Last year I began painting Easter Eggs as a way to create something for my daughter to use one day for her own Easter celebrations. This has been one of the most fun and fulfilling projects that I have worked on this year and I wanted to share a little bit about the process in case anyone wants to take a “crack” at this for Easter 2023 🙂

SUPPLIES

Eggs: I ordered wooden eggs this year from Amazon and liked them so much better than the ones I ordered last year! They have a good heft to them and I don’t necessarily have to paint them since they are plain white (the ones I used last year are brown). 

Brushes: I don’t usually paint with acrylics so I had to buy a few acrylic brushes. You can find lots of inexpensive ones and I just bought two from Michaels. For smaller details, I used my watercolor brushes and then ensured that I cleaned them really well afterward. Brushes can get pricey and I’m not always the best at keeping them in pristine condition, but I’m learning!

Paint: I love this acrylic Angelus paint!  It is also good for painting on leather and I used it to make my husband a luggage tag for Christmas, so it’s got lots of uses if you want to give it a try. 

Theme: This year, I focused on painting bright and colorful flowers. The past two years have been challenging and I wanted color and hope on these 2022 eggs. Tulips are my personal favorite, so I painted lots of those! I usually don’t enjoy painting flowers because I don’t think I paint them very well with watercolor. I found that with acrylic paint I was able to layer the paint in a way that I haven’t been able to do with watercolor. Switching mediums for painting flowers made such a difference and that made this process more joyful. My neighborhood in Arlington is exploding with flowers (and pollen) right now and I was inspired by what I saw every day on my walks. I also typically look for pictures on google and really zoom in for details because painting from an actual flower isn’t always possible. 

This year, my friend Meredith Wade reached out to me about painting some eggs for her after hers were damaged. She picked a sweet theme: flowers from the different states she has lived in and one blue and yellow sunflower egg for Ukraine. Making these eggs for her was really meaningful for me and I’m thankful she asked me to do it. 

Process: Painting eggs took a longer time from start to finish than I thought it would. They really are like mini paintings and with acrylic, I had to frequently pause and wait to allow the layers to dry.  I first paint the base layer, allow each side to dry, and then begin to add my details. For the sunflowers, I started with the center of the flower, then began adding in layers of petals, letting them dry, and layering lighter petals on top. After the flowers were done, I added leaves. Lastly, I added details to the center of the flowers, like darker specs and shades of white for contrast and texture. 

There is a little Easter Egg artist hiding inside all of us. Why don’t you pick up a paint brush and give it a try!

— Hayes Willingham

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