Yu Tongtong's eggshell painting of the solar term Rain Water. 
 

Many people can still remember painting eggshells when they were young. They would have once held the eggshells up to their eyes and carefully painted animals, people and colorful patterns on that small canvas. When they were finished, they would show off the shells to their parents and friends.

Recently, a post-90s freelance illustrator, Yu Tongtong, painted images representing the 24 solar terms on eggshells.

The artist and her creations got many likes on Douban, a Chinese social networking website offering information on movies, books and music in Chinese cities.
Eggshell painting is common, yet "she created something with poetic beauty", Douban user Freja said.

Born in Jiangsu province, Yu started painting when she was in elementary school. The illustrator officially started to study art in high school.

Inspired by the poetic names and customs of the 24 solar terms, the artist captured the colors and most representative things for each term on her eggshells.
According to Yu, painting on eggshell is more accessible than eggshell sculpture that has strict requirements.

"You could either choose a real eggshell or a wooden model of the shell to start," Yu said.

Yet, it is still a challenge to paint on the curved surface of an eggshell. It takes more time and skills than painting on common paper.

The artist got to know the 24 solar terms at a young age. Before creating her eggshell solar term series, she researched them thoroughly.

"I plan to create more eggshell painting based on traditional Chinese culture," Yu said.