How to Make a Water Dragon's Egg - Step-by-Step!

Check out the build video here!

If you're anything like me, you prefer dark fantasy vibes over pastel bunnies when it comes to easter egg crafts. So we're putting some cheap, ready-made easter egg forms to use by turning them into fantasy-inspired dragon eggs! In this tutorial, I’ll show you how to transform a humble dollar store egg into a smoldering, watery dragon treasure. 

I didn’t want to copy the usual Game of Thrones-style eggs, so I created a set inspired by the four natural elements: earth, air, fire, and water. This article focuses on the rippling water egg—but you can check out the build video here, and check out the full articles on the fire, earth, and air eggs
Creating a water texture for my water-inspired dragon's egg was surprisingly tricky. After some trial and error, I discovered a method that captures the delicate reflections of water ripples on a lake using a simple household item: cotton balls!
I think this technique looks really great on my egg, but I think this could be very cool on any number of applications. If you've been wondering how to replicate the look of water on your own pieces, this tutorial will walk you through the process step-by-step! Let's DIVE in! 

---

Step 1:  Gather your Materials
To make your own DIY dragon egg craft, you'll need to gather the following materials:

• Plastic Easter eggs (the bigger, the better)
• Papier Mache supplies (check out this article or this video for a break down of my paper mache process)
• Sandpaper or a nail file (I really like these nail files for crafting)
• Cotton balls
• Acrylic Paint Supplies (check out this article or this video for a break down of the dry-brush paint technique we'll be using.)

---

Step 2: Step 2:  Prepare Your Egg

• Lightly scuff the surface of your plastic egg to roughen the surface.
• Apply a layer or two of paper mache to the egg. Use really small patches of paperfor smooth layers
• A great tip is to apply a coat of paper mache to one end of the egg, set it in a cup to dry, then flip the egg over to complete the other end.
• Once the egg is completely dry, you can use your nail file to smooth out any bumps in the paper mache.

---

Step 3: Unroll and Apply Cotton Balls

• Gently unroll the cotton ball so that you have a soft weft of fiber to work with.
• Gently pull the fibers apart allowing delicate waves and ripples to form.
• Stretch the prepared cotton around the belly of the egg. Don't worry if it doesn't reach around the back, you can fill any gaps later.

---

Step 4: Add you Paper Mache Paste

• Use a paintbrush to gently dribble watered-down glue over the cotton. 
• Go slowly and let the liquid soak-in while you use the brush to smooth the cotton in place.
• Once the cotton is adhered, gently use your brush to expand the ovals and form the ripples.

---

Step 5: Patch with More Cotton Fibers

• In areas where the cotton doesn't completely cover the back of the egg, pull a few fibers from another cotton ball and place them into the bare areas. 
• Repeat the glue process as before.

---

Step 6:  Let it Dry and Repeat

• The cotton layer will be very delicate while wet. I recommend letting the egg dry fully before proceeding.
• When dry, repeat the process on the top of the egg and let it dry again before covering the bottom.

---

Step 7: Prime with Gesso

• Prime the entire egg with a couple coats of gesso. 
• If you don't have any gesso, there's a great recipe for a DIY primer here.

---

Step 8: Paint the Water Ripples

• Fill in the round shapes (blobs) using a bright blue. This is cerulean blue by Liquitex Basics.
• Add a dark blue dot in the  center of each blob.
• Use a fine brush to outline each blob with light blue.
• Go over the cotton ridges and fill in any remaining space with white.

---

Step 9: Clear Coat (Optional)

• If you like, you can coat your egg with a glossy clear coat.
• I like a more satin finish, so I often just leave my projects without clear coat.

---

Step 10: Display

• You can display your finished egg in a small bowl,  cup, or candle holder.
• This egg is displayed on the cardboard center of a roll of scotch tape  that I painted black. (You can barely see it against my black backdrop!)

---

If you try this project and upcycle a plastic egg into a fantasy dragon egg,  it would make my day if you’d share your results with me. I’m @JaneSawyerMakes on TikTok, Instagram, Pinterest, Reddit, Threads,  and Twitter (X). Find lots of other budget-friendly art projects on my YouTube Channel. Please share and pin this article!