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The Last Page

Working With EZ Design
by Edna Mays Isaac

Preparing and placing pattern

Begin by choosing your design.  You can draw it yourself, line trace a subject from a photo or other image.  If I am  tracing, I generally scan the subject and print it out full page.  Then using the clear wrapping film (Children's Easter baskets are often covered in it as well as other basket gifts) line trace with a fine tip Sharpie pen.  This wrapping paper can be found at most places that sell gift wrap and at florists.  If this is not available, art stores sell clear sheets of different weights for copying purposes.

Here you see the original photo, the printed full page picture, the pen, and the tracing done on the clear wrapping paper.  If you look carefully, you can see the left edge of the wrapping paper over the printed picture.  One of the reasons that you print the image full page is that when you trace the image, it is way too big.  It is easier to trace it this way.  Another reason is that when you reduce the image of the scanned tracing, your margin of error in the tracing is reduced at the same rate.  For example, if your finished image is reduced to 1/10 the original size, your errors are also reduced by 10.

The tracing is then scanned.  I also needed the feet which would be put around the openings cut into the egg.  I sized the image and printed it on plain paper.  I have an ink jet printer so I seal the ink with acrylic matte finish art spray.  A laser printed image does not need this sealer as the ink in not water soluble.

Cut away excess paper around pattern.  This can vary from about 1/8” to about 3/16”.  Cut slits in areas that will the least likely distort, being careful not to weaken design by cutting too deeply.  Sometimes the pattern will conform without these cuts.  There are those that prefer not to cut the pattern at all.

Dip the pattern in clear water, this softens the fibers in the paper.  Only place in the water for a short time.  Pat away excess water with a paper towel.  Lay face down and using the EZ Design product, coat the back of the design.  The next photo shows the amount that will adequately cover this size pattern.  You want it slippery, but not so that it will leave a lot of the product to squeeze out when you are placing the pattern.  I find that using my finger will save a lot of the product, using a brush tends to waste the product.

Place on the egg.  Because the EZ is gelatinous, the pattern will slide around so placement is easy.  Smooth down the pattern when you have placed it to your satisfaction.  Pay attention to vertical axis, how much of the egg will be covered by the egg stand, etc.  If you find that the pattern just doesn't look right, maybe you need a different size.  Remember that you can change the size with your photo program as little or more than 1% at a time so it fits the egg to advantage.

Let dry, air drying will be affected by the humidity in the air.  A hair dryer held at a reasonable distance will speed the drying time.  I place (in the winter) the egg in front of a space heater to hasten drying time.  A warm place in a protected area in the sun can also speed the drying time.

Additional notes:  You can coat the entire egg or part of it with the EZ and let dry.  You can now draw with pencil whatever lines you need.  This allows you the freedom of using freehand lines and also being able to wash off the lines easily.  I often do this to show where the openings are to be cut away around the design and the opening in the back.  On this egg you can see the lines by the foot of the ballerina on the front, on the back you can see at the bottom of the egg how I changed my mind and there are two lines.  I will be using the bottom line as my guide for the opening.  These are only guides as I freehand the opening to look the best with the rest of the design.

Perhaps if you look closely you can see the edges of the EZ where it has dried in an oval shape where the lines are drawn on the back of the egg.  I did not need to spread the EZ over the entire egg surface, just where the lines would be drawn.  Another way to be able to draw on the egg surface is to place elliptical shaped plain paper pieces on the egg and cover the entire surface.  This gives the freedom to draw and also erase if you are drawing the entire design freehand