Eggshell paintings for beginners. Mosaic from painted eggshell "Tuscany

Egg shells are difficult to scratch with a knife and are close to marble in hardness. It is perfectly ground and polished, acquiring a pleasant soft sheen.

In oriental lacquer painting, eggshells were glued where it was necessary to depict a cracked stone wall or rock. A scattering of small shells imitated the flowering of spring gardens.

The expressiveness of the crackle mosaic is given by the so-called craquelure - cracks that form on the surface various materials whimsical mesh pattern.

When straightened, the eggshell breaks into many tiny pieces that do not fall apart due to the thin film on the inside. Many of the cracks formed between the shells are almost invisible. But as soon as they are developed with some kind of dye, the mesh pattern of cracks becomes visible, turning an ordinary eggshell into an attractive decorative material.

Egg shell preparation

The collected shells are dipped for two to three minutes in a five percent solution of baking soda, and then thoroughly washed in running water. Usually, shells from raw eggs are used, the shell that has undergone heat treatment loses its hardness, its surface becomes looser and less suitable for further work. (But: for children's mosaics, you can use any shell, including those from boiled eggs, for example, the one that Left over from Easter eggs.

To use purely mosaic technologies, that is, to create pictures from shell pieces, it is necessary to separate the film from the shell. Dry the shells and their parts, dye them in their entirety (fabric dyes, a number of food dyes are suitable), then store in a dry, clean container, sorted by color. Usually the shell is stained unevenly, which creates a large selection of colors and shades for mosaic work.

To create a mosaic effect or a craquelure effect, the shell is not cleaned of the film, but straightened on a sheet of paper. The inner surface of the shell is smeared with a thin layer of glue, such as PVA (Fig. 1, a). Then the shells smeared with glue are laid out on a thin sheet of paper (preferably colored) and pressed on top with a flat board (Fig. 1, b). After about a minute, the plank is laid aside and each shell is ironed with effort with a wooden trowel (Fig. 1, c). The trowel is a solid wood rod, the oblique cut of which is polished to a shine. Separate pieces of the shell will split into smaller parts that will fit snugly against the paper.

After that, a plank is again placed on top and pressed down with a heavy load (Fig. 1, d). After two or three minutes, when the glue sets, the paper, together with the shell glued to it, is smeared with a thin layer of flour or starch paste. Tissue paper is placed on the surface of the shell smeared with paste and carefully smoothed with palms (Fig. 1, e). A weight is placed on top and the glue is allowed to dry for several hours (Fig. 1, f).

Having pasted all the prepared shells in this way, the sheets are folded into a folder. In this form, they can be stored for a very long time. The advantage of this preparation of the shell is the ability to cut out the details of the future image from the sheet with ordinary scissors.

On a colored or dark background, the silhouettes of the pasted shell are clearly visible even through tissue paper. This makes it possible to correctly navigate when cutting blanks on which the contours of mosaic elements are drawn. The silhouette of the pasted shell is unique, it can give impetus to the imagination of the artist. You can enter the contours of various animals, human figures, buildings, cars, plants, and much more into it (Fig. 1, g). Having drawn on the shell found, for example, the contours of a fish, they cut the shell with scissors around the silhouette, not trying to work out small details. It is easy to cut the shell with scissors along straight and curved lines only from the outside (Fig. 1, h). All kinds of recesses, concave cuts and holes are made with a scalpel or cutter, as well as drills after gluing the shell onto the base substrate.

It is possible to harvest shells having various natural color shades. These colors can be used, for example, when working on a mosaic panel based on ancient architecture. Let's say the master has white, brown and cream shells at his disposal. White shells are suitable for imitating snow, white stone walls, brown for fortress walls and towers, and cream for buildings inside the fortress. This is, of course, an approximate layout.

Shell mosaic direct set

The dyed shell is broken into pieces with tweezers. With the development of the skill, the shell can be broken quite accurately, the resulting elements will have a certain shape - triangles, squares, thin strips. Depending on the creative tasks and the scale of the work, it sometimes makes sense to first prepare the pieces of the shell, sorted by color, and then proceed to the mosaic. For small chamber work, breaking off elements can be done directly in the typing process as needed.

