Icon painting is a unique form of sacred art that combines profound spirituality with precise craftsmanship. Creating an icon is a process that requires patience, focus, and skill in using traditional techniques and natural materials. In my studio, every stage of icon-making carries symbolic meaning and is carried out in accordance with centuries-old tradition.
The first step is choosing the subject and the appropriate base – most often a wooden board, which is then coated with a special ground. While working on the icon presented here, I created what is known as a reversed podlinnik, which allows for the precise transfer of the design onto the board’s surface. Essential in this process is Italian burnt sienna, which serves as a tracing medium, enabling accurate reproduction of the contours.
After transferring the design, I began working on the sinopsis – a drawing made with pigment. I reinforced the lines with a pencil, as the pigment rubs off easily. The areas intended for gilding were protected with dark shellac, applying around five layers to safeguard the fragile ground. I then used golden ochre and titanium white as an underlayer for the mineral gold. The metal leaf was applied with water-based mixtion, and finally, the entire surface was sealed with a finishing layer of shellac.
Painting the face requires particular care and precision. Natural sienna lends softness to the features, while burnt umber is used to refine the contours. Golden ochre was applied for highlights, and green umber for shading, accentuating the oval of the face as well as the areas around the nose, mouth, and eye sockets. White areas are carefully avoided, as they disrupt the perception of colour. To achieve a warm skin tone, I applied diluted golden ochre, and covering the whole surface with egg tempera allowed the vibrant colours to emerge.
I enriched the colours of the garments using Prussian blue, cobalt blue, and burnt umber, which allowed for subtle deepening of the hues. Caput mortuum and cadmium red created ideal shades for the finer details. I then carried out gilding with assist. Levelling layers of golden ochre and green umber were carefully smoothed, while the addition of natural sienna softened the transitions between colours.
Finally, I coated all the elements with egg tempera, which gives the icon depth and vibrancy of colour. Tiny strokes of titanium white highlighted the finest details, while burnt ochre allowed the darkest areas to be accentuated. Through the combination of traditional techniques and patient work, each icon becomes not only a work of art but also a window to the sacred.
If you wish to order an icon or learn more about the process of creating one, you are warmly invited to get in touch.