Marbleizing Eggs

Do you miss your favorite tie-dye t-shirt?

Marbleizing elevates the common dyed egg into a one-of-a-kind work of art! Unique combinations of hues twist and flow in harmony, wrapping the shell in happy bursts of color. There are several methods you can use to create a marbled masterpiece on your own - experiment with different colors and shades, or try combining a couple of the following methods for your own special effects!

Marbleizing by dye

  1. Lay down base color by combining 3 cups of water, 2 tablespoons of vinegar and 10 to 20 drops of food coloring in a small mixing bowl and submerging the egg until it turns the desired shade.
  2. Prepare the swirling dye in a second bowl that is wide and shallow. Make this dye the same color as the first, but in a darker shade, or use a different color altogether using the same combination as above. Add 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil and run a fork through the mixture to create tiny disturbances in the oil.
  3. As the oil continues to swirl about in the shallow bowl, roll the egg once around the bowl to pick up color and oil streaks. Remove the egg and gently pat with a paper towel.
  4. Allow to completely dry, then pat off any excess oil remaining on the egg’s surface.

Gold and silver leaf marbled eggs

  1. Brush the eggshell with gold leaf adhesive.
  2. Wait for adhesive to transform from milky white to clear (between 25 and 50 minutes).
  3. Gently press small bits of leafing onto the egg, alternating between gold and silver at random. Dust away the excess with a soft brush or cloth.

Sponge-marbled eggs

  1. Push a 6 inch length of fine wire into the top part of a Styrofoam egg carton so that the carton lid can sit right side up on the counter and a hollow egg will be secure when slipped through the wire. If you are working with hard-boiled eggs, you can set the egg in an egg cup.
  2. Create a tiny sponging brush by wedging a bit of sponge into a clothes pin or chip clip.
  3. Fill the cups of the bottom part of the empty egg carton with different colors of tempera paint.
  4. Gently dab the egg surface randomly with one color. Let dry. Add a second color in the same fashion. Let dry. You can repeat with as many colors as you see fit. Experiment with patterns and designs.

Tip:

  • To keep your masterpiece for a long time, cover the finished egg with acrylic spray.