A few years ago, I challenged myself to find a way to bring my darker, more gothic aesthetic, into my Springtime decorating. I had previously avoided any signs of Spring all together, but after finding success in bringing my aesthetic into other holidays and special times of the year, it was time to do the same with Spring. Now, each year I look forward to Spring decorating and finding ways to add gothic elements. This week, after a lot of trial and error, I’m thrilled to have completed these beautiful DIY Black Victorian Gothic Framed Eggs to add to my collection!
This is actually the second time I’ve been inspired to create gothic themed eggs. A few years ago, I made these Stamped Decoupage Eggs. They really were a fun and easy project! I’m not sure I would say “you can never have too many eggs”, but for some reason, I’m drawn to the idea of giving them gothic makeovers! Maybe I just get tired of seeing all of the cheesy easter eggs everywhere this time of the year, and can’t help but think to myself…. I can make those better! When I was trying to decide what I was going to do with the eggs, I ended up with pages of ideas, so this is likely not the last of my gothic egg designs.
This year’s egg design is very different from the decoupage eggs I did previously. Those were the kind of eggs that you’d make a bunch of, and display together in a big bowl or jar. I wanted these eggs to be a bit more of a show piece…. like little pieces of art. Even just one can be a striking focal point or conversation starter. As you scroll through the images, you’ll see I played around with displaying a single egg with some old books. It should come as no surprise that I collect Vintage Edgar Allan Poe books, so pairing some with the Raven Egg was a no brainer, and made me smile! I also grouped several eggs together on stands to create vignettes, which was how I originally envisioned displaying them. They’d look beautiful on a mantel, shelf, counter, table…. almost anywhere! Although my intent was always to display each egg…. for fun, I also tried piling them into a large vintage wooden birdcage. They looked pretty cool in there, but the obvious downfall was that a few of the eggs were hidden behind or under other eggs, and that seemed like such a waste. If you wanted to try the birdcage idea, and you had a large enough cage, I’d suggest using a few plain black eggs as filler, and adjusting all of the “design” eggs, so they could be seen. So, whether you choose to make 1 or 10, there are plenty of ways to display these beauties!
It’s worth mentioning that where I ended up with this project is definitely not where I started. There was a lot of trial and error and a lot of changing direction as I learned what worked and what didn’t. It all started from a photo I saw in a magazine of some easter eggs that I thought would be beautiful done “my way”…. I snapped a pic of the magazine photo, and set out to figure out how to recreate them. I ran into problem after problem…. and my final design only vaguely resembles the original idea I had in my head. But sometimes things happen for a reason, and I am absolutely thrilled with how these eggs turned out. As I go through this tutorial, I’ll happily share tips and “lessons learned” so you won’t make the same mistakes. But before I get into the detailed steps, I want to touch on a few things worth elaborating on…
Let me start by saying that the type and size of egg you choose will definitely have an impact on the final design for several reasons. When I first started this project, I purchased the larger size 4 1/2″ plastic eggs. I always try to be economically mindful if I can, so using the plastic eggs, which are both inexpensive and so readily available this time of year, made sense. My issue with using plastic eggs for any project is the seam. The perfectionist in me is driven insane by that seam. I knew I’d have to hide it. To do so, I decided to cover the egg in paper mache. I do think it would have worked, and I may pick up where I left off and use the paper mache / plastic eggs for another project one day….. but the amount of time that it was taking to do the paper mache was making me question the importance of the cost savings over my efficiency savings. Instead of wasting time testing another method to hide the seam, I put down the plastic eggs, and purchased ready made paper mache eggs. If the seam does not bother you, feel free to use plastic. The other thing to consider is the size of the egg. A frame must not only look proportionate to the egg, but house an image large enough to see. If the picture is too small, you’ll lose some of the effect that makes these eggs so special. Many of the frame molds available have an especially small area for the image (I know, because I tested 8 different frame molds before finding one that worked!). Lesson is – take your time choosing the right size egg and frame. I ended up using a 6″ egg, and a mold for a 5″ frame with a 3″+ opening, so my framed image could have the visual impact I was hoping for.
I am no stranger to using silicone molds on my projects, but I stepped outside of my comfort zone and tried something new for this one. I typically use paper clay when working with molds, but I encountered several drawbacks to using the clay for this particular project. I had heard of other crafters using hot glue as their medium, and knew this was the perfect opportunity to try it! I wanted my frames to be black, so I took it one step further and used Black Hot Glue. (If you already have regular glue sticks on hand, feel free to use those and simply paint the frames.) While I am more than happy with how the frames turned out, as with everything on this project…. even the glue took some trial and error to get right. I think it was due to the intricate details of the mold, but the glue does not always flow freely into every crevice. Getting that perfect balance of glue into all of the nooks and crannies of the mold, without overfilling and compromising the open design, took some practice!! I include some tips below to assist with the learning curve!
