You don’t have to dye an egg. You can decorate the shell with other art materials. But, many people like plain dyed eggs. And, sometimes, it’s nice to have a design of just colors or to have a color under a more complicated design. It’s very easy to dye eggs. If you use Easter egg dyes and decorating kits, just follow the package directions.
You can also dye eggs with food coloring. Make sure the water you use is warmer than the eggs. For each cup of water, squeeze in a few drops of food coloring and add 2 to 3 teaspoons of white vinegar. Then, use a slotted spoon to put an egg into the water. Leave the egg in the water until you like the color. Then, lift it out with the slotted spoon and let it dry.
You can also dip a brush into food coloring and paint with it right on the eggshell. Use the coloring straight from the bottle or blend colors together to make other colors. To make a stipple pattern on an egg, first dip a clean sponge into food coloring. Then, press it onto the shell.
To give eggshells a light flesh tone for a face design, dip them briefly in water that has just a bit of red and yellow coloring. For a deeper skin shade, use red, yellow and just a touch of green.
For layers of color, dip the egg into a light color first. Then dip it into darker and darker colors. For a two-toned egg, hold the egg in an egg holder from a dyeing kit or in a slotted spoon. Dip only half of the egg into the dye. Lift it out and let it dry, dyed-end down. Then, dye the other half in another color. If you let the dye cover the center each time, the middle of the egg will be a third color, a combination of the two colors you used. You can dip the ends of the egg into still more colors. Keep the egg steady in the holder so only the parts of the egg that you want colored get dyed each time.
You can also use boiled foods and spices to color your eggs. See Naturally-Dyed Eggs on this site.
Uncooked eggs may have an oil coating on their shells. Even cooked eggs can pick up oil from your hands. If dye or paint doesn’t stick to the shell, wipe it lightly with white vinegar to remove the oil. Don’t let the egg sit in vinegar, though, or the shell will dissolve!
Just like people, no two eggs are exactly alike. Each egg has a unique shell – thick or thin. Some eggshells have teeny stripes or ridges that may show up when dyed. Some shells absorb dyes in bands of color. Others look marbleized. Still other shells appear to be etched with deeper shades of dye. Sometimes several textures can be seen on the same shell. Dyeing brings out each eggshell’s natural qualities.