Byzantine Iconography Painting Series 1: Painting Basics (1)

Embark on a creative journey in icon painting with this comprehensive series! Part 1 of Series 1: Painting Basics will guide you through the fundamentals of creating beautiful and meaningful religious icons.

Section 1: Setting Up Your Icon Painting Workspace & Materials

Get ready to learn the essential tools for egg tempera painting. This section covers everything you need to know about your icon painting materials, including:

• Egg Tempera: Understanding this traditional painting medium.
• Workspace Setup: Creating an ideal environment for your art.
• Essential Materials: A detailed list of everything you'll need to start, including pigments like Yellow Ochre, Iron Oxide Black, Light Mars Red, and Titanium White.
• Egg Emulsion Preparation: Learn to create a stable and vibrant egg emulsion for your paintings.
• Surface Preparation: Preparing your painting surface for optimal results.
• Color Mixing: Mastering the art of blending egg tempera colors to achieve desired shades.

Section 2: Understanding Byzantine Iconography

Delve into the rich history and symbolism of Byzantine iconography. This section explores:

• Iconography Theory: Uncovering the principles behind traditional icon painting.
• Color and Light: Discovering how color and light are used to create depth and meaning in icons.
• Color Symbolism: Exploring the deep symbolism of colors in religious icons.

Section 3: Building Photismata: A Garment Exercise

Learn to create the characteristic luminous effect known as photismata in icons. This section focuses on:

• Garment Exercise: A practical exercise to understand the rhythmic build-up of forms.
• Light to Dark: Mastering the technique of building forms from light to dark to create depth.

Section 4: Mastering the Tetrachrome Palette

Discover the power of a limited color palette! This section introduces:

• Tetrachrome Palette: Exploring the traditional four-color palette used in icon painting.
• Mauve Sleeve Exercise: A step-by-step guide to painting a mauve sleeve, working from dark to light.

Section 5 & 6: Painting Green with Egg Tempera

Conquer one of the most challenging colors in egg tempera painting: green! This section teaches you:

• Green Painting Techniques: Two distinct methods for achieving vibrant and nuanced green hues using a tetrachrome palette.

Materials You'll Need:

• Pigments: Yellow Ochre (or Iron Oxide Yellow), Iron Oxide Black, Light Mars Red (or Red Ochre), Titanium White
• Medium: Egg Emulsion
• Other: Egg White, Lavender or Basil essential oil, 2 Plastic dropper bottles, Paint brushes (rounds with a good tip, flats and riggers), Palette (glass or plexiglass optional), Container of water, Paper towel, Hot press watercolour paper.

This series is perfect for beginners interested in learning the art of icon painting and exploring the beauty and depth of this ancient tradition.