the shell is strengthened, it will be more difficult to spoil it during operation. But experienced craftsmen omit this step, because in their experienced hands the shell does not crack.
3. The last step in preparing for carving is to place a sponge or soft cloth on the table where the work is being done. If the egg accidentally falls on a hard surface, it may break, and the substrate will prevent this.

We disassemble the technology of carving on the egg shell

Select the desired template. You can peep ideas in books, in photos on the Internet, or come up with your own. Next, you need to transfer it to the egg. You can use carbon paper, circle the cut out figure, or just draw with a pencil.

You should start with smaller parts and holes. For convenience, they are painted in a contrasting color, for example, red, as in the photo.

Holes are drilled in the places painted in red.

Cut marks - grooves along the contours of the pattern, without deepening the nozzle too much. The picture should not fall out entirely.

After that, drill the holes marked in red, already completely.

Next, start cutting through the outline of the drawing. If you cut it out entirely, it will simply fall out, so you need to leave places-partitions for which it is held in the shell. It is important to remember that shell carving is a fragile art, and it is better for a beginner to play it safe and leave thicker partitions so as not to spoil the product.

After that, an openwork pattern is cut out, diverging in circles from the main pattern. You can pre-line it on the egg with a pencil or give free rein to your imagination.

At the end, it is worth grinding off all the bumps with a scalpel or a sharp knife, brush off the dust with a brush or blow it off, after which the egg must be varnished.

How long can a carved shell be stored?

The shell, despite its fragility, the material is very durable. If properly stored, it can stand for a very long time. To do this, it must be strengthened with varnish, as described above, and it is better to keep it under glass and on a stand. In addition, hanging eggs look great when they are tied to a ribbon or string.

At exhibitions, lights are placed behind the eggs or inside so that the lace pattern is better visible, as well as for a beautiful play of light and shadow.

Be that as it may, a carved shell is a surprisingly beautiful and spectacular gift that everyone will like. But it is better to remember that such a gift can only be given to an adult, or the result of several hours of work will become worthless in a matter of seconds.

A selection of videos on the topic of the article

I don’t want to offend Alexander in any way, but I would rather prescribe it not in Germany, where Alexander lives, but in Odessa, moreover, from the time of The Elusive Avengers and Buba Kastorsky - this is the type that suggests itself in my subconscious.

Nevertheless, despite all the mischief and humor of the image, Alexander works wonders. And for example, today we will look at the process of making such a carved egg:

And all further text belongs to the pen (keyboard) of the master.

I'll start with this picture:

I resize the image to approximately the original size:

With a simple sharpened pencil, transfer the drawing to the egg

I marked in red the places that we will remove first.

A magnifying glass is a useful and important thing. Firstly, you can see better, and secondly, it protects your eyes.

I advise you to cover the table with something soft, like foam rubber. You can immediately forget an egg accidentally dropped on a hard surface. Even if you do not see any cracks, believe me - they are, and during further work will only grow.

I will be using Diamant High RPM bits, so called FG (friction grip)

These five types of cutters are essential for this and most other jobs.

"KaVo Super Torque 625" This turbine allows you to work up to 350-400. 000 rpm, water-cooled drill.

With a round head (0.5-0.7mm), carefully drill holes in the "red" places

Lightly go through all the contours of our Masks. This is what a cooked and washed egg looks like.

The turn of the "inverted cone" has come. The photo shows how you can create the initial volume.

Change the inverted cone to a sharp cone. Carefully! One of the most dangerous moments - we remove the "red" places inside the mask!

First outer circle:

This is such an interesting master class from Alexander Volk, a person who is ready to share not only the beauty of his products, but also his knowledge and skills, which is not so common among professional masters today.
We thank Alexander, and I invite all visitors to visit the master's website at

Almost everyone has been familiar with the Easter holiday since childhood. Everyone is happy to prepare for this day, paint eggs, arrange baskets and Easter dishes. Today, egg decor is popular not only for Easter. Craftsmen created and mastered a new, magical art - eggshell carving.

Preparation for work

For work, both chicken eggs and ostrich, goose eggs are used, and some craftsmen even use the shell of a quail egg. Eggshell carving is a delicate and painstaking process, but at the same time it is interesting and varied. Try yourself in this fragile art!

Eggshell carving can be achieved at home with a limited number of tools, as well as done for the soul or for business. You just need to be prepared for the fact that nothing can work out the first time - after all, the eggshell is very thin and fragile, so it takes some time to adapt to such work and gain the necessary experience in the process of creating your egg masterpieces.

The technology for carving eggshells is described below. The advantage of this art form is that all the tools and materials are quite accessible to everyone.

If you decide to test your abilities in creating eggshell masterpieces at home, then you will need:

• chicken egg (raw);
• simple pencil;
• template (you can do it yourself);
• electric cutter or miniature drill;
• a small sharp knife or scalpel;
• paints for additional painting of the product or varnish for the finish coat;
• soft cloth to put on the table;
• spray varnish, acrylic varnish (you can use transparent nail polish);
• magnifying glass (optional)
• respirator or goggles (for sensitive eyes).

Let's start carving

First you need to free the egg shell from the contents. To do this, we make holes on the top and bottom of the washed and dried egg with the sharp end of a knife or a thick needle. After that, you need to blow out the contents of the egg with a syringe. After we collect soapy or clean water into the egg using the same syringe or syringe and blow it out again. The procedure must be repeated several times. Dry the egg. The shell is ready to go.

For beginners in this business, it is advisable to strengthen the eggshell so that it is difficult to spoil it during work. To do this, cover half of the egg with varnish, dry it and turn it over, then varnish the second part.

1. We start with a drawing - we make a blank. We take a pencil to delicately apply the selected design to the shell by hand. Ideas can be viewed in books, in photos on the Internet, or come up with your own;

1. Next, transfer it to the egg. You can draw with a pencil or use carbon paper. For convenience, we attach the carbon paper with a stapler with the non-carbon paper part to the paper with the image, we put all this on the egg and, in order not to paint the egg with the carbon paper, we work very carefully.

1. It is convenient to mark in red the places that we will cut out first.

While working, a magnifying glass is your best assistant for eye protection and better visibility.

1. We cover the table with something soft (for example, cloth or foam rubber). This will protect the shell from small cracks if the egg falls on a hard surface of the table.

1. For carving eggshells, we use high-speed cutters. A photo of five types of main cutters is presented below:

1. Holes are drilled in the "red" places. First you need to cut out marks - grooves along the contours of the pattern, while not deepening the nozzle too deeply. After that, drill the holes that are marked in red, already entirely. Remember that shell carving is a very fragile art. Therefore, it is better to play it safe and leave the partitions thicker so as not to spoil the product.

1. After that, we cut out an openwork pattern that diverges in circles from the main pattern. We pass all the eggs. This is one of the most difficult and painstaking moments in eggshell carving!

1. In the end, it is worth removing all the bumps with a polishing stone or a sharp knife. And now your masterpiece is ready! For a beautiful play of light and shadow, as well as to make the beautiful lace pattern better visible, you can place a backlight on the back of the egg or inside.

If you want to add color to your work, you can paint the eggshell with acrylic paint. Despite its fragility, the shell is a very durable material. With proper storage, it will please you for a long time. To do this, the shell needs to be strengthened with varnish, and it is better to keep it under glass on a stand. Finished products look good hanging. To do this, it is better to tie them to a ribbon or rope. A carved eggshell is a wonderful, very beautiful and spectacular gift that everyone will like.

Here are some inspirational photos:

You can also watch a video on stained glass painting.

Video on the topic of the article