A mastic or adhesive is applied to a thick cardboard or plastic sheet. Then the contour of the picture is drawn. Pieces of the shell are placed with tweezers in place in accordance with the pattern. The work is dried and then covered with a colorless varnish. For quick-drying adhesives, you can use a brush to apply glue to the shell or directly to the place where the element is glued, but this method is more laborious and time consuming.

Making a mosaic by removing the shell

All works are carried out on separate boards, which play the role of the basis of the mosaic set - the substrate. The prepared shell is cut into polygons with straight sides (Fig. 2, a). At the same time, they try to make them, if possible, have right angles. This will make it easier to fit their sticker to the base. One of the sides of the plank is completely pasted over with a shell, carefully fitting the cut polygons to each other. Each polygon is pressed as tightly as possible to the base with a trowel.

Crackle mosaic technology

Then, on the shell glued to the board, the contours of the intended image are drawn with a simple pencil (Fig. 2, b). The figure shows the sequence of execution of a mosaic set with an image of an elephant. In areas where there should be a background, excess shell is removed with various cutting tools. For drilling blind holes, gimlets or a small drill are used. Carving, as well as chipping off the shell, is done with a scalpel or a joint knife. Engraving is done with engravers. Work begins with drilling (Fig. 2, c1), then engraving is performed along pencil lines (Fig. 2, c2), after which they begin to chip the shell in the areas reserved for the background. Having finished machining, remove tissue paper glued to it from the surface of the shell. Preliminarily, the paper is carefully moistened with water using a brush (Fig. 2, d1). After some time, the soaked paper is easily separated from the shell (Fig. 2, d2). In the places of docking, small seams sometimes remain, into which small shells are glued.

At the next stage of work on the mosaic set, they begin to identify craquelure. In this case, the background is painted in any color, for example, black, dark brown, dark blue (Fig. 2, d3). For these purposes, it is convenient to use ink. The composition of the carcass includes an alcohol solution of shellac, dyes, glycerin, bile and antiseptics. Due to the presence of bile - a surfactant - the mascara easily penetrates into the smallest cracks, dragging all the other components with it. Filling the cracks between the individual shells, the ink not only colors them, but also fastens them together. This is facilitated by shellac, which, after drying, does not dissolve even with water.

For reference: Crackle is a network of thin cracks on any surface, a method of visual aging of interior items with the help of special varnishes, additional processing or the use of shells.
Craquelure (French craquelure) is a crack in the paint layer or lacquer in a painting or lacquer coating of an object of arts and crafts.

After making sure that the mosaic set is evenly colored, remove excess ink from the surface of the shell with a slightly damp cloth or swab (Fig. 2, e1). After waiting for the remaining ink to dry completely, they begin to polish the mosaic with fine-grained sandpaper mounted on a wooden block (Fig. 2, e). Grind the surface of the shell very carefully - after all, the eggshell is so thin that in some places it can be easily removed completely. After finishing grinding, sandpaper is replaced with ordinary writing. It also has abrasive properties due to the presence of koalin and chalk in it. The polished surface of the eggshell acquires a soft sheen and vaguely resembles old ivory or marble. The dark matte background emphasizes and enhances the expressiveness of the mosaic set (Fig. 2f).

Mosaic set with mastic background

If the background occupies a significant place in the mosaic set, as, for example, in the composition with the image of owls, then it makes no sense to completely paste over the surface of the decorated object with the shell (Fig. 3a). After all, about half of the glued shell will have to be removed later. In this case, it is better to paste over with a shell only those areas where the mosaic images will be directly located.

Work on a mosaic set begins with the fact that the prepared drawing is transferred to a wooden base. Then generalized silhouettes are cut out of the shell with scissors and glued onto the base. After the glue dries, the excess shell (it is shaded in our figure) is removed with a scalpel or cutter (Fig. 3, b). Usually, cutter marks degrade the surface of the background, and in large areas this is very noticeable. However, flaws can be removed by filling the background with a layer of special mastic flush with the pasted shell (Fig. 3, c). As a mastic, epoxy glue with a filler of graphite, stone dust, brick powder is most often used. You can paint mastic with any dry pigments, as well as oil paints.

