Icon-Painting

the finished icon

2006-08-24T21:33:00.000+02:00

When everything is painted the inscription of the icon has to be written. It names the person(s) which the icon shows. Normally the inscription is written in Greek or Slavonic - but one also can write it in the language of the country where the icon will stay. Here it is written in German saying "Heiliger Christophorus" (St. Christopher).

You see here a detail of the icon. Christ always has a cross in his halo and the inscription in Greek or Slawonic: O ON - "The One who is".

guilding of the robe

2006-06-23T21:58:00.000+02:00

The robe of Jesus will be guilded. Rests of the gold from the leaves or the gold-rests, which have been collected after the guilding of the background, can be used.

Special glue (guilding-milk) is painted on the robe in thin lines. Then the gold-rests are taken up with a soft brush and carefully spread over the glued parts.

Here you see parts of the robe, which are already guilded, and others, where the thin lines of the glue is still visible.

The guilding of the robe is now finished. Meanwhile the faces have been painted too, likewise the mountains in the background.

brightening of the face

2006-06-23T21:16:00.000+02:00

The face is the most important thing of an icon and will decide, if an icon is "speaking" or not. I like to do it directly after the ground-colours are laid on, though normally one first does brightening of all the surroundings (mountains, houses, plants ...) and robes and the brightening of the face comes last.

In general there are 3 brightenings.
1. The ground-colour of the face is mixed with ochre.

2. Pure ockre with a bit of red and white is used and
3. more white is added on the smaller parts.

At a very last step the "lights" will be set in very thin lines in pure white. This is here not yet done.

You see here in addition to the 3rd brightening the already finished guilding of the robe of Jesus and the finished mountains in the background.

drawing the important lines

2006-06-20T17:10:00.000+02:00

Now the feature-lines are drawn, which is an important step as herewith the expression of the faces and the arrangements of the folds are fixed.

Most care has to be taken with the faces. The hairs and the beard are coloured in dark.

painting is started

2006-05-06T23:30:00.000+02:00

After the guilding is finished painting can be started. Painting is always from the dark to the light. It is the same way as we spiritually are going: from the dark to the light, so this is also symbolically. Technically it will give the special transparence, which makes the icons so beautiful.

The first colour will be the ground-colour in dark, which will be brightened later.

The colour is taken very thin and in several layers, until no white comes through anymore.

Now the icon is "layed down" as one says, i.e. the gound colours are covering the whole icon.

preparing colours

2006-05-06T23:27:00.000+02:00

Icons are painted with egg-tempera. Normally no finished colours are used but pigments. The binder is egg yolk, which is mixed with water and a bit of apple vinegar (or stale beer or similar which prevents the egg from going bad too soon). Each pigment needs another amount of the binder, so one has to find out.

First the pigment and a bit of water is made into a mash, then the egg is added, until the colour is fine. The colour needs to be thin.

matt gilding

2006-05-03T13:51:00.000+02:00

For this icon we are making a combination of shining and matt gilding. The shining gilding of the gloriole has already been done. Now the parts for matt gilding are painted with yellow or red colour.

On that a gold-mixtion (a special oil-based glue) is spread.

After the needed waiting-time the gilding can be started. For matt gilding transfer-gold (gold leaves pressed on thin paper) is used. The paper with the gold can be taken into the hands and is with scissors cut into the needed pieces. One piece after another is put on the painted and glued parts while the paper is pulled off.

At the end the overlapping gold can be turned away with a soft brush. The rests are collected, as they can later be used for assist-gilding (see in a later posting).

The result: The gloriole is with shining gilding, the background in matt.
Now everything is ready for painting.

shining gilding, 2

2006-05-01T15:11:00.000+02:00

After the gold has been put on the icon several waiting hours are following. At the right time the polishing with an agate-stone has to be started. Actually not the gold is polished, but the ground, so the gold starts to shine brightly.

bright shinging gold

shining gilding, 1

2006-04-30T19:50:00.000+02:00

The shining gilding gives a light gold-shine. The gold looks somewhat massive, as it will be polished at the end. For this poliment or - more easier - "Kölner Glanzgoldgrund" is used.

The gold is of 23-23,75 Karate and pressed in very thin leaves. The genuine gold leaves are lose in the booklet and are taken out with a gilders knife.

Now everything is prepared.

The loose gold is now on the gilders-cussion for being cut in the needed pieces.

Taking up a gold-piece with the fehhair brush ...

... and putting it on the prepared place, which is wetted with a mixture of water and spiritus.

the model for painting

2006-04-30T12:29:00.000+02:00

An icon is always a copy. The painter does no individual painting but sees himself as an instrument in the service of a long tradition. Painting is seen as an act of meditation/prayer - or better said: it is meditation/prayer itself. It must also be understood that the copy corresponds in full to the original and is not less "worthy". It represents the presence of the depicted person(s). So an icon of Christ makes Christ present in the room where it has its place, not only in remembrance, but much more directly - so is the view of the Orthodoxians. Icons have also a very important function in the service of the Orthodox Church.

Normally the painter chooses a model out of one of the books on icons. During the centuries also manuals for icon painters with detailed instructions have been published, which can be used likewise.

From the chosen model the outlines are taken and copied on the wood panel.
In the case here the model - St. Chrostopher - was taken from the book by Abraham Selig: "Die Kunst des Ikonenmalens", which contains also the sketch, which only had to be enlarged to fit on the wood panel.

preparing the wood panel

2006-04-30T12:28:00.000+02:00

Icons are painted on wood panels. Each kind of wood can be used, but it must be free of knots and resin. The wood pieces must be glued together such like, that the annual rings of the wood are standing horizontal if possible, to prevent that the icon later will be curved.

Wood is a natural material and is "working". To prevent that the painting gets broken later, a piece of cloth is glued on the panel at first. Then it is prepared with several layers of gesso, which must be smoothed to a perfect surface. Then only the panel is ready for drawing.