The last thing to consider before getting started is the image. The good news is that your choices are pretty much limitless these days….. but good luck narrowing that down! I had such a hard time figuring out what images to use, that I had almost 40 different images printed! And that was after I narrowed down my list!! I’m a Libra in the truest sense, so making decisions is ridiculously difficult for me. What color story did I want? What theme did I want? Do I want random images or coordinating images? I’ll gladly share my thought process in case it helps you on your quest to find the image that’s right for you…. While these eggs would obviously have a gothic vibe, I considered the fact that I was making an effort to create “spring” decor…. so I tested a few versions of pastel / spring florals. I even went as far as testing out a grouping of Victorian Bunnies. They were cute, but ultimately felt too “easter” for my taste… I also pushed the boundaries on the classic spring florals, and tested gothic florals in bold royal colors instead. Then I considered Spring-O-Ween…. for those of us that like to interject a bit of Halloween into every season and holiday…. and tested a handful of Halloween themed images. Lastly, I tested various gothic images like skulls and ravens, in different color combinations. A LOT of these images would have been SOO good! I liked some of them so much that they’ve already been earmarked for my next egg design. But I had to limit myself somehow. Six eggs was already more than I had originally planned on creating, but I simply could not narrow it down any further.
I ultimately decided to go with two groupings of three. The first grouping was a coordinating group of gothic roses. I liked the idea of doing something floral in keeping with the spring theme. The three I chose appeared monochromatic, but when you look closely they each have a hint of color. I liked the subtle color. Since my other grouping was a bit more in your face with the gothic imagery, I also liked that the single roses had a subtle gothic vibe. It makes them more versatile when decorating. For the other grouping, I went with images that were relatively random but that paired well together. I figured they could work as a group or mix and match with other things. I stayed with a floral theme for the skull images…. thinking that the black Skull and Rose image could pair with the Gothic Rose grouping. I thought the more colorful Floral Skull image might look pretty paired with a floral arrangement in the same color family. And as I mentioned earlier, I figured I could do something fun with the Raven and a play on Poe’s poem.
You can find images in several places. If you have access to an AI image generation tool, you can create your own artwork. You can purchase artwork on Etsy. And you can find a ton of free artwork in the Public Domain. Once you have landed on some options, resize the images to fit the opening of the frame mold, and have them printed. I always print mine at a printshop to ensure the color quality.
OK.. enough chatting… let’s get down to it….
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Here’s what you’ll need:
(Please note – This supply list is what I used for the eggs I made. As I mentioned in the paragraphs above, there are alternatives to a few of these items, and some may be optional depending on your preference)
- Large Paper Mache Eggs – I purchased mine at a craft store, but this link is for similar eggs
- Frame Mold – I used the large 5″ mold from this set.
- Black Hot Glue / Glue Gun
- Precision Exacto Knife and Small Sharp Scissors
- Various Paintbrushes (for Gesso, Acrylic Paint, Mod Podge, Crackle, Gold and – Paintbrush Set , Round Sponge Brush Set , Stippling/Stencil Brush
- Black Gesso
- Black Acrylic Paint
- Images printed on standard paper
- Mod Podge
– I used the Matte Finish
- Optional – paints to match the background of the images
- Crackle Paint
- Matte Clear Spray Paint
- Antique Bronze Paint
- Gem-Tac Adhesive
- Thick Rubber bands
- Something to dry the eggs on… this could be anything you have on hand, or… a Craft Drying rack, a Wire Grid Shelf
– I used the Matte Finish1. Choose an egg and a frame mold –
I used a 6″ x 4.25″ paper mache egg. In case you skipped straight to the instructions without reading the article (it’s OK – we all do it!), see above where I talk more about why I chose to use large paper mache eggs, and what to keep in mind if you choose to use other sizes or types of eggs.
2. Make the frame –
Heat your glue gun. As I mentioned before, if you are using the same mold as I did, there are a couple of small challenges to keep in mind. 1. The glue does not flow freely into the tiny intricately detailed crevices, and 2. The mold is intended to create an open design within the frame, so overfilling the mold will compromise that design element. I found I had the most success when I started at one end of the mold, put the tip of the glue gun inside of the mold cavity, and very slowly and steadily, filled the cavity with glue, working towards me.
Once you reach the end, repeat on the other side of the frame, always working toward yourself, not away. Allow the glue to cool. I would wait to remove the frame until the underside of the mold was not warm anymore. Bend the silicone back, and the frame will peel right out. You will have small pieces of excess glue that need to be trimmed off. I used a combination of small sharp scissors and a precision blade to clean off all of the excess. Set the frame aside.