Mastic is carefully applied to areas of the background with a wooden spatula or a sculptural stack. As soon as the mastic has completely hardened, the mosaic set is carefully leveled with a file. Then the mosaic is moistened with clean water. Cigarette paper pasted with a paste on the shell gets wet and easily separated from it. It remains only with the help of a brush and ink to reveal craquelure shells on the surface. If the mastic is colored, for example, in dark blue, then blue ink is also used to develop craquelure (Fig. 3, d). Finally, the set is ground and polished. The entire surface of the mosaic, including the background, acquires an even soft sheen.

Mosaic with multicolor background

The background can not only emphasize the beauty and expressiveness of the material used in the mosaic, but also actively participate in the color scheme of the composition. In this case, the details from the shell will serve as a sort of partitions separating one part of the background from another (Fig. 4, a).

Mastic of three colors - brown, black and red - is prepared in different jars. First, the background areas are filled with brown (Fig. 4, b), and then with dark red mastic (Fig. 4, c). To obtain a mottled background, black mastic is mixed with shells crushed in a mortar (Fig. 4, d). To prevent the mastic from spreading, edges of thin cardboard are glued along the edges of the plank with a mosaic set. After the mastic has hardened, the sides are removed, the mosaic set is carefully leveled with a file and the remnants of tissue paper are removed. The shell is covered with black ink. As soon as it penetrates deep enough into the cracks of the shell, its excess is removed with a slightly damp cloth. After a few minutes the ink dries, and the set is sanded with fine-grained sandpaper mounted on a wooden block, and then polished. The black mottled background of the mosaic will appear to be made from many individual shells.

The use of a shell of one shade or another will depend on the nature of the image and the task facing the artist.

Mosaic on turning products

Performed on lathe wood products can be successfully decorated with eggshell mosaics (Fig. 6). When turning on workpieces, small indentations of no more than 0.5 mm are pre-selected with a cutter. Mosaic elements are glued to the surface to be decorated, carefully rubbed against it with a trowel (Fig. 6, a). Then the product with the mosaic set glued on it is tightly wrapped with some kind of tourniquet (belt or rope), tightly laying coil to coil (Fig. 6, b). So that the glue protruding from under the shell does not stick to the tourniquet, the product is pre-wrapped with newsprint.

After the final drying of the glue, the tourniquet is removed, and the areas where the shell is not glued are filled with epoxy mastic (Fig. 6, c). When the mastic hardens, start grinding the mosaic set. Grinding can be done directly on a lathe, observing the necessary precautions, or by hand, fixing sandpaper on a wooden block with a grooved recess corresponding to the diameter of the workpiece (Fig. 6, d). After identifying craquelure on the shell and subsequent polishing, the wooden parts of the product are painted in a dark color with a stain. In conclusion, the entire product is rubbed with wax mastic or varnished and polished.

