The word pysanky comes from the Ukrainian word 'pysaty', which means 'to write'. So a pysanka is literally 'a written egg'. The artist uses a special little tool called a 'kistka' - a tiny funnel on a stick that holds melted beeswax. They draw with the wax, and wherever the wax goes, no dye can reach.
The egg is dipped in the lightest dye first - usually yellow. Then more wax is added to keep some of the yellow safe, and the egg goes into the next dye - perhaps orange, then red, then black. At the end, the wax is gently melted off in the warmth of a candle. The patterns appear like magic.
Just like vyshyvanka patterns, every shape on a pysanka means something. Wheat means a good harvest. A sun means warmth. Stars mean good wishes. A spiral might mean a long happy life. Some families have their own pysanka patterns that nobody else uses.
Pysanky take a long time. A simple one might take an hour, a complicated one a whole day. Children often start by making 'easy' pysanky with simpler patterns and work up to harder ones as their hands get steadier.