3. Paint the Eggs –
Using a round sponge brush, cover the entire egg in black gesso by dabbing, not brushing. This creates a subtle texture on the surface of the egg, which I thought was a bit more realistic. Using gesso as the first layer prevents the paint from soaking into the paper mache, and also creates a surface that paint can adhere to without peeling or flaking. Once the gesso is dry, paint the egg in black acrylic. I chose a matte finish out of preference… again, I thought it seemed more realistic. While the paintbrush and acrylic are out, brush a layer of paint across your frames. The glue can sometimes dry a bit shiny, so if you want all of the elements of the egg to be consistent, then add the matte black to the frame. Since the frame is already black, one layer of paint across the top seems to do the trick.
4. Add the images –
Once you have selected the images you want to use, cut them just larger than the opening of your frame.
TIP… I used one of the frames I had made and traced the opening onto a piece of paper. I then cut it out slightly bigger than the traced line, and used it as a template for cutting out my images.
You may have noticed that your images are flat and the egg surface is curved. Unfortunately, that means a bit of surgery is necessary in order for your image to lay flat against the curved surface of the egg. You’ll be making “snips” along the outside edge of the image, toward the center. The size & quantity of those snips depends on the size of your image. (I typically made between 6-9 snips) Once the image is flat against the egg, the edges of those snips will slightly overlap. The goal is to make those overlaps as UN-noticeable as possible. If there are any printed elements that may “hide” the overlap, like the stem of a flower or the edge of an object, snip along those lines. If you are simply cutting into an open background, then it’s best to start with a few cuts, and add more as you smooth the image onto the eggs. If you think of the image like the face of a clock, snips at 3:00 and 9:00, 1:00 and 11:00, and 5:00 and 7:00 should work just fine.
You’ll want to start by identifying where the center of your image should be. I did this by placing my frame onto the egg and marking the center.
Using a paintbrush, brush a bit of mod podge onto the marked spot. I placed the center of the image directly onto the mod podge. You have a few seconds to adjust the image and make sure it is straight. Wherever you made your initial snips, brush mod podge onto the egg directly under that section, and press the paper down onto the egg, smoothing from the center out. (Do not worry about mod podge getting on your egg beyond the image… we’ll be fixing that later.) Move around the image, gluing and pressing one section at a time, always pressing from the center outward. As you overlap edges, start at the deepest part of the cut line and firmly press outwards along the line, toward the image edge. The image and the point of overlap should be completely flat.
Once your image is secured and flat, brush a layer of mod podge across the top of the image. While it is wet, continue to smooth the image onto the egg… paying close attention to both the cut lines and the outer edge of the paper. Work quickly, because Mod Podge does not stay wet for long. If you touch the image once the mod podge becomes tacky, you’ll risk damaging the image.
5. Hide those cut lines –
Once the mod podge has dried, you may notice a slight white line where the overlap is. This is the edge of the paper that stands out against a non-white background. To hide the white line, I took a small stippling brush and dabbed on a bit of paint, that matched the background of my image, onto the line. I lightly stippled other areas of my image as well, for consistency, but for this step, do what you feel comfortable with. Luckily, the next step works wonders on hiding imperfections. Once the paint is dry, it’s time to give the image a crackle finish. Using a paintbrush, simply brush a thick coat of the crackle paint across the image, and let it work its magic. It takes about 1 1/2 hours to cure… but the exact time will depend on how much you used as well as temp/humidity of your environment. You may want to check on it after about an hour, and every half hour after until it is completely dry.
6. Touch Ups –
The crackle finish does appear very shiny once dry. To bring it back down to a matte finish, I sprayed an even coat of Matte Spray across the entire area. The matte spray dries very quickly.
Next, paint the black acrylic around the image to cover any of the dried mod podge, and use the tip of the paintbrush to dab a bit of paint along the edge of the image to blend it with the egg. At this point, your egg should look like this. See image X. You’ll notice how the crackle effect distracts from the overlap lines.
7. Framing –
I opted to add a touch of gold to my frame. I think the egg also looks beautiful with a solid black frame, so this step is up to you. To create the Antique gold effect, use a small flat edge paintbrush. Dip the brush into the paint, but then dap it off. You don’t want a heavy amount of gold to land on the frame. It should be subtle. Take the edge of the paintbrush and gently sweep across just the raised face of the frame details. Add more gold as desired. If you make a mistake, and add too much gold, keep a wet wipe nearby and you can wipe it away as long as you do it immediately, while the gold is wet.
Once the gold is dry, add glue to the back of the frame, making sure to cover all of the outer edge details. Place the frame in place over your image, and using firm rubber bands, secure the frame. This will hold the frame in place while the glue dries. I may have gone overboard with the rubber bands, but I didn’t want to risk any parts of the frame not adhering. If any of the glue gets onto your egg, you can always use the black acrylic paint to do touch ups. Leave the rubber bands on for several hours to ensure the glue has set.
Your eggs are ready for display!
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