Master class for making eggshell mosaics. Pansies

Pansies in the technique of crackle

Moiseeva Natalya Valentinovna, teacher of Gymnasium No. 1503 in Moscow
Many centuries ago, Chinese and Vietnamese lacquer artists began to use egg shells to create their miniatures. They drew attention to the fact that when pressed on the shell, a beautiful pattern is formed from the finest cracks, making the blanks look like the surface of a cracked rock or an ancient wall. The shell began to be used in lacquer painting to depict various buildings and crowns of flowering trees. Masters of the East managed to turn the main drawback of the eggshell - fragility - into its main artistic merit.
In general, the decoration of the background with a mesh of cracks is used not only in eggshell mosaics, but also in other decorative crafts. Such a pattern can be seen on pottery covered with a special glaze, or on hand-painted fabric. Regardless of what material they are made on, such cracks are always called craquelure, and the technique of creating a pattern from cracks that creates the effect of antiquity is called CRACKLE.
Unlike eggshell toys, crackle mosaics made from the same material are strong and durable. If you work carefully, carefully finish even small details of a mosaic set, you can learn how to make crafts that are in no way inferior to purchased souvenirs. Not only flat objects - all kinds of caskets and wall panels, but also blanks turned on a lathe - vases, pencil holders, decorative dishes and plates get off with an eggshell ornament.
Let's try to make a mosaic picture of PANSY flowers from an eggshell.
Target:
Creation of a mosaic from an eggshell.
Tasks:
To teach children how to work with eggshells, mastering the crackle technique.
Generate interest in this technology.
Develop imagination and creativity.
Make a picture with the image of pansies flowers.
Purpose:
The material is designed for children 6-7 years old.
Purpose:
The picture can be presented as a gift, you can decorate the interior.
Preliminary work:
Rinse the shell from raw eggs thoroughly with warm running water, remove the films from the inside. Dry the shell.
Materials:
An album sheet, a simple pencil, a marker or felt-tip pen, PVA glue, or stationery, prepared eggshells, watercolors and a brush, a jar of water and a wooden stick.

Progress

Violet tricolor, or Pansies, is the most popular garden plant, common in temperate regions of Asia and Europe. The flower is characteristically colored: the upper petals are dark blue-violet, the two middle petals are lighter or yellow, the lower petal is yellowish-white or yellow, with bluish spur.

We draw flowers on the album sheet, in our case Pansies.

Cover the petal with glue

Gently lay the egg shell on the glue. We take a large shell and, starting from the edge, press the shell with our finger so that it covers the glued surface. It is necessary to ensure that the fragments of the shell are not very large and not very small.

You can help yourself with a wooden stick or tweezers so that the shell fits more evenly.

We circle the petals covered with a shell with a black felt-tip pen so that the borders of the petals do not merge.

Glue the next petals with glue and similarly lay the shell.

There are 5 petals in the Pansy flower, we cover the whole flower and draw around the contour.

Thus, we lay the whole pattern with a mosaic.

Now mash the egg shell finely in a saucer.

We cover the entire drawing, laid with the shell, with glue. Sprinkle small shells on top of the glue to fill the empty spaces between the shells.

Let's take gouache paints and start painting our flowers.

We paint one flower with yellow paint.

We paint another flower with purple paint.

When the yellow flower dries, you can apply shades on the flower.

Color the leaves and buds green.

The result is a mosaic like this.

And a flock of pansies
Velvety keeps the silhouette -
These are butterflies flying away
They left their portrait.
Anna Akhmatova

Anna Nikitina

Target: teach to perform custom eggshell mosaic be able to arrange work.

Tasks: Develop the ability to plan and consistently carry out their actions in the manufacture eggshell mosaics; learn how to make simple crafts with your own hands; ability to use fragile eggshell.

1. Generate interest in this species art.

2. Develop fine motor skills.

3. Cultivate independence and patience.

4. Conduct a safety briefing.

Application: The event was attended by children from grades 1 to 6, three girls and three boys.

Materials and tools for crafts from eggshell:

Eggshell, disposable small plates, gouache paints, acrylic paints, a simple pencil, an eraser, a brush, PVA glue, an acrylic colorless varnish, a toothpick, markers.

Step by step workflow.

First you need to prepare the material. Collected eggshell with children in our dining room, then washed in warm water and dried on the windowsills.

For the manufacture of DIY eggshell mosaics, we needed disposable plates with drawings that the children drew themselves. Now let's start gluing shell. To do this, grease a small fragment of the picture with PVA glue and put a piece on top shells. If a the shell is too big, then you just need to press on top with a stick, shell crack and break into several small pieces. The children tried to make sure that shells were about the same distance. Having filled one fragment of the picture, we move on to the next.

After filling in the entire drawing, we put aside our mosaic on the windowsill until the glue dries completely, then the children made out the background and painted the made eggshell mosaic. Waiting for it to dry mosaic, completed mosaic covered with acrylic colorless varnish.

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First, briefly about this technique.
Everything is very simple - from an egg shell, crumbled into small pieces and painted with any colors, you can lay out a mosaic of any complexity.
For example, very simple:

Or real pictures:

You can also decorate interior items with such a mosaic:

For those who are interested in this technique - an article from G. Fedotov's book "Encyclopedia of Crafts".

Egg shells are difficult to scratch with a knife and are close to marble in hardness. It is perfectly ground and polished, acquiring a pleasant soft sheen.

In oriental lacquer painting, eggshells were glued where it was necessary to depict a cracked stone wall or rock. A scattering of small shells imitated the flowering of spring gardens.

The expressiveness of the crackle mosaic is given by the so-called craquelure - cracks that form a bizarre mesh pattern on the surface of various materials.

When straightened, the eggshell breaks into many tiny pieces that do not fall apart due to the thin film on the inside. Many of the cracks formed between the shells are almost invisible. But as soon as they are developed with some kind of dye, the mesh pattern of cracks becomes visible, turning an ordinary eggshell into an attractive decorative material.

Material preparation

The collected shells are dipped for two to three minutes in a five percent solution of baking soda, and then thoroughly washed in running water.

The shell is so fragile that it has become a kind of symbol of fragility. When making a mosaic set, the fragility of the eggshell causes a lot of trouble, forcing the master to take special measures and be extremely careful.

But if the shell is covered on both sides with a thin layer of some kind of elastic glue, then it can be cut with scissors. True, the edges of the cut shell will crumble slightly. If you stick thin paper on the shell, you can avoid this trouble. The inner surface of the shell is smeared with a thin layer of glue, such as PVA (Fig. 1, a).
Then the shells smeared with glue are laid out on a thin sheet of paper (preferably colored) and pressed on top with a flat board (Fig. 1, b). After about a minute, the plank is laid aside and each shell is ironed with effort with a wooden trowel (Fig. 1, c).
The trowel is a solid wood rod, the oblique cut of which is polished to a shine. Separate pieces of the shell will split into smaller parts that will fit snugly against the paper. After that, a plank is again placed on top and pressed down with a heavy load (Fig. 1, d). After two or three minutes, when the glue sets, the paper, together with the shell glued to it, is smeared with a thin layer of flour or starch paste. On the surface of the shell smeared with paste, tissue paper and carefully smoothed with palms (Fig. 1, e). A weight is placed on top and the glue is allowed to dry for several hours (Fig. 1, f).

Having pasted all the prepared shells in this way, the sheets are folded into a folder. In this form, they can be stored for a very long time.

On a colored or dark background, the silhouettes of the pasted shell are clearly visible even through tissue paper. This makes it possible to correctly navigate when cutting blanks on which the contours of mosaic elements are drawn. The silhouette of the pasted shell is unique, it can give impetus to the imagination of the artist. You can enter the contours of various animals, human figures, buildings, cars, plants, and much more into it (Fig. 1, g).

Having drawn on the shell found, for example, the contours of a fish, they cut the shell with scissors around the silhouette, not trying to work out small details. It is easy to cut the shell with scissors along straight and curved lines only from the outside (Fig. 1, h). All kinds of recesses, concave cuts and holes are made with a scalpel or cutter, as well as drills after gluing the shell onto the base substrate.

Making a mosaic by removing the shell

All works are carried out on separate boards, which play the role of the basis of the mosaic set - the substrate. The prepared shell is cut into polygons with straight sides (Fig. 2, a). At the same time, they try to make them, if possible, have right angles. This will make it easier to fit them to the base sticker. One of the sides of the plank is completely pasted over with a shell, carefully fitting the cut polygons to each other. Each polygon is pressed as tightly as possible to the base with a trowel. Then, on the shell glued to the board, the contours of the intended image are drawn with a simple pencil (Fig. 2, b).

The figure shows the sequence of execution of a mosaic set with an image of an elephant.
In areas where there should be a background, excess shell is removed with various cutting tools. For drilling blind holes, gimlets or a small drill are used.

Carving, as well as chipping off the shell, is done with a scalpel or a joint knife. Engraving is done with engravers. Work begins with drilling (Fig. 2, c1), then engraving is performed along pencil lines (Fig. 2, c2), after which they begin to chip the shell in the areas reserved for the background. After finishing mechanical processing, the tissue paper pasted on it is removed from the surface of the shell. Preliminarily, the paper is carefully moistened with water using a brush (Fig. 2, d1).
After some time, the soaked paper is easily separated from the shell (Fig. 2, d2). In the places of docking, small seams sometimes remain, into which small shells are glued.

At the next stage of work on the mosaic set, they begin to identify craquelure. In this case, the background is painted in any color, for example, black, dark brown, dark blue (Fig. 2, d3). For these purposes, it is convenient to use ink. The composition of the carcass includes an alcohol solution of shellac, dyes, glycerin, bile and antiseptics.

Due to the presence of bile - a surfactant - the mascara easily penetrates into the smallest cracks, dragging all the other components with it. Filling the cracks between the individual shells, the ink not only colors them, but also fastens them together. This is facilitated by shellac, which, after drying, does not dissolve even with water.

After making sure that the mosaic set is evenly colored, remove excess ink from the surface of the shell with a slightly damp cloth or swab (Fig. 2, e1). After waiting for the remaining ink to dry completely, they begin to polish the mosaic with fine-grained sandpaper mounted on a wooden block (Fig. 2, e).

Grind the surface of the shell very carefully - after all, the eggshell is so thin that in some places it can be easily removed completely. After finishing grinding, sandpaper is replaced with ordinary writing. It also has abrasive properties due to the presence of koalin and chalk in it. The polished surface of the eggshell acquires a soft sheen and vaguely resembles old ivory or marble. The dark matte background emphasizes and enhances the expressiveness of the mosaic set (Fig. 2f).

Mosaic set with mastic background

If the background occupies a significant place in the mosaic set, as, for example, in the composition with the image of owls, then it makes no sense to completely paste over the surface of the decorated object with the shell (Fig. 3a). After all, about half of the glued shell will have to be removed later. In this case, it is better to paste over with a shell only those areas where the mosaic images will be directly located.

Work on a mosaic set begins with the fact that the prepared drawing is transferred to a wooden base.
Then generalized silhouettes are cut out of the shell with scissors and glued onto the base. After the glue dries, the excess shell (it is shaded in our figure) is removed with a scalpel or cutter (Fig. 3, b).

Usually, cutter marks degrade the surface of the background, and in large areas this is very noticeable. However, flaws can be removed by filling the background with a layer of special mastic flush with the pasted shell (Fig. 3, c). As a mastic, epoxy glue with a filler of graphite, stone dust, brick powder is most often used. You can paint mastic with any dry pigments, as well as oil paints.

Mastic is carefully applied to areas of the background with a wooden spatula or a sculptural stack. As soon as the mastic has completely hardened, the mosaic set is carefully leveled with a file. Then the mosaic is moistened with clean water. Cigarette paper pasted with a paste on the shell gets wet and easily separated from it. It remains only with the help of a brush and ink to reveal craquelure shells on the surface. If the mastic is colored, for example, in dark blue, then blue ink is also used to develop craquelure (Fig. 3, d).

Finally, the set is ground and polished. The entire surface of the mosaic, including the background, acquires an even soft sheen.

Mosaic with multicolor background

The background can not only emphasize the beauty and expressiveness of the material used in the mosaic, but also actively participate in the color scheme of the composition. In this case, the details from the shell will serve as a sort of partitions separating one part of the background from another (Fig. 4, a).

Mastic of three colors - brown, black and red - is prepared in different jars. First, the background areas are filled with brown (Fig. 4, b), and then with dark red mastic (Fig. 4, c). To obtain a mottled background, black mastic is mixed with shells crushed in a mortar (Fig. 4, d).

To prevent the mastic from spreading, edges of thin cardboard are glued along the edges of the plank with a mosaic set. After the mastic has hardened, the sides are removed, the mosaic set is carefully leveled with a file and the remnants of tissue paper are removed. The shell is covered with black ink. As soon as it penetrates deep enough into the cracks of the shell, its excess is removed with a slightly damp cloth. After a few minutes the ink dries, and the set is sanded with fine-grained sandpaper mounted on a wooden block, and then polished. The black mottled background of the mosaic will appear to be made from many individual shells.

If it was possible to prepare a shell that has different natural color shades, then, if possible, this modest palette is also used, for example, when working on a mosaic panel based on ancient architecture (Fig. 5). Let's say the master has white, brown and cream shells at his disposal. White shells are suitable for imitating snow, white stone walls, brown for fortress walls and towers, and cream for buildings inside the fortress. This is, of course, an approximate layout.

The use of a shell of one shade or another will depend on the nature of the image and the task facing the artist.

Mosaic on turning products

Woodwork made on a lathe can be successfully decorated with eggshell mosaics (Fig. 6). When turning on workpieces, small indentations of no more than 0.5 mm are pre-selected with a cutter. Mosaic elements are glued to the surface to be decorated, carefully rubbed against it with a trowel (Fig. 6, a). Then the product with the mosaic set glued on it is tightly wrapped with some kind of tourniquet (belt or rope), tightly laying coil to coil (Fig. 6, b). So that the glue protruding from under the shell does not stick to the tourniquet, the product is pre-wrapped with newsprint. After the final drying of the glue, the tourniquet is removed, and the areas where the shell is not glued are filled with epoxy mastic (Fig. 6, c).

When the mastic hardens, start grinding the mosaic set. Grinding can be done directly on a lathe, observing the necessary precautions, or by hand, fixing sandpaper on a wooden block with a grooved recess corresponding to the diameter of the workpiece (Fig. 6, d). After identifying craquelure on the shell and subsequent polishing, the wooden parts of the product are painted in a dark color with a stain.

In conclusion, the entire product is rubbed with wax mastic or varnished and polished.

Using eggs to create paintings was invented by medieval artists. Paints based on natural materials formed the basis of the most outstanding works of art. This master class offers to look at the egg as a tool for creativity from a new angle. This time, the shell will go.

For the project you will need:

• eggshell;
• gouache of different colors;
• water;
• brushes for paint and varnish;
• colorless varnish;
• tweezers;
• acetone;
• PVA glue

First you need to prepare the eggshell. If the eggs have traces of contamination, it is best to wash them before cracking them. Dry the eggs with a towel and split into two halves. Let the shell dry. Apply gouache to the halves of the dry shell. Fresh paint does not need to be diluted with water so that the layer is dense and uniform. Since you need different colors, make sure that there is a napkin or towel on the table with which you can wipe off traces of different colors.

Paint the whole shell. It is better to prepare it with a margin. Instead of gouache, you can use acrylic paint, especially if you want to get a gold or silver shell. Wait until the paint is completely dry before applying varnish. Lift the halves of the shell with tweezers so as not to damage the color, and spread them with varnish. If you use varnish in an aerosol, you can spray all the shells right on the table. If pieces break off during work, cover them with varnish and paint - they will be useful for mosaics. When you're done, wash your nail polish brush and tweezers in acetone. Leave the varnish to dry.

After the shells are completely dry, break them into small pieces. It is important that they are practically flat. It remains to choose the surface that will be decorated. It can be a cardboard base with a printed pattern, a vase or even a mug.

For such a mosaic, PVA glue is well suited. Apply the base and let it dry a little. Then apply glue to the colored piece of shell, holding it with tweezers. Submit your chosen drawing.

Bulky objects, such as vases or flower pots, can also be decorated with shells.

You can complement the mosaic with other types of decor. On vases, pots and other items that perform not only a decorative function, it will not be superfluous to additionally varnish the mosaic.

The original mosaic made in this technique looks on jewelry.

You can try to imitate the pattern of natural stone.

You can create interesting panels on any topic. For example, such a picture can decorate a bathroom. But for a wet room, an additional layer of varnish